Cant Catch Anything With Senkos???? 2024
tmd17 reply :
Picked up a few different colors of 4" and 5" senkos a week or so ago and seriously cannot get anything to bite on them. I've tried wacky rig with O-rings, weightless texas rig, drop shot texas rig. Hell, I dont know what I'm doing wrong? Only thing I can think of is that I'm using braided line on my baitcaster. Should I throw on a fluoro leader? Using 3/0 EWG hooks, which doesnt really matter I'm not even getting hits.
The lake I fish is great for bass. Water temp is 68, clarity around 4ft. I've tried shallows with weed cover, a couple different points with drop offs 5-20ft, natural structures (overhanging trees, logs) dock skipping, humps, drop shots through milfoil, early in the AM and late afternoon/early evening....
The only fish I catch are in shallows with top water hula poppers. I dont think I'm fishing the senkos wrong, just throwing em and letting them sink with a controlled slack line and raising the rod tip to 12oclock and reeling in the slack and letting it sink again.
Any idea what my problem is here? I'm just at a loss for words because everybody swears by senkos. Thanks guys
SPEEDBEAD. reply :
Can't catch fish that aren't there.
With that water temp, there is a reason you are catching fish up shallow. They should be on the first drop or up spawning at that temp. My guess is you are fishing where you "think" fish should be instead of where they actually are.
tmd17 reply :
On 6/19/2013 at 2:21 AM, SPEEDBEAD. said:Can't catch fish that aren't there.
With that water temp, there is a reason you are catching fish up shallow. They should be on the first drop or up spawning at that temp. My guess is you are fishing where you "think" fish should be instead of where they actually are.
Yeah that makes sense now that I think of it. Water temp was only in the upper 40s in early may. I'll keep hitting up the shallows for the time being. Thanks for the advice
Loop_Dad reply :
Not sure how many times you went out, but sometimes you catch more fish with other baits than senko. Let the fish tell you what they want and go with it.
I would trade any senko fish with any Hula Popper fish any time.
moguy1973 reply :
Sometimes I'll go and catch 10 fish on a senko. Other times I won't get a bite. Seems to work like that.
Bigterp77 reply :
What colors? Most of the advice I got suggested was to go with natural colors (watermelons and pumpkins). Ive gotten a few with those tones. But, where i spend most of time fishing the bass completely crash the Blue Pearl w/black and hologram flake 5in Senkos.
Arv reply :
On 6/19/2013 at 3:08 AM, moguy1973 said:Sometimes I'll go and catch 10 fish on a senko. Other times I won't get a bite. Seems to work like that.
x2
toddwchandler reply :
I had this very same experience. After hearing angler after angler on this board raving about Senkos, I bought some. I tried fishing with then on three or four different occasions with no luck at all. Finally, about a week ago I brought them back out and caught several decent size large mouths. Don't know if did something different in my technique or just happened to find where the bass were that day.
moguy1973 reply :
They really are my go to bait on my sister-in-law's pond though. When everything else quits working I'll put on a white senko weightless t-rigged and I'll catch at least a couple more. That lake has a lot, a lot, a lot of small bass in it though.
Other lakes seem to follow what I said above.
Topwaterspook reply :
Might I suggest a tactic with senkos that has worked for us in the south? Bite the tip off the senko then rig it on a scrounger jig. Vary your retrieve. It's worked very well for us down there.
lmbfisherman reply :
I was in the same boat as you for a whole season in 2012, ok maybe not a whole season. I tried senko and other knock offs and I never caught a thing. So, this year I was determined to catch fish with it. It is the only thing I brought with me and forced myself to fish it, finally broke my streak. I caught a ton of bass, of course they were all 1-2 lbs. Still, nothing beats gaining confidence in a technique by catching and not "fishing". Maybe do the same and don't give up?
tmd17 reply :
On 6/19/2013 at 3:05 AM, Loop_Dad said:Not sure how many times you went out, but sometimes you catch more fish with other baits than senko. Let the fish tell you what they want and go with it.
I would trade any senko fish with any Hula Popper fish any time.
I've been out twice in the early morning and twice in the early evening so far this year. I'm gonna stick to shallows for now until the water starts warming up I think. Good plan?
On 6/19/2013 at 3:09 AM, Bigterp77 said:What colors? Most of the advice I got suggested was to go with natural colors (watermelons and pumpkins). Ive gotten a few with those tones. But, where i spend most of time fishing the bass completely crash the Blue Pearl w/black and hologram flake 5in Senkos.
Watermelon/black flake, green pumpkin/black flake, watermelon and white laminate, blue pearl and silver flake. What area of the country?
