O rings on Senko's 2024

Bassguytom reply :

I received an O ring tool in my Christmas stocking and wanted some opinions on using O rings. I know they will make the bait last longer but have you seen a lower hook up rate then without them? I have always thought they would hinder the hook up rate. I could be wrong. Let me know if you have any experience with them.

Thanks,

Tom

Bluebasser86 reply :

They didn't hurt my hookups, but they also didn't make my baits last any longer. Think I might try small zip ties this year.

bigturtle reply :

Hi, sounds like you are only using 1 o-ring so that the hook lays parallel to the worm. Use 2, criss-cross them, then put hook through them.

Yeajray231 reply :

Exactly ^

Yes IMO just using one o-ring and having the hook to the side does effect hook up ratio.

I was doing that before I found the o-rings , hook though the middle and then back out again to keep the worm on the hook when I was getting strikes. But I stopped because I was convinced the angle of the hook was making me miss fish. I'd rather lose baits than fish ! Lol

But yea as bigturtle said. Use 2 , and cross em.

ClackerBuzz reply :

I was a fan of O rings so it was easy for me to transition to aquarium tubing. amazing stuff. you'll still occasionally lose senkos if skipping too hard with O rings. And be careful not to play tug of war with baitfish or they'll slip right off. Bluebass86 zip tie idea sounds great so I'll have to experiment this season.

2tall79 reply :

I tried just about everything the last two years. I finally settled on this rig. I still hook thru the bait but it no longer tears them in half like before.

NHBull reply :

Nylon tubing last the longest......and push the hook right through both

ethan-333 reply :

i use 1 o ring and havent seen a differnce with my hookup ratio but i dont use nearly as many worms.

FryDog62 reply :

I used to buy Yamasenkos for $8/bag plus the cost and hassle of putting O rings on. Now I switched to Kalin Wac O Worms for $4.49/bag and stronger scent/taste, slightly heavier, great weightless sink rate - and tons of fish.

The fish in my Avatar were pre-spawn smallmouth last Spring on a heavily pressured metro area river and caught as many or more than I typically did in years past on the Yamasenkos - which I still like but think I've found a better and more cost effective solution. Kalins are not only half the price of Yamasenkos but last twice as long too. No need for an O ring IMO.

Gundog reply :

Never used O-rings on senkos but I can tell you that hook position and a good, strong hook set go along way in increasing your catch ratio.

William Rossi reply :

I have always used a single O-ring. I have no prob with hook up %. I do let the fish take the bait longer then most tho. I get 20+ bass on a single stick

gobig reply :

If your hook up ratio is bad using an o'ring it's most likely your hook that is wrong. On occasion the senko will get stuck on the hook point but that happens with or with out an o'ring. And yes they do extend the life of the bait by quite a bit.

Lyman X reply :

NH Bull, I use plastic tubing also. Just cut a ring off when needed. Never thought of putting the hook thru the tubing and the worm. I just used it as you would an o-ring. d**n fine idea.

Onvacation reply :

I rarely use gybc senkos, but when I do, I use two o-rings and it does not seem to make any difference in hookups. I do however get to spend more time with my expensive worm rigging it before it gets torn in half when a bluegill swims by at a rapid pace.

Jeff H reply :

On 1/8/2017 at 5:30 AM, Bluebasser86 said:

They didn't hurt my hookups, but they also didn't make my baits last any longer.

That's because the fish you catch are total savages!

I've not tried O-rings just because it adds to the cost of the bait. I'd heard from several others they didn't last longer so just figured what's the point of making it more expensive.

IndianaFinesse reply :

I've tried using o-rings, and didn't feel like they increased the durability enough to justify using them. I've also used plastic tubing, and that worked OK but my hooking ratio suffered. Then I tried shrink tubing, and haven't gone back. I can usually get eight to ten bass per senko using shrink tubing. For five inch senko's the 3/8 inch size fits perfectly.

CrustyMono reply :

i use elastic braces bands

NCbassraider reply :

I use two rings but didn't really notice a difference when I only used one. You get a lot more out of the Yamamoto senkos which are super soft. Without rings, it's one and done.

Yeajray231 reply :

On 1/10/2017 at 10:43 AM, NCbassraider said:

I use two rings but didn't really notice a difference when I only used one. You get a lot more out of the Yamamoto senkos which are super soft. Without rings, it's one and done.

Not really though. I usually average 3-5 easily. Sometimes 8. With no o-ring.

I start with em Texas weightless, if it's too torn I'll cut about 1/4" off and re-hook. Right back in the fresh plastic. Start with a 5" senko and before I'm grabbing a new one it's 3 and 3/4" . . Sometimes I'll just flip it and throw it wacky.

