Using senkos, killing fish? And spinning setup 2024
Ksam1234 reply :
So I just started using senkos lately but the problem is I can't always detect the smaller bites or subtle bites and have killed two fish now.. they keep swallowing the hook 
and I hate killing bass. So I'm wondering if anyone knows a decent spinning setup with a lot of sensitivity untill I get better. Rod and reel for under 250$ please .. I have access to cabelas and field and stream so anything from there is great. Don't wanna keep hurting these guys. Oh and I'll be using the spinning setup for mainly senkos and soft plastics probably 85% of the time.
WRB reply :
Use a finesse circle hook, both Owner and Gamakatsu makes them.
Tom
RichF reply :
I'm a big proponent of just not using them.
Ksam1234 reply :
On 9/25/2017 at 10:11 PM, WRB said:Use a finesse circle hook, both Owner and Gamakatsu makes them.
Tom
That helps with the swallowing part ?
On 9/25/2017 at 10:27 PM, RichF said:I'm a big proponent of just not using them.
Yeah but there such a fish catcher. Just slay them
OnthePotomac reply :
You may have a hook setting timing problem, which will improve in time. Personally, I started crunching down barbs years ago for easy deep hook removal when I fish plastics. I don't lose fish because the barb is gone and simply reach in with this hook remover, grip it, turn it and lift it out.
http://www.basspro.com/shop/en/bass-pro-shops-squeeze-out-hook-remover
RichF reply :
Eh, there are but I don't think I'd see a drastic difference in how many I catch if I replaced my jig with one.
Ksam1234 reply :
On 9/25/2017 at 10:38 PM, OnthePotomac said:You may have a hook setting timing problem, which will improve in time. Personally, I started crunching down barbs years ago for easy deep hook removal when I fish plastics. I don't lose fish because the barb is gone and simply reach in with this hook remover, grip it, turn it and lift it out.
http://www.basspro.com/shop/en/bass-pro-shops-squeeze-out-hook-remover
I never thought about de barbing the hook. You don't loose hookups or lose fish at all? Since it doesn't stick as good.
Scott F reply :
With the barb pinched down, hooks bury deeper, more easily so they often are hooked better with no barb. Yes, you might lose a fish or two without a barb, but you generally don't land every fish even with a barb so if you keep good tension on the line, you shouldn't notice any more fish lost. Besides, the hooks come out so much more easily, you won't be killing any bass.
Ksam1234 reply :
On 9/25/2017 at 11:06 PM, Scott F said:With the barb pinched down, hooks bury deeper, more easily so they often are hooked better with no barb. Yes, you might lose a fish or two without a barb, but you generally don't land every fish even with a barb so if you keep good tension on the line, you shouldn't notice any more fish lost. Besides, the hooks come out so much more easily, you won't be killing any bass.
I'll start doing that. You just take some pliers and squeeze the barb?
Scott F reply :
On 9/25/2017 at 11:08 PM, Ksam1234 said:I'll start doing that. You just take some pliers and squeeze the barb?
It's that easy.
WRB reply :
Circle hooks like Gamakastu Octopus and Owner Mutu light or mosquitos prevent gut hooking the bass when wacky rigging Senko's.
Barbless hooks still gut hook fish tearing the gullet, depends what your goal is.
Tom
Ksam1234 reply :
On 9/25/2017 at 11:59 PM, WRB said:Circle hooks like Gamakastu Octopus and Owner Mutu light or mosquitos prevent gut hooking the bass when wacky rigging Senko's.
Barbless hooks still gut hook fish tearing the gullet, depends what your goal is.
Tom
I use the wacky rig and the bass don't bite really. As soon as I switch to the Weightless T rigged they go crazy for it. Any suggestion besides learning to feel the bite better so I don't let them inhale it
WRB reply :
On 9/26/2017 at 12:01 AM, Ksam1234 said:I use the wacky rig and the bass don't bite really. As soon as I switch to the Weightless T rigged they go crazy for it. Any suggestion besides learning to feel the bite better so I don't let them inhale it
Wacky rig with a nail weight (Neko rig). Read the rod tip strike detection thread and watch Matt's video online.
Tom
deep reply :
Just need to watch that rod tip.. duh!
Further North reply :
On 9/25/2017 at 10:38 PM, OnthePotomac said:Personally, I started crunching down barbs years ago for easy deep hook removal when I fish plastics. I don't lose fish because the barb is gone and simply reach in with this hook remover, grip it, turn it and lift it out.