On 6/19/2013 at 4:01 AM, toddwchandler said:I had this very same experience. After hearing angler after angler on this board raving about Senkos, I bought some. I tried fishing with then on three or four different occasions with no luck at all. Finally, about a week ago I brought them back out and caught several decent size large mouths. Don't know if did something different in my technique or just happened to find where the bass were that day.
I think my problem is what the first poster suggested. I'm fishing where I think the fish are, not where they actually are haha.
On 6/19/2013 at 4:34 AM, Topwaterspook said:Might I suggest a tactic with senkos that has worked for us in the south? Bite the tip off the senko then rig it on a scrounger jig. Vary your retrieve. It's worked very well for us down there.
Thanks for the tip!
On 6/19/2013 at 4:45 AM, lmbfisherman said:I was in the same boat as you for a whole season in 2012, ok maybe not a whole season. I tried senko and other knock offs and I never caught a thing. So, this year I was determined to catch fish with it. It is the only thing I brought with me and forced myself to fish it, finally broke my streak. I caught a ton of bass, of course they were all 1-2 lbs. Still, nothing beats gaining confidence in a technique by catching and not "fishing". Maybe do the same and don't give up?
I'll stick with it. Another person I know has been getting shut out so far this year in MN where he usually kills the bass. Maybe they are just being finicky up here right now
bigbill reply :
I use the senko' s and the BPS stik o worms on a 1/8oz Carolina rig with a 24" leader and the ticker wacky rigged using a weedless hook. My favorite colors so far are red shad, Amber red flake seem to work the best here. I use them in the channels along side the weedlines and on the points. There working from shore for me. I use them in the early am after the crankbait, spinnerbaits and topwater action is over as it gets lighter I go deeper with the senko type worms. Even on cloudy overcast days these work great. I let it fall on its own or twitch it as it falls to tic it. Keep trying. Try small ones too. (3"). Bill
pabassr reply :
If you want to learn how to fish a bait, you need to bring only that bait with you to learn how to fish with it. That way you will find out what the fish want. ( how fast to retrieve, different type riggings, do nothing fishing )
I fish sencos weightless, if the fish don`t bite on the fall I`ll reel it a couple of turns and let it fall again. If no bite then I will start working the senco like a fluke. I like nose hooking my sencos using a small circle hook.
pbizzle reply :
Save your money and get the big bite baits version of the senko. Compare the $2.79 for the big bites to the $6.99 of senkos and you'll see why. I have just as good luck with them as the senkos. I always fish mine weightless t-rigged with a 4/0 gammy ewg. Watermelon red flake has been a good color for me. I always fish mine on spinning tackle. I can skip them under docks and tree branches as well as get better casting distance than I can with my baitcaster. I'll either throw them out, let them sink, then just reel them back as fast as I can and do it again, or throw them out let them, let them sink and reel it back as slow as I can. I catch way more with the second retrieve. Use the first if they're are hitting on the fall. Remember that they have their own action and it's really easy to over work them.
pbizzle reply :
If I can't get any on a senko I'll switch to a weightless super fluke in watermelon seed that I dye the tails chartreuse. In Chickamauga the bass feed on lots of bluegill and I think this really helps. Those two lures are in my panic box.
powerduster reply :
I had the same problem, but then Ibought a polarized sunglasses and started sight casting near them. Problem solved :>. I also see bass zoom in out of nowhwhere to grab a sinking senko. I guess my problem before aas that the bass just weren't around. It's pretty fun way of fishing too. Watching the line go from slack to taut is the best part.
tmd17 reply :
On 6/19/2013 at 5:54 AM, pabassr said:If you want to learn how to fish a bait, you need to bring only that bait with you to learn how to fish with it. That way you will find out what the fish want. ( how fast to retrieve, different type riggings, do nothing fishing )
I fish sencos weightless, if the fish don`t bite on the fall I`ll reel it a couple of turns and let it fall again. If no bite then I will start working the senco like a fluke. I like nose hooking my sencos using a small circle hook.
I'll try this. I have a pack of super flukes but havent totally mastered fishing with them yet. I think I need to add a fluoro leader with a swivel. My fluke always spins in the water when I slowly retrieve towards the surface.
On 6/19/2013 at 6:32 AM, pbizzle said:Save your money and get the big bite baits version of the senko. Compare the $2.79 for the big bites to the $6.99 of senkos and you'll see why. I have just as good luck with them as the senkos. I always fish mine weightless t-rigged with a 4/0 gammy ewg. Watermelon red flake has been a good color for me. I always fish mine on spinning tackle. I can skip them under docks and tree branches as well as get better casting distance than I can with my baitcaster. I'll either throw them out, let them sink, then just reel them back as fast as I can and do it again, or throw them out let them, let them sink and reel it back as slow as I can. I catch way more with the second retrieve. Use the first if they're are hitting on the fall. Remember that they have their own action and it's really easy to over work them.
