Tiki, Senko, do-nothing bait retrieves.

[KenDammit]

Well, I've caught fish after fish on a Tiki Stick, so I would assume that my method of fishing it works. What are the ways you guys like to fish it that you feel are fail-safe, always gonna catch a fish retrieves?

Myself, I like to cast it out weightless and nosehooked, let it fall, sit for a bit, anywhere from 2 to 30 seconds depending on what i'm feeling is best, and kind of using what I call a stuttered pull. I reel slowly until my line is a bit tight, then starting at the 9 o'clock position I pull to 10, stop, pull to 11, stop and let fall, sometimes on slack line I might even go to 12.

[Rebbasser]

I've caught more dead sticking it-just letting it sit-than any other retrieve. I don't know why, it just works.

[guacomole]

If you fish it any way oyu want tpo as long as its slow, stik baits willl catch fish. They just look and feel lifelike.

[KenDammit]

yeah but what is YOUR way guacomole? I've caught a few dead stickin, but most of my hook-ups come when I first move the bait again.

[Dyas]

I catch most of mine wacky rigged and deadsticking it......... actually all of my fish....... and I always catch a fish when I tie one on....... ALWAYS

[guacomole]

Originally Posted by KenDammit

yeah but what is YOUR way guacomole? I've caught a few dead stickin, but most of my hook-ups come when I first move the bait again.

I just cast it into a likely place, let it sit for 10-30 sec, twitch, a couple more times, then reel it in. Another way I like fish it is skimming it over surface scum then when a bass blows up on it, I just let falll throught the hole.

[bassthumb32]

i do a slow steady retrieve. sometimes if the fish feel like chasing ill ekep doing this with some eratic jerks. or even as a jerkbait. most of the time i just pitch or flip it and let it fall and deadstick it.

[mikefrost]

I usually use a senko, I'll let it sit for a minute, then raise my rod tip reel the slack and let it sit again, but the crazyiest thing happened yesterday, I was fishing a 4" senko I made a bad cast so I was reeling it back in a fast as I could the bait was just skimming across the top when a 3 lber jumped up and swallowed it! So I tried it again the next cast, and caught another, I ended up catching four or five that way!

[motorOil]

I let it sink, 5 seconds later I begin to reel slow, just to tighten the line and I try to keep it tight. I give it a bump here and there to give it some action, but after a bump I let it sink again. Works for me.

[H2O]

Rigging and Fishing Senkos

by Rob J in WNY - Revised 1-2004


..........
We will discuss three basic ways to get rigged up with Senkos. The texposed rig, the wacky rig and the "Senko jig." All three have produced bass for me under different occasions, and take full advantage of different qualities of this bait.

The Bait

As previously mentioned, the Senko is simply looks like nothing more than a plain, plastic worm. There is nothing really special about its appearance, except that it looks a lot like an office pen. In fact, when Gary Yamamoto sought to design the Senko, a pen inspired his prototype mold! The bait is heavily salt-impregnated, and feels heavy in the hand as opposed to a similarly sized standard plastic worm or french fry worm. It is this high-density aspect of the bait that makes it so unique among its kind, giving the Senko its classic horizontal fall which drives bass crazy.

Contrary to its simple design are the staggering number of colors that it is available in. Different anglers from near to far swear by so many different color choices that the only recommendation I make on picking the most effective one is to ask locals who use have used the Senko and experiment on your own (perhaps based on local bass forage food species) to find what works best for you. A few really excited anglers even go as far as saying that every color works well! If true, then there has to be something said for how important the action and/or general appearance of this bait is when it induces a strike.

Typically thrown unweighted, the Senko descends horizontally in the water. Often the ends of the bait slowly and very slightly flutter back and forth as it falls. To bass, it looks like an easy, yet substantial meal, requiring little energy to obtain, and the bait is most often struck while it falling.

Senkos are offered in sizes ranging from the miniscule 3 inch all the way up to the gargantuan 7 inch size. For this article, we will deal with rigging and fishing the popular 4 and 5 inch lengths.