I've been de-barbing my hooks for years. I can live with the couple of fish a year I might* lose because of it.
Better for me if I get stuck, better for the fish.
*I doubt I'm losing any, but allow room for error. I'd have to have it proven to me and I don't see a way to do that...
Ksam1234 reply :
On 9/26/2017 at 12:46 AM, deep said:Just need to watch that rod tip.. duh!
Just keep killing them all till I learn to watch and feel better haha. Jk jk
Bass_Fishing_Socal reply :
De-barb hook is a good option for you to be able to remove the hook easier but not gonna help gutted hook fish if you don't learn how to detect strike sooner.
I do the same with all my hooks for Fluke type since those fish mostly strike and try to swallow them whole doesn't matter fish fast or slow. Yeah you would loose fish here and there but mostly smaller one where they trend to jump a lot.
There are ways to detect strike, as others mention watch the rod tip, but seem like you are as naive as me so watch the line and feel the line might be easier. I always has my finger touch the line to detect strike and watch line for any unusual movement. Also pay very close attention when you first cast lure out and let it fall on slack line where you might not feel the first initial bite. You should close the bail as soon as lure hit water start reeling the line and pop it once or twice. It is a lot easier to do this with bait casting tho.
bigturtle reply :
If you are hooking them so deep that its killing them, circle hooks are not the way to go. Circle hooks are much harder to remove when hooked in the throat. Better off using a regular wacky hook and pinching the barb.
Scott F reply :
On 9/26/2017 at 12:01 AM, Ksam1234 said:I use the wacky rig and the bass don't bite really. As soon as I switch to the Weightless T rigged they go crazy for it. Any suggestion besides learning to feel the bite better so I don't let them inhale it
I use braided line which for the most part will lay on the surface. I keep most of the slack out of the line and watch for the line to twitch that causes a disturbance on the surface. That tells me when a fish has picked up the bait. If I'd waited to feel him before setting the hook, he'd have swallowed it.
WRB reply :
On 9/26/2017 at 2:19 AM, bigturtle said:If you are hooking them so deep that its killing them, circle hooks are not the way to go. Circle hooks are much harder to remove when hooked in the throat. Better off using a regular wacky hook and pinching the barb.
I know it's possible to hook a bass inside it's mouth or in the throat wit a circle, in over 30 years of fishing live bait for Marlin this hasn't happened, always the corner of the mouth. With standard hooks Marlin are nearly always hooked in the throat using live bait. Today you must use circle hooks with live bait in catch and release Marlin tournements, standard hooks only allowed on lures.
I use circle hooks with Senko's when teaching freinds to fish a Senko and they haven't gut hook a bass yet. Pinching a barb down doesn't resolve gut hooking, that take a learning curve to detect strikes.
Agree a circle in the throat would be difficult to remove, they make barbless circle hooks or pinch the barb down on a circle hook.
Tom
geo g reply :
I agree with Scott F, use braid and keep an eye on your line for the slightest twitch. Braid is a lot more sensitive, and will float on the surface. Its not the hook, as much as a late hook set!
WRB reply :
On 9/26/2017 at 3:43 AM, geo g said:I agree with Scott F, use braid and keep an eye on your line for the slightest twitch. Braid is a lot more sensitive, and will float on the surface. Its not the hook, as much as a late hook set!
And when it's windy with waves....? When the Senko is in the basses mouth set the hook!
Tom
J Francho reply :
Braid and senkos are the worst in the wind. Even with fluoro, I try to "snap" the line to the water at the end of the cast. When it's really windy, I'll use a small pinch on weight.
j_blaze14 reply :
how do you know you killed a bass? ive gut hooked several and always was able to flip the hook down the gills and pull it out with minimal blood loss. the ones i worry about are the ones swimming around with a jig or swimbait stuck to their lip cuz they popped my line.
tcbass reply :
I've used both EWG wide gap hooks and now Owner Mosquito hooks with this tube setup and cannot recall ever killing a fish.
I also use Hi-Vis yellow Power Pro braid which is easy to see.
MickD reply :
If you're not using braid, try it. Does wonders for strike detection. Also, I think it helps to keep just a little tension in the line. Not enough to move it, but without slack, and with braid, anything screwing around with it will be easily felt. Now and then move it, just to be sure. But avoid slack.
I think both pinching the barbs and circle hooks are effective. Nothing is perfect. With circle hooks you don't want to do a traditional hook set, you just start reeling and the hook slides around the mouth and snags the corner of the mouth. Honest. It's hard to discipline yourself to do it, but when you get good at it, you'll gut hook fewer fish and you won't miss that many.