Yeah once my senkos get ripped up I'll probably switch to something a little cheaper. Heard that they are just as effective
On 6/19/2013 at 11:32 AM, powerduster said:I had the same problem, but then Ibought a polarized sunglasses and started sight casting near them. Problem solved :>. I also see bass zoom in out of nowhwhere to grab a sinking senko. I guess my problem before aas that the bass just weren't around. It's pretty fun way of fishing too. Watching the line go from slack to taut is the best part.
Yeah I have some nice polarized oakleys. You must be fishing in some extremely clear shallow water if you can see em.
Revival reply :
I caught more fish at night using Senkos than during the day. Watermelon and Junebug worked like a charm during the night. I still been struggling with Senkos during the day so I been using other baits.
Downeaster2010 reply :
The Senko fishing system isn't new, as I and a lot of others have been using it for 30 years. Only we have been doing it
with normal worms that you could Texas rig. We would just put the hook through the belly and back out like we do the
Senkos. The only thing GY did was successfully impregnate the entire Senko with salt. This just causes the bass to
hold on longer giving you time to set the hook. I have many brands of the Senko, and then some I mold myself. I after
making Senko style worms bag 25 or so, then pour a table spoon of Kosher salt on them, and some worm oil.
They all work great, and you don't need to spend $6.50 for a bag of GY's. If you get a bag of lets say Yum Senko style
worms. Add a half a tablespoon of Kosher to the bag. You'll see.
Revival reply :
On 6/19/2013 at 7:58 PM, Downeaster2010 said:The Senko fishing system isn't new, as I and a lot of others have been using it for 30 years. Only we have been doing it
with normal worms that you could Texas rig. We would just put the hook through the belly and back out like we do the
Senkos. The only thing GY did was successfully impregnate the entire Senko with salt. This just causes the bass to
hold on longer giving you time to set the hook. I have many brands of the Senko, and then some I mold myself. I after
making Senko style worms bag 25 or so, then pour a table spoon of Kosher salt on them, and some worm oil.
They all work great, and you don't need to spend $6.50 for a bag of GY's. If you get a bag of lets say Yum Senko style
worms. Add a half a tablespoon of Kosher to the bag. You'll see.
When Senkos were first popular, everyone said the senkos were impregnated with salt for the fish to hold onto the bait longer. But I have been reading more about the salt creating the action of the Senko. I have wacky rigged a Senko and a Yum Dinger and they dont flutter the same. Also is there a reason to the Kosher salt or is that just your preference?
RoachDad reply :
My only bait I can always count on is a Senko fished weightless and I use mono or braid. it does not matter.
I would buy Senkos. I don't know how much these other people fish but truthfully, if you can't afford 6 bucks for a bag full of worms and twice that many fish, well, I'll just stop there. I mean, I have a boat! Senkos are cheap. Boats are costly.
I fish fairly regularly and a bag or two of Senkos last plenty long. I don't have a favorite color. Dark and Light.
F I S H T H E M S L O W !!
thechief13 reply :
I never had luck with them until last week I caught like 30 bass and a 9 pound personal best so yeah just keep at it and try sight fishing they will hit It if they see It I caught a 7 pounder sight fishing the same day
Downeaster2010 reply :
Kosher salt is the best salt for anything. For fishing this is the salt that is impregnated into the worms, but it is
ground finer to what is called Flour salt. In other words it is the consistency of flour. I add some to my baits
after grinding Kosher salt into Flour salt with an older coffee grinder. (common method) However on my worms
in the bags, I sprinkle in 1/2 to 1 Tbsp of Kosher unground. Salt impregnated tends to make the worms stiffer,
so that is a learning curve to be able to do. However, putting it in the bag does nothing, but make the fish hold
on to the worm longer. GY worms tend to sink a little faster than others because of the salts weight.
aquaholic reply :
The fish have really slowed way down lately here. So i threw on i think a 5 inch senko that was black/red flake. I figured why not give it a shot because i like you had never caught anything with them. 2nd cast with it and i landed the biggest largemouth ive ever pulled out of that spot. I was shocked. Of course the senko was no where to be found. those things rip off faster than a stripper's clothing. Ive caught 1 fish and probably lost 5 of them already.
JunkYard814 reply :
QuoteI have wacky rigged a Senko and a Yum Dinger and they dont flutter the same.