The Gear

For the majority of fishing, say around weedlines and sparse cover, a medium action 6 to 6½ foot spinning rod and reel will be the best all-around setup of choice for tossing these medium-weight baits. Exposed-hook rigs such as the wacky rig or Senko jig can be handled on shorter, light action rods. A fast taper with good backbone makes for easy casting and good hooksetting power. Surprisingly, unweighted 4 inch and longer Senkos are heavy enough to be thrown on quality baitcasting setups, but for surface-skipping them way back into tight cover, spinning gear is a must.

If you are targeting bass over heavy cover, such dense lily pads, matted weeds or gnarly sunken timber, then opt for a medium-heavy action rod and heavier line, 15 pound test and even higher. Such a line will afford more durability and abrasion resistance. For sparse cover or open and clearer waters, downsize the line diameter. 8 to 12 pound test would be a good choice here. Some even use fluorocarbon leaders on spinning gear to further reduce line visibility. Fluorocarbon line has nearly the same “refractive index� as water, which helps it to “disappear� underwater. The stiff, springy fluoro does not handle well when completely spooled on spinning reels, hence just a leader, say 18 to 24 inches, is employed. The handy Double Surgeon's Knot is a good connection choice to use when joining the main line to the leader. Conversely, fluoro handles very well when completely filling up a baitcasting reel, and many keen anglers even use it exclusively not only for its reduced line visibility, but because it offers very low stretch, incredible abrasion resistance and sinks faster than standard lines as well.

Exposing the Texposed Rig

A good choice for fishing tight, heavy and relatively shallow cover, such as docks and weed beds, probably the most popular method of rigging the Senko is to utilize a texposed hook. Similar to the classic Texas rig, texposing is where the hook, for the most part, it held in place by the bait itself. The only difference is that, as its name implies, the hook point is “exposed� instead of buried in the bait. An offset, “wide gap� hook is ideal for texposing, as the offset portion at the front holds the bait in place, and the straight hook point will ride nicely against the bait’s body. This makes for a relatively weed-free, yet effectively exposed point. For rigging the 4 inch Senkos, a 1/0 or 2/0 sized hook works the best, and when using 5 inch ones, go with a 2/0 or even 3/0 hook.

Rigging the texposed Senko is very easy to do. Tie on the desired hook and follow the steps below. Size shown in the photo is a 5 inch Senko with a 3/0 offset, wide gap hook.


1. Insert point of hook straight through nose of bait and bring the point out of the bait approximately ¼ to ½ inch back.

2. Slide hook all the way through the bait, stopping when the offset bend has entered it. Turn the hook 180 degrees at this point.

3. Line up the hook alongside the Senko to figure out where the best insertion point is going to be, and force the hook straight through to the other side, and allow the hook point to ride right against the body of the bait.

4. Finished rig should look as shown, with bait straight and hook point laying flat along the top.

Texposing will be fairly weedless, but ensures a good, solid hookset because the point of the hook does not have to penetrate the body of the worm before reaching the fish's jaw.

Don't be afraid to throw the texposed Senko around the thickest of weeds, or skip it into the nether regions under docks. Since you are generally not going to be working the bait too much, hang-ups are infrequent. This rig is the best choice for placing the Senko exactly where you want it when targeting heavy cover, and can be made to skip deeply into docks and branches. Cast it out and let it fall seductively down, maintaining a semi-slack line. Watch your line carefully. Often a pickup is not felt as the bass simply cruises up and slurps the bait into its mouth. If you see your line start to move off or twitch, reel up the slack line and sweep your rod tip sharply upward to set the hook. Unless you are fishing heavy cover, there is no need to “cross-eye� the fish on the hookset. Some anglers keep a finger their line at the reel for additional awareness. Once the bait hits the bottom, leave it there for a few moments. Some anglers leave the Senko alone for up to several minutes! Then raise your rod tip and lift the bait and let it fall once again, either into the same hole or else the next nearest possible bass lie. This classic approach to using the Senko probably accounts for more success than any other weightless method.

