Softening senkos - Before & after pics.

Bassboss · 07-01-11, 12:14 AM

I'll start off by letting you guys know Gander has Big Big Bait Trick Sticks from for .99 cents. I picked up a bunch cause they were so dang cheap.

First thing I noticed right out of the bag is that they were really hard, and not flexable. When I was fishing them, they hardly had any action both texas rigged and wacky rigged, and they didn't catch any fish. So rather then having a bunch of useless senkos sitting around, unused and un-fished, I decided to take some initiative and soften them up.

I took them out of the bags, and put them in a stainless steel pot, filled it with enough water to cover them, and added a little more then a TBS of salt, and let them boil on high for 15, 20 seconds. Then I took them off the heat, drained most of the water, put cold water back in, and let them cool.

I left one aside so I could see the see the difference, in the treated, and untreated ones.

Before

After

You can tell from the pics, that the treated ones are softer, and noticeably more flexible. What you can't tell from the pics, is that the treated baits lost some of their shininess. I doubt the bass care, or can even tell much of a difference.

I haven't got the chance to fish them side by side yet to see which catches more fish, and which has more action. I'd assume from my experiences before, that the treated baits would out fish the un-treated baits 10 to 1.

oglejust · 07-01-11, 01:40 AM

those r the only senkos i use, as fast as they get torn up i have a hard time paying top dollar. i buy a bunch of the .99 big bite baits senkos and catch the heck out of bass the way they r. im sure softening them would make for better action tho.

carolina-rig-01 · 07-01-11, 01:46 AM

Good tip Sammy. Boiling baits for 10-15 seconds is a good way to straighen out baits that have got kinked in the bag (Zoom baits seem to be bad about this), just let them boil for a few seconds and then lay them out straight on a paper towel to dry and cool off.

I really like the fact that you took pics to compare the before and after, good work grasshopper!

Mumpy · 07-01-11, 06:45 AM

I would LOVE To learn how to use these baits, it's that confidence thing. I just can't get the Confidence required to fish them. I guess I have to be taught first and go from there.

After watching this Video I don't have a choice but to try this technique

Senko Fishing

Mumpy · 07-01-11, 07:23 AM

So, been doing some reading and watching vids on Senkos. So I guess the Drop Shot Rig I bought last week will work just fine for Wacky Fishing a Senko worm. Now I need to buy a Wacky Tool and some O-Rings.

I HATE THIS SITE! It's costing me a Fortune!!!!!!!!

wallywallace · 07-01-11, 08:37 AM

fortunes will be lost.. me and my gf are going to the big city saturday for a "date: day since it has been a while, a nice resturant and um.. stopping by gander MTN as well, hehe...

Bassboss · 07-01-11, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carolina-rig-01

Good tip Sammy. Boiling baits for 10-15 seconds is a good way to straighen out baits that have got kinked in the bag (Zoom baits seem to be bad about this), just let them boil for a few seconds and then lay them out straight on a paper towel to dry and cool off.

I really like the fact that you took pics to compare the before and after, good work grasshopper!

Yeah, that's actually how I learned to do this. I read it in a a book somewhere. I had a bunch of plastics that were all kinked up, boiled them with some salt, and noticed how much softer they got.... and here we are now!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mumpy

So, been doing some reading and watching vids on Senkos. So I guess the Drop Shot Rig I bought last week will work just fine for Wacky Fishing a Senko worm. Now I need to buy a Wacky Tool and some O-Rings.

I HATE THIS SITE! It's costing me a Fortune!!!!!!!!

Yeah, this site does suck.. lol!

Good senkoin Mumpy.. and did ya see that gator in the bottom on of screen.

dave0943 · 07-01-11, 03:31 PM

It took me a few outings to learn to use the Senko. Like it has been said it's that you have to gain confidence in them. I fish them Wacky style with a black ring in the middle of the bait and a wacky type circle hook run under the ring. I don't use weight with this method. This way you get the most action from the bait. I will once in a while Texas rig with a 5/0 EWG Gama. hook and a 1/4 oz sinker. You do lose some action this way. I can see some action being lost with stiff baits. I just have excellent luck with the natural fall and movement of weightless. The stiffer baits would do well Texas or Carolina stype were you lift the rigg and drop it now and then. I use Senko in equal portions to Crawl baits. Smallies love the 4" Senko. I don't have to much trouble with tearing when using a 5/0 EWG Texas style. Of course with the wacky rigg and the band in the middle the hook doesn't pass through the worm at all and I don't loose any. Smart idea treating the stiff brands. Saves some money using lesser cost brands.

Lvitch · 07-01-11, 06:59 PM

A couple of squirts of attractant in the bag does about the same also.

Bassboss · 07-01-11, 11:51 PM

Well guys, I gave em a whirl today. They definitely caught more fish, and had more action.. as much as a dinger or yama senko... no way. Right off the bat a caught 2 spunky little rock bass, had my line bit to 3 pike, and finally caught 3 largemouth on em.

Not a replacement for dingers for me, but better then the originals!

Mumpy · 07-06-11, 07:57 AM

I just boiled the Senko's I had in my box and there is a Definite Difference and I have come to the conclusion I will be doing all of my Senkos like this from this day forward.

Thank you for the Tip

07-01-11, 12:14 AM	#1
Bassboss BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Shawano, WI Posts: 7,761	Softening senkos - Before & after pics. I'll start off by letting you guys know Gander has Big Big Bait Trick Sticks from for .99 cents. I picked up a bunch cause they were so dang cheap. First thing I noticed right out of the bag is that they were really hard, and not flexable. When I was fishing them, they hardly had any action both texas rigged and wacky rigged, and they didn't catch any fish. So rather then having a bunch of useless senkos sitting around, unused and un-fished, I decided to take some initiative and soften them up. I took them out of the bags, and put them in a stainless steel pot, filled it with enough water to cover them, and added a little more then a TBS of salt, and let them boil on high for 15, 20 seconds. Then I took them off the heat, drained most of the water, put cold water back in, and let them cool. I left one aside so I could see the see the difference, in the treated, and untreated ones. Before After You can tell from the pics, that the treated ones are softer, and noticeably more flexible. What you can't tell from the pics, is that the treated baits lost some of their shininess. I doubt the bass care, or can even tell much of a difference. I haven't got the chance to fish them side by side yet to see which catches more fish, and which has more action. I'd assume from my experiences before, that the treated baits would out fish the un-treated baits 10 to 1. __________________ If you can't fix it with heavy squats or fish oil, you're probably going to die.

07-01-11, 06:45 AM	#4
Mumpy BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Columbus Georgia