I bought Dingers a while back and still have yet to catch a fish on them. Even fished next to a buddy of mine using the same color senko and he was killing them and I wasn't catching anything. Switched to a senko and problem solved. For $7.50 a pack, with an o-ring, I won't by another.
JunkYard814 reply :
On 6/20/2013 at 1:15 AM, aquaholic said:The fish have really slowed way down lately here. So i threw on i think a 5 inch senko that was black/red flake. I figured why not give it a shot because i like you had never caught anything with them. 2nd cast with it and i landed the biggest largemouth ive ever pulled out of that spot. I was shocked. Of course the senko was no where to be found. those things rip off faster than a stripper's clothing. Ive caught 1 fish and probably lost 5 of them already.
Go to your local hardware store and pick up some plastic o-rings. Slide it up the senko, and then when you hook the worm, you don't even have to go through the plastic, just under the ring. They work pretty good as long as you stay away from those toothy critters.
hooah212002 reply :
On 6/20/2013 at 1:22 AM, JunkYard814 said:I bought Dingers a while back and still have yet to catch a fish on them. Even fished next to a buddy of mine using the same color senko and he was killing them and I wasn't catching anything. Switched to a senko and problem solved. For $7.50 a pack, with an o-ring, I won't by another.
Is that difference only noticeable when wacky rigging or is there significantly different action when texas rigging?
AK-Jax86 reply :
I have noticed that other senko type baits fail in comparison to senkos.
The two main spots that I fish they ONLY attack one type of senko and that's a 6" or 7" in black with blue flakes I have no idea why this is. I had one left and decided to go with different colors and sizes, I only have the black and blue flake ones in the 6" and 7" sizes. After pulling em in left and right I spent about 2 hours with no luck on about 5 or 6 different color senkos. I got frustrated and decided to use my last 6" black and blue flake and wouldn't you know I pulled in 4 on consecutive casts before my worm was too mangled to even get it to stay on the hook.
I have no idea why they only want this type of senko but I went to dicks sporting goods and bought every single pack that they had on the self in the 6" size, I think I ended up leaving with about 13 bags of em.
Revival reply :
On 6/20/2013 at 9:07 AM, AK-NJ1986 said:I have noticed that other senko type baits fail in comparison to senkos.
The two main spots that I fish they ONLY attack one type of senko and that's a 6" or 7" in black with blue flakes I have no idea why this is. I had one left and decided to go with different colors and sizes, I only have the black and blue flake ones in the 6" and 7" sizes. After pulling em in left and right I spent about 2 hours with no luck on about 5 or 6 different color senkos. I got frustrated and decided to use my last 6" black and blue flake and wouldn't you know I pulled in 4 on consecutive casts before my worm was too mangled to even get it to stay on the hook.
I have no idea why they only want this type of senko but I went to dicks sporting goods and bought every single pack that they had on the self in the 6" size, I think I ended up leaving with about 13 bags of em.
Out of curiosity, what other colors did you use? I would have bought all 13 bags too...haha. Weird thing is I know a lot of people like the black with blue flake and our bass pro doesn't even carry it for some reason.
BassAssassin726 reply :
The biggest thing for me with Senkos is SLOW DOWN. Like painfully slow. Ill cast a weightless 5 inch Senko and wait literally a minute or so before i move 6-10 inches then wait 10-15 seconds and repeat. Them big girls didnt get big by expending tons of energy. Another thing that really works for me is a split shot rig. I use the Water Gremlin Bull Shot weights. They're a mix between a split shot and a bullet weight. A snap on bullet weight if you will. They're awesome. Rig a 5 inch Senko on a 4/0 EWG hook and snap that weight on 12 inches up the line, cast it out and do what i said in the beginning. My best colors are straight black, watermelon and green pumpkin.
JunkYard814 reply :
On 6/20/2013 at 8:16 AM, hooah212002 said:Is that difference only noticeable when wacky rigging or is there significantly different action when texas rigging?
I've never Texas rigged a senko, but I have a Dinger. I like the movement, but I still haven't caught anything. As for as wacky rigging, I can't tell the difference between the two, but apparently the fish can.
AK-Jax86 reply :
On 6/20/2013 at 9:36 AM, Revival said:Out of curiosity, what other colors did you use? I would have bought all 13 bags too...haha. Weird thing is I know a lot of people like the black with blue flake and our bass pro doesn't even carry it for some reason.
A few different watermelon colors, red and black two tone, green and light green two tone, and June bug. The fish only bite the 6" and 7" senkos all others were the 5" I guess size does matter to fish and women
You should order some from tackle warehouse.com they are the same price at bass pro and shipping is cheap. You can ask a manager at bass pro and they will order them, or check out Dick's Sporting Goods (as long as you don't go to the one I do you should find them).
pbizzle reply :
On 6/19/2013 at 11:20 PM, RoachDad said:My only bait I can always count on is a Senko fished weightless and I use mono or braid. it does not matter.