Some people believe these baits are limited to only throw wacky style. And although wacky is very effective; I could argue (based on results) that Texas rigged weightless is more effective.

If anybody is only wacky rigging stickbaits they are missing out on these baits hardcore.

NCbassraider reply :

On 1/10/2017 at 1:20 PM, Yeajray231 said:

Not really though. I usually average 3-5 easily. Sometimes 8. With no o-ring.

I start with em Texas weightless, if it's too torn I'll cut about 1/4" off and re-hook. Right back in the fresh plastic. Start with a 5" senko and before I'm grabbing a new one it's 3 and 3/4" . . Sometimes I'll just flip it and throw it wacky.

Some people believe these baits are limited to only throw wacky style. And although wacky is very effective; I could argue (based on results) that Texas rigged weightless is more effective.

If anybody is only wacky rigging stickbaits they are missing out on these baits hardcore.

I rarely wacky rig but when I do, I use rings. I thought that was what this thread was about.

Gary Yamamoto designed the 5" senko to be thrown weightless Texas rigged on a 3/0

LxVE Bassin reply :

I just started using O-rings on my wacky rigged senkos. So far I got hit 4 times and pulled in 2 of them. I'm not going to blame the 2 I missed on bad hookup ratios because I feel as if I let those fish get away. The worm is still in great shape after 4 hits and has a long way to go in my opinion. I use 2 O-rings by the way. I only use yamamoto senkos.

QUAKEnSHAKE reply :

On 2/21/2017 at 12:26 AM, LxVE Bassin said:

I just started using O-rings on my wacky rigged senkos. So far I got hit 4 times and pulled in 2 of them. I'm not going to blame the 2 I missed on bad hookup ratios because I feel as if I let those fish get away. The worm is still in great shape after 4 hits and has a long way to go in my opinion. I use 2 O-rings by the way. I only use yamamoto senkos.

Crestliner2008 reply :

If you double a "Goodie" (ask your wife or girl friend) instead of an o ring you will get two benefits. First off, the choice of which direction you want the hook to point (perpendicular to, or parallel to the worm). Either hooking has the same band pressure on the worm. I've been using these extremely inexpensive bands for many years and my Senkos last better than not having any band at all. Can't say they make them bullet proof, but certainly better than no band at all. And cheaper than o rings.

flippindocks reply :

On 1/8/2017 at 8:08 AM, NHBull said:

Nylon tubing last the longest......and push the hook right through both

What exact kind of tubing? Where do I get it? How do I apply it? Thanks for this info.

Choporoz reply :

Shrink tubing works, also. 3/8" for Senkos and 1/4" for trick worms. I got mine online, but I believe you can get it at the hardware store.

flippindocks reply :

On 2/22/2017 at 2:53 AM, Choporoz said:

Shrink tubing works, also. 3/8" for Senkos and 1/4" for trick worms. I got mine online, but I believe you can get it at the hardware store.

I use a stick worm that's slightly fatter than a senko.... so maybe I need a 1/2" tube? Once you slide it on... do you use a heat gun to shrink it? That's a lot of work on 100 worms LOL

J Francho reply :

On 1/8/2017 at 4:43 AM, Bassguytom said:

I know they will make the bait last longer but have you seen a lower hook up rate then without them?

Not at all.

Choporoz reply :

On 2/22/2017 at 3:08 AM, flippindocks said:

I use a stick worm that's slightly fatter than a senko.... so maybe I need a 1/2" tube? Once you slide it on... do you use a heat gun to shrink it? That's a lot of work on 100 worms LOL

I use a lighter, but then again, I smoke cigars and always have a torch lighter on me....I'd argue that it is a LOT faster than using two orings....getting them on, even with a tool can be a bit of a challenge....getting a hook in while keeping them crossed can be a lot harder than it sounds...at least while in a kayak with my old fumble-fingers....a short slice of heat shrink slid on and toasted for about 3 seconds isn't much work at all

RB 77 reply :

Another vote for shrink tubing.

Bass_Fishing_Socal reply :

Always with shrink tube here as well. I cut about 3/8" wide piece. They fit 5" senko with just little gap but with 4" senko I alway shrink them a little bit with lighter.

J Francho reply :

When I think of agonizing over what direction the hook on any rig is, I have to wonder why it makes any difference. You have no idea how that bait gets sucked in their mouth, and no idea what direction the hook will be oriented when set the hook. I'll hypothesize that many times the hook is in a weird spot, the hook set was late. So, for me the one ring with the hook side ways doesn't bother me a bit. I mean, I don't Texas rig a craw or curly tail worm side ways...