Ksam1234 reply :
On 9/26/2017 at 7:29 AM, MickD said:If you're not using braid, try it. Does wonders for strike detection. Also, I think it helps to keep just a little tension in the line. Not enough to move it, but without slack, and with braid, anything screwing around with it will be easily felt. Now and then move it, just to be sure. But avoid slack.
I think both pinching the barbs and circle hooks are effective. Nothing is perfect. With circle hooks you don't want to do a traditional hook set, you just start reeling and the hook slides around the mouth and snags the corner of the mouth. Honest. It's hard to discipline yourself to do it, but when you get good at it, you'll gut hook fewer fish and you won't miss that many.
I use braid , 20 pound braid power pro to be exact. And I keep it on a semi slack line as stated above. Just little tension, I do watch the line for any movement and the rod. I never have ran my fingers across it so I'll try doing that next. And try the circle
hooks
bigbill reply :
I use a 1/8oz c rig with a 24" leader with a senko. I cast it out into a channel along side the weedline I keep the line just taunt enough to feel the slightest nibble. I am focused on the rod tip looking for that little tap, tap, tap.
LCG reply :
I use 10lb yellow braid to a flouro leader and usually a 1/0 - 2/0 wacky hook or a drop shot hook size 1 - 1/0. I have fished it on a ml-f and m-xf rod and never had a problem feeling a strike or seeing the line mice from a gentle grab.
Further North reply :
I use 30 lb. lime green Suffix 832 to a 6 ft. piece of hybrid line that's tied to a 1/0 or 2/0 Gamakatsu EWG hook, that's rigged on a finesse baitcaster...and like the others, I watch the line, keep one finger under the line as it comes out of the reel and keep the slack to a minimum.
Yudo1 reply :
I use both braid with leaders and straight fluoro for senkos. Weightless, I prefer straight fluoro because it sinks and I feel bites better with less bow in the line. I always run the line across my finger so I feel every tick. I very rarely gut hook fish and I use senkos a lot. On the rare occasion that I do, I go through the gill with forceps, flip the hook upside down and go back through the mouth and pop it out. I haven't killed a fish in a very long time.
NHBull reply :
A common problem, especially with folks getting used to the bait. You are going to kill some fish, but birds need to eat too. That said, I keep a couple spinning rods with 10lb braid on the boat for this situation.
A weighted wacky rig falling like a pendulum on semi slack line will show better line and Tim movement. Remember, swing are free and swing for the fences. Owner wacky rig weighted hooks work great for roof of the mouth sets
.ghoti. reply :
Fishing is a blood sport. You will kill a few fish. And you will get better at keeping them alive.
3crows reply :
I would almost rather be dead than to deal with a spinning outfit.
As to killing fish, as mentioned this is a sport and it is a blood sport I suppose. Just me perhaps, but I think the sporting thing to do is to keep a damaged fish for food rather than waste it. Catch and release 100% viable fish is a goal which I doubt but a few manage to master. Or take up SCUBA and just take their pictures.
Bass are delicious, I have heard.
hawgenvy reply :
This is a nice little article about the effectiveness and safety (to fish) of circle hooks.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circle_hook
Ksam1234 reply :
On 9/26/2017 at 9:41 AM, hawgenvy said:This is a nice little article about the effectiveness and safety (to fish) of circle hooks.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circle_hook
Just read that actually.
islandbass reply :
On 9/25/2017 at 10:42 PM, Ksam1234 said:I never thought about de barbing the hook. You don't loose hookups or lose fish at all? Since it doesn't stick as good.
Hook sets imho are perhaps a little easier to make if not equal IMHO.
How? Sometimes I would imagine that on a weak hookset, we might not have used enough force to drive the hook passed the barb. In this case the barb was probably a hinderance!
You might stand a chance with that weak hookset to drive the hooker a little deeper with no barb in the way.
I learned a lot from fishing barbless in my state when required. So what I say is based on my personal experience and no one else's
Hooksets just as good or maybe slightly better without the barb because the resistance from the barb is no longer in the equation.
Concerned about losing a fish because the hook has no barb? There in lies your true test in the battle between you and the fish. Simply put, strive to not let the line go slack during the fight and you'll win.
Also, releasing fish is far easier, especially when they have swallowed the hook.