“Wacky� Rigging

Wacky wormin', with its irresistible, twitchy retrieve, has been a favorite method with plastic worms for years, and fishing the Senko wacky style is a deadly way to get in on the action. It's a great rig for approaching bass in sparse cover and along breaks in cover, where open water meets weedlines, timber, or docks. River Smallmouth Bass enthusiasts love the wacky rig for twitching along in streams around rock outcroppings and other Smallie ambush spots in moving water. Again, the 4 and 5 inch Senkos work well for this presentation, in which you impart much more action to the bait as opposed to the texposed rig. Most of the time, it is fished somewhere in the middle of the water column, but it is also deadly when twitched along the bottom.

You will generally use smaller hooks than with the texposed rig, opting for standard short-shanked, round-bend designs in size 1 or 1/0. Another possible hook choice employed by conservation-minded anglers is to use what are called “circle' hooks.� Circle hooks, at first glance, look like a standard round bend hook, but a closer look reveals that their point actually continues to curve inward, like a circle. Saltwater enthusiasts have been using circle hooks on live bait rigs for years, and they have recently gained increased popularity with bass anglers. Their design is such that the angler employs no sweeping hookset upon feeling the strike, but rather just takes up the slack and reels down to the fish. The small curve in the hook point causes the hook to slide along in the fish’s mouth cavity, not hooking up until it reaches the ledge inside the lip. Its design results in a very “fish friendly� hook, virtually preventing “gut-hooking,� yet holds very well along the corner of the mouth, where the hook will be found almost every time. Sweeping up on the hookset usually causes the circle hook to be pulled completely from the fish's mouth and not connecting. It can be a very challenging to get accustomed to fishing without the classic hook setting motion when using the circle hook, but for those who do, they enjoy few shake-offs, and the fish receives the best chance for survival upon release.

Rigging the wacky Senko is even easier to do than texposing it. Tie the desired hook to your line and follow the easy steps below. Shown in the photo is a 4 inch Senko with a 1/0 circle hook.

1. Select the size of Senko you want to wacky rig with. Often, the smaller 4 inch size is used.

2. Bend the Senko in half to find the middle point.

3. Insert the hook straight through the center of the worm, bringing the hook out the other side.

4. Finished wacky rig should look as shown, with the hook perfectly centered in the middle of the bait.

As previously mentioned, the wacky rigged Senko is great around more sparse cover, such as weedlines adjacent to open water, large holes in weedbeds, stratified timber and rocks, or floating docks. It's openly exposed hook demands less snaggy fishing conditions, but, by the same token, it provides more sure hook-ups. Cast or skip this rig gently and beyond where you expect the bass to be, and allow it to sink naturally to the desired depth, again on a semi-slack line. For a bottom wacky retrieve, you can place split shot from 8 to 12 inches ahead of the hook to get it down a bit faster. Retrieve it slowly with light to moderate twitches of the rod tip. This gives the Senko a sort of live swimming action, with the ends of the bait flailing along. On the bottom, it very closely resembles a darting crayfish. Remember the simple “retrieve� hookset if you are using circle hooks. If you've never tried wacky wormin' before, you might find this presentation surprisingly effective with Senkos, and fun to employ.

The “Senko Jig�

The Senko jig was originally brought to popularity by Pat Xiques, Eastern Team staff writer for Gary Yamamoto's Inside Line magazine. Faced with challenging fall conditions on his favorite lake, he could not get the suspended Smallmouth Bass he was marking on his electronics to hit anything in his arsenal. It was a long shot, but he decided to rig the oft weightless Senko on a leadhead jig and let it course its way down to the finicky fish, who proceeded to gobble it up! Word soon got out concerning this new way to make effective use of the Senko, and many anglers, including myself, have hit pay dirt using it.

Use 4 inch Senkos in forage-fish colors for this rig. 3/16 to ¼ ounce plain darter or round headed jigs are the perfect choice for giving the bait an action which I personally feel is very unique. If finessing reluctant shallow fish is the order of the day, downsizing to a 1/8 ounce head will help slow down a hasty fall. Follow the steps below.

1. Line up the jighead next the Senko in order to determine the exact location of where the hook will exit the bait when threaded through the center, as shown.

2. Start inserting the hook point through the front of the Senko, “threading� it through the center of the bait.

3. Begin poking the hook point out of the bait at the location determined in Step 1 and complete the insertion of the jighead's anchor.