GreenGhostMan reply :

I've always used two o-rings crossed so the hook is perpendicular to the senko. Not sure if this helps with hookups, but I've always done it.

Darren. reply :

On 2/23/2017 at 12:24 AM, J Francho said:

When I think of agonizing over what direction the hook on any rig is, I have to wonder why it makes any difference. You have no idea how that bait gets sucked in their mouth, and no idea what direction the hook will be oriented when set the hook. I'll hypothesize that many times the hook is in a weird spot, the hook set was late. So, for me the one ring with the hook side ways doesn't bother me a bit. I mean, I don't Texas rig a craw or curly tail worm side ways...

I'd say in my experience, and purely observational, that

the vast majority of my hookups with wacky rigs are in

the top of the mouth. If the worm is still on the hook, it

is usually still perpendicular to the hook. There are those

times when it's clear the fish inhaled and took off sideways

by where the hook is...

Drop shotting, the positioning of the hook is fairly important,

at least, again, by my experience. 99% of hookups are top

lip. Granted, the presentation is weighted, and vertical...

You're probably right in terms of late hook sets, etc. But it

feels right to me to have it perpendicular. So maybe it's just

a confidence thing, eh?

mllrtm79 reply :

On 2/23/2017 at 12:42 AM, Darren. said:

So maybe it's just a confidence thing, eh?

^^ this... I fish 80% of my senkos with one o-ring. I fish with one buddy that always uses one, and another that refuses to use one. I don't see a difference either way personally, but little buddy hates the o-rings for some reason.

MichiganBass80 reply :

I've tried a single ring and the double ring method. Didn't care for either.I am going to be giving these EAgle claw wacky rig harnesses a try this year.

NCbassraider reply :

On 2/23/2017 at 12:37 AM, GreenGhostMan said:

I've always used two o-rings crossed so the hook is perpendicular to the senko. Not sure if this helps with hookups, but I've always done it.

I have noticed that with one O ring, the wacky rig seems to be more weedless. So there's that

FryDog62 reply :

On 2/22/2017 at 3:12 AM, Choporoz said:

I use a lighter, but then again, I smoke cigars and always have a torch lighter on me....I'd argue that it is a LOT faster than using two orings....getting them on, even with a tool can be a bit of a challenge....getting a hook in while keeping them crossed can be a lot harder than it sounds...at least while in a kayak with my old fumble-fingers....a short slice of heat shrink slid on and toasted for about 3 seconds isn't much work at all

So if I want to try the shrink tubing route ... how thin a slice of the tubing do you use? And could I sit down with a bunch of bags of worms some night and put the shrink tubes on ahead of time so they're ready to go?

RB 77 reply :

On 2/23/2017 at 12:39 PM, FryDog62 said:

So if I want to try the shrink tubing route ... how thin a slice of the tubing do you use? And could I sit down with a bunch of bags of worms some night and put the shrink tubes on ahead of time so they're ready to go?

I got mine in a kit that were pre-cut and yes, I rigged a bunch of mine ahead of time and threw them in the worm box.

Choporoz reply :

On 2/23/2017 at 12:39 PM, FryDog62 said:

So if I want to try the shrink tubing route ... how thin a slice of the tubing do you use? And could I sit down with a bunch of bags of worms some night and put the shrink tubes on ahead of time so they're ready to go?

I do about third of a bag of Senkos in advance. I rig wacky less than half the time.

1/4" thin slices of shrink wrap. I also keep a short length of each tubing in my tackle bag to do more in the boat, if necessary.

jimf reply :

Kind of a different angle on the use of O rings .. I read just this week a recent study on the effects of lost or discarded plastics on the environment, and O rings were mentioned as a means of reducing the chance of losing them. Stick baits are by far the biggest polluter. They broke the baits into 6 categories, the study found 12 total plastic lures in a fish' gut and 9 of them were stick baits. Snorkeling an area they found 26 plastic baits on the bottom - 20 were stick baits. They said:

Quote

Anglers need to be further educated on alternative SPL-rigging methods, such as using an oring on stick baits for better hook retention

It maybe a consideration for some that there maybe a small positive environmental impact using O rings. Food for thought I guess.