Lastly, try your best to keep a decent controlled tension on the line. Don't rely solely on the rod. If you ever hold the line in your fingers/hand with some tension, you will be amazed at how sensitive our hands are. I guarantee you our hands are more sensitive than the best loomis rod. And check out the rod tip thread. You'll learn a lot from it.
TOXIC reply :
There's sooo many different ways to rig a Senko but you said you Texas rigged them. You can't rig a circle hook Texas style. As a guide who has put a lot of Senkos out there for unexperienced clients, I offer you this advice.
1. Learn how to remove a deep hooked bass for the best chance of survival. Reversing the hook via the gills is a good start. Keeping in mind that there are some places where you hook a bass that their survival rate goes down. The tongue being one of the worst.
2. You didn't say what hook you were using or the size. For a 5 inch Senko Texas rigged use a 4.0 Gamakatsu EWG hook. The extra wide gap will show a bite much sooner as it tends to hit the mouth of the bass on the way in.
3. Stay alert and learn to be a line watcher. Early bite detection is the key.
Don't give up on them just step up your game!! 
Ksam1234 reply :
On 9/26/2017 at 8:39 PM, TOXIC said:There's sooo many different ways to rig a Senko but you said you Texas rigged them. You can't rig a circle hook Texas style. As a guide who has put a lot of Senkos out there for unexperienced clients, I offer you this advice.
1. Learn how to remove a deep hooked bass for the best chance of survival. Reversing the hook via the gills is a good start. Keeping in mind that there are some places where you hook a bass that their survival rate goes down. The tongue being one of the worst.
2. You didn't say what hook you were using or the size. For a 5 inch Senko Texas rigged use a 4.0 Gamakatsu EWG hook. The extra wide gap will show a bite much sooner as it tends to hit the mouth of the bass on the way in.
3. Stay alert and learn to be a line watcher. Early bite detection is the key.
Don't give up on them just step up your game!!
People keep saying to reverse the hook via the gills and then pop it out. What do you mean? Can you elaborate more
TOXIC reply :
There are a few different ways to do it. I'm sure there's a vid on this site or YouTube that can give you some visual help but the basic technique is to get your finger in through the gills and push the shaft of the hook back towards the throat thereby reversing its position.....think of it like the line is running from the belly of the bass vs the mouth. Then just push towards the mouth and the hook will reverse out the same way it went in. You can cut the line to do this but it is not necessary and I have seen some grab the bend of the hook through the mouth with pliers or forceps once you reverse it and pull it out. Once you do it a couple of times it gets easier.
geo g reply :
On 9/26/2017 at 3:57 AM, WRB said:And when it's windy with waves....? When the Senko is in the basses mouth set the hook!
Tom
Very simple, when windy add some weight, keep slack out of your line. Change to another bait.
WRB reply :
On 9/26/2017 at 10:37 PM, geo g said:Very simple, when windy add some weight, keep slack out of your line. Change to another bait.
You can use braid, FC, coploy or mono for a strike indicator when the water is flat by watching the V the makes where it enters the water, i.e.; watching your ine. When it's windy with waves line watching gets difficult, can't see the line entry V or the line floating on the surface becuase of added slack created by the wind.
You need to lower the rod tip to reduce line in the wind and try to keep in contact by feel with any weight being added to the sinking Senko.
Adding bullet weight to increase sink speed changes a Senko into a fat worm the sinks, might as well use soft plastic worms that float when Texas rigging with bullet weights.
Tom
geo g reply :
On 9/26/2017 at 10:59 PM, WRB said:You can use braid, FC, coploy or mono for a strike indicator when the water is flat by watching the V the makes where it enters the water, i.e.; watching your ine. When it's windy with waves line watching gets difficult, can't see the line entry V or the line floating on the surface becuase of added slack created by the wind.
You need to lower the rod tip to reduce line in the wind and try to keep in contact by feel with any weight being added to the sinking Senko.
Adding bullet weight to increase sink speed changes a Senko into a fat worm the sinks, might as well use soft plastic worms that float when Texas rigging with bullet weights.
Tom
Lol, no one ever said it would always be easy. I often catch bass of all sizes with weighted senkos. General rule is use the least weight necessary to get the job done. If it gets too windy for you, look for cover, or go home!
Steveo-1969 reply :
On 9/26/2017 at 8:44 PM, Ksam1234 said:People keep saying to reverse the hook via the gills and then pop it out. What do you mean? Can you elaborate more
Go to the thread in the below link. About halfway down the first page there is an entry from @Glenn with pictures on how to safely remove the hook when it's swallowed.
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