4. Finished Senko jig should look as shown, neatly rigged with no kinks or bulges in the body of the bait.

The Senko jig is moderately heavy, but very easy to fish, and it will produce results under a wide variety of conditions and scenarios. Baitcasting gear is fine for throwing it. Pat Xiques allows it to fall right into suspended bass, where its presence was met with strikes. It is an excellent drop bait along deeper ledges, drop-offs and weedlines, where hang-ups are less of a problem with its exposed hook. It can even be dragged over the bottom and hopped like a standard bass jig or tube jig. The action when twitching this bait is a very unique, stout movement as opposed to a standard “jigworm� rig. This could be the bait of choice when nothing else is panning out, so give it a try when the rest of your options have run dry, or make it your “go-to� setup for hot action without fuss!

Versatile Senko

Well, there you have it. Three tried and true ways to fish the unique Senko, and as you can see, it is a lot more than just a “plain Jane� sinking soft jerkbait. Whether you are fishing shallow or deep, thick cover or open water, or pursuing active or reluctant fish, the Senko can produce for you. Gary Yamamoto has started a revolution with these incredible baits, and it doesn't look like the bass seem to mind! Here in New York State, all three of these rigs produce both Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, whether you are fishing a one-acre pond or the mighty Great Lakes, so grab a bag of Senkos and hit the water. You won't be disappointed.

Good fishing to you!



Original link: http://www.nybass.com/robj/nybsenkorig.htm
Enjoy it.

[basscatcher03]

me i like reelin in slow then high tailin in like after n10 seconds i can cast out pretty hard makes the bass in my place reel mad they take it and run i meen RUN they take out my line one was headed to a tree before it got there it had taken my line so much it goes runnin it out goes eeeeeeeeeeer !POP! my line brock tho they get pissed

[KH.]

thumpity thump thump thumpity thump thump.thats my way.i let it sit for a couple seconds and carefully watch my line,if it moves i reel in the slack and set the hook the the reverse direction that the fish is going.but if doesnt,i wait and do my stupid retrieve,thumpity thump thump thumpity thump thump.and most of the time they it on the thumpity.sounds stupid but it works

[zooker]

me i would rather chunk all of them i n the lake -bag and all- and rig up a 4"dead ringer...

zooker

[buzzdog]

I LOVE the Wave Worm and have caught many fish this way. I have to agree with you all on this topic. I don't think you can do this any wrong way.

[KH.]

yeah zookers missin out.his loss.it was two hours before i caught my first fish on a tiki
stick.it was 5 lbs too.

[454ss]

Zooker you dont use tikis?

[KH.]

he sure dont,thats his fault

[454ss]

Why dont he use em......Has he ever tried em?

[Mac1]

One thing certainly to try........get one pack of zoom ultra vibe speedworms in watermelon/red.....texpose one on a 2/0 worm hook....clip off the tail one half inch up from the flat hooktail and fish that. It falls much more slowly and when bass are active, they will hit primarily on the fall. If the lure reaches bottom, let set 30 seconds then lift slowly two feet to feel for fish. If nothing on, reel in at a moderate pace and re-cast. Sometimes bass like a skipping cast on entry, sometimes a regular cast. Not being internally weighted is more often than not a real blessing.....bass often inhale the lure on the fall and start off with it.

[KH.]

he claims he has 454,but i think he needs to try them again,if he tried them at all

[H2O]

Originally Posted by Mac1

One thing certainly to try........get one pack of zoom ultra vibe speedworms in watermelon/red.....texpose one on a 2/0 worm hook....clip off the tail one half inch up from the flat hooktail and fish that. It falls much more slowly and when bass are active, they will hit primarily on the fall. If the lure reaches bottom, let set 30 seconds then lift slowly two feet to feel for fish. If nothing on, reel in at a moderate pace and re-cast. Sometimes bass like a skipping cast on entry, sometimes a regular cast. Not being internally weighted is more often than not a real blessing.....bass often inhale the lure on the fall and start off with it.

Yeah, that's a great presentation. I didn't try zoom worm(clip off half tail). I rather use Yamamoto Cut Tail:



It works great.

[KH.]

that looks like a good bait,so good i might have to eat it