Entire paper here:

http://fishlab.nres.illinois.edu/Reprints/Raison_et_al_Soft_Plastic_Lures_Water_Soil_Pollution_2014.pdf

UPSmallie reply :

A cheap and simple method is to get a big hollow pen and buy a bunch of tiny black hair ties for about $1. Get a saw and cut off part of the pen down the middle so only the long hollow part remains. Next slide your senko as far as you can into the hollow empty portion of the pen you just opened up. Now slide one of the hair ties onto the pen and slide it from the pen onto the middle of the senko. Then just get a finesse hook and slide it underneath the hair tie so that it faces outwards. It's as easy as that.

bitsandbass reply :

Bass Pro sells a rigger with 25 o rings for $7. Any place that has a cheaper/more o ring option? Thanks.

RoLo reply :

I don't use Senkos or O-rings,

but I'm never without stickworms

Roger

JustinCT reply :

Fished on Monday with 1 O ring and 5" senkos, for the first time. Bait lasted much longer and I don't think it impacted my hookup ratio. I didn't hook the bait itself so I had to keep an eye on the hook alignment. I need to do some more fishing with it to determine how it will best work for me. My buddy wasn't using the O ring and went through a full bag of senkos.

bitsandbass reply :

On 6/1/2017 at 1:08 AM, JustinCT said:

Fished on Monday with 1 O ring and 5" senkos, for the first time. Bait lasted much longer and I don't think it impacted my hookup ratio. I didn't hook the bait itself so I had to keep an eye on the hook alignment. I need to do some more fishing with it to determine how it will best work for me. My buddy wasn't using the O ring and went through a full bag of senkos.

Where's this cheapest place to get a tool and a bunch of o rings? TY.

Choporoz reply :

25 o-rings will probably last you a long time

bitsandbass reply :

On 6/1/2017 at 1:56 AM, Choporoz said:

25 o-rings will probably last you a long time

Sorry its only 10 o-rings. Does BPS have the best option or is there something better?

Choporoz reply :

I've switched to shrink tubing. But, there always used to be tons of options on ebay from China. Just gotta watch for shipping costs and time. If you're willing to wait a few weeks, I'd bet you can get hundreds of rings and a tool for less than $10 shipped. Oh yeah...also check the ring sizes...IIRC, some just came as 'assorted' sizes.

bitsandbass reply :

On 6/1/2017 at 2:01 AM, Choporoz said:

I've switched to shrink tubing. But, there always used to be tons of options on ebay from China. Just gotta watch for shipping costs and time. If you're willing to wait a few weeks, I'd bet you can get hundreds of rings and a tool for less than $10 shipped. Oh yeah...also check the ring sizes...IIRC, some just came as 'assorted' sizes.

This is not bad. $5.89 with 10 o rings. You can preload them and it has a carabiner.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Wacky-Rig-O-Ring-Tool-for-Senkos-Stick-Baits-w-10-orings-/282019703610?hash=item41a9af2b3a:g:-ocAAOSwCfdXovAH

mllrtm79 reply :

On 6/1/2017 at 12:53 AM, bitsandbass said:

Any place that has a cheaper/more o ring option?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MT04AH5/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I9XNBRGEZJIQN&colid=ZDZ15269F6YU&th=1

Amazon has 125 o-rings for $8 (Prime) or the tool included for $15

MTPanda reply :

On 2/23/2017 at 12:37 AM, GreenGhostMan said:

I've always used two o-rings crossed so the hook is perpendicular to the senko. Not sure if this helps with hookups, but I've always done it.

I just tried this out yesterday for the first time and out of 6 fish only lost 1 senko. Didn't miss a hook set. Great way to save senkos.

NYWayfarer reply :

Walmart has a floating wacky rig tool. The K&J Tackle Wacky Rig'R comes with a few O rings in the bag for less than $10

I have started using an O ring combined with a small rubberband that was left over from when my son had his braces. They were sitting around collecting dust now that his braces are off. When combined with the O ring they keep stickbaits on better than the O ring alone.

I don't know if I am alone in saying this but my hook up ratios seem to be higher using the O ring method. The hook seems to set itself since it is totally exposed. This is opposed to when you run it though the middle of the worm and only part of the hook is exposed. I lose a few fish when they jump with the later method.

bitsandbass reply :

On 6/1/2017 at 8:42 PM, Finesse Wayfarer said:

small rubberband that was left over from when my son had his braces

Light bulb goes off! My daughter has a ton of these tiny rubber bands for her hair. Those will work fine! I dont need the tool. Thank you for the idea!!!.

Update: they are pretty thin. They wont cut through the plastic will they?

NYWayfarer reply :

On 6/1/2017 at 10:06 PM, bitsandbass said:

Light bulb goes off! My daughter has a ton of these tiny rubber bands for her hair. Those will work fine! I dont need the tool. Thank you for the idea!!!.