I would buy Senkos. I don't know how much these other people fish but truthfully, if you can't afford 6 bucks for a bag full of worms and twice that many fish, well, I'll just stop there. I mean, I have a boat! Senkos are cheap. Boats are costly.
I fish fairly regularly and a bag or two of Senkos last plenty long. I don't have a favorite color. Dark and Light.
F I S H T H E M S L O W !!
I fish about 2-3 times a week. I'm only 13, and have to buy my own tackle, so now I can't afford to spend $.50 every time I catch a dink, which is about all the stickbaits catch. Now, I only fish tournaments with my church so I'm not relying on these baits for money. All, I'm saying is that I catch just as many fish on a $2.79 bait as a $6.99 bait. Now when it comes to hooks I only use gamakatsu.
Revival reply :
On 6/21/2013 at 5:23 AM, AK-NJ1986 said:A few different watermelon colors, red and black two tone, green and light green two tone, and June bug. The fish only bite the 6" and 7" senkos all others were the 5" I guess size does matter to fish and women
You should order some from tackle warehouse.com they are the same price at bass pro and shipping is cheap. You can ask a manager at bass pro and they will order them, or check out Dick's Sporting Goods (as long as you don't go to the one I do you should find them).
Funny thing is when i started fishing again over a month ago, i was looking at my old senkos and had a couple black/blue flake that was probably close to 10 years old. I bought them in the smaller Yum Dingers just to try out but so far nothing. I went to our Sportsman warehouse which has more colors than Bass pro but they didnt have it either. They did have 2 colors that i thought were intriguing...Midnight (362) and Pumpkin w/Blue (363).
basskicker98 reply :
Try a dropshot. It's weird but it works.
wngan9447 reply :
Definitely feel out the water with how fast you fish the senko. Many people on the boards will tell you to fish it slow. Keep it up if it works. Change it up if it isn't. I've actually caught a lot more fish by fishing fast than slow.
Just because it works for us, doesn't mean it works for you. Get as much advice as possible and try it all out.
Then do it all over again with a new lake or different weather. haha. You'll start building a mental log on what to do at different areas with different conditions.
RoachDad reply :
On 6/21/2013 at 5:42 AM, pbizzle said:I fish about 2-3 times a week. I'm only 13, and have to buy my own tackle, so now I can't afford to spend $.50 every time I catch a dink, which is about all the stickbaits catch. Now, I only fish tournaments with my church so I'm not relying on these baits for money. All, I'm saying is that I catch just as many fish on a $2.79 bait as a $6.99 bait. Now when it comes to hooks I only use gamakatsu.
Pbizzle, somethin' ain't right. 1) 50 cents/ per fish is a bargain anywhere. How many fish do you catch? 10 at a time? that is 5 bucks. 2) I usually catch several on one Senko. 3) In my part of the world, Senkos are for bigger fish, not dinks. Granted, bass will hit a worm or bait double their own size, but I think the Senko bite tends to be better quality than alot of other baits.
But if you can't tell the difference in the bite, I'd use the cheaper ones also. But that is not what I see when I go fishing. I have been a worm fisherman for a long time and loved Mann Jelly worms and Culprits, but once Senkos came out, that was the end of all that stuff.
PABASS reply :
When a fish misses your hula popper toss in a wacky rigged senko and hold on. Like others have said if there are no fish around you wont get bit no matter what you use. While I have not used every stick bait on the market I have used several and they do not fall and or impart the same action as a GY senko. Wacky style will slow your sink rate way down, add nail waieghts and it imparts a different action texas rigged and it sinks quicker. Take a senko in clear water and let it sink and sit watch its action as it falls and use it to your advantage, work the bait slow, speed it up and let the fish tell you how they want it.
I have had senkos last 10 fish and more if I didn't get a snag, wacky rig, with a O ring and not touching the plastic with a hook when you rig it.
Mottel reply :
On 6/19/2013 at 4:09 AM, moguy1973 said:They really are my go to bait on my sister-in-law's pond though. When everything else quits working I'll put on a white senko weightless t-rigged and I'll catch at least a couple more. That lake has a lot, a lot, a lot of small bass in it though.
Other lakes seem to follow what I said above.
You can fix that (that the pond has small bass) by instead of releasing them, keep the small bass you catch, and therefore there will be a less competition for resources, allowing the bass to grow bigger.
The pond I fish at is the same.
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