Update: they are pretty thin. They wont cut through the plastic will they?

They have not on mine. I pre-rig a bunch of mine before going out on the water They sit in a baggy for over a week sometimes and they are Ok.

I do find that using the rubberband alone doesn't work as well. If the hook or a toothy pickerel nicks it, it will snap.

bitsandbass reply :

On 6/1/2017 at 10:12 PM, Finesse Wayfarer said:

They have not on mine. I pre-rig a bunch of mine before going out on the water They sit in a baggy for over a week sometimes and they are Ok.

I do find that using the rubberband alone doesn't work as well. If the hook or a toothy pickerel nicks it, it will snap.

What about doubling up on the rubbers, to make them criss cross and then place the hook parallel to the senko.

J Francho reply :

Plenty of guys do that. I don't think it's necessary. How do you know a Texas rig is perfectly oriented in the fish's mouth? You don't, and it hooks up just fine.

MNGeorge reply :

We've used a single o-ring for years, have had no hook-up issues and stick worms definitely last longer than without the o-ring.

We install the o-rings as soon as we get a new bag of worms so they are always ready to go. We used to use a 4/0 4X wire salt water hook for the extra weight, but lately have switched to a 1/16 oz. weedless wacky jig with a 1/0 hook and have been pleasantly surprised at how well that small hook holds fish.

NYWayfarer reply :

On 6/1/2017 at 11:12 PM, bitsandbass said:

What about doubling up on the rubbers, to make them criss cross and then place the hook parallel to the senko.

I have tried that as well. The rubberbands are much more fragile when compared to the O ring. I lost a few stickbaits using the rubberband alone.

Crestliner2008 reply :

On 6/1/2017 at 11:17 PM, Finesse Wayfarer said:

I have tried that as well. The rubberbands are much more fragile when compared to the O ring. I lost a few stickbaits using the rubberband alone.

I agree, rubber bands can't take the punishment. O-rings are pretty good, but I'll rely on my time tested "Goodies":

Wacky Rigging My Way

Been doing this for about a dozen years. Time tested. Inexpensive. Easy to use. Effective.

NYWayfarer reply :

On 6/2/2017 at 1:32 AM, Crestliner2008 said:

I agree, rubber bands can't take the punishment. O-rings are pretty good, but I'll rely on my time tested "Goodies":

I am going to buy some of these before the weekend. Thanks!

Quarry Man reply :

rubber bands from braces work too and are free

J Francho reply :

On 6/2/2017 at 3:26 AM, Quarry Man said:

rubber bands from braces work too and are free

The braces weren't lol.

Quarry Man reply :

On 6/2/2017 at 3:32 AM, J Francho said:

The braces weren't lol.

there goes my money for a new boat!

J Francho reply :

On 2/23/2017 at 10:26 AM, MichiganBass80 said:

I've tried a single ring and the double ring method. Didn't care for either.I am going to be giving these EAgle claw wacky rig harnesses a try this year.

I didn't see this earlier, but how is three tear holes in a senko better than one or none?

Looking for the big one reply :

On 1/10/2017 at 1:20 PM, Yeajray231 said:

Not really though. I usually average 3-5 easily. Sometimes 8. With no o-ring.

I start with em Texas weightless, if it's too torn I'll cut about 1/4" off and re-hook. Right back in the fresh plastic. Start with a 5" senko and before I'm grabbing a new one it's 3 and 3/4" . . Sometimes I'll just flip it and throw it wacky.

Some people believe these baits are limited to only throw wacky style. And although wacky is very effective; I could argue (based on results) that Texas rigged weightless is more effective.

If anybody is only wacky rigging stickbaits they are missing out on these baits hardcore.

I tried the biting thing using dingers, but found that the plastic behind the nose of the bait is much more salted than the nose, and doesn't hold the hook as well. Maybe I'm crazy though, can't check right now though. The cost of vacation. ☹️

Edit: dang it picture, flip!

QUAKEnSHAKE reply :

Fastenal 50 o-rings for $1.85 if that seems "expensive" maybe a different hobby is in order.

https://www.fastenal.com/products/hydraulics-pneumatics/flanges-gaskets-and-rings/o-rings?r=~|categoryl1:"603388 Hydraulics 9and Pneumatics"|~ ~|categoryl2:"603576 Flanges, Gaskets, and Rings"|~ ~|categoryl3:"603580 O-Rings"|~

and if you notice a tear in your senko use MEND-IT (here is the BIG money saver) to fix the tear and 20+ bass on one senko is quite doable.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/MEND-IT-GLUE/2288491.uts

6174

O rings on Senko's 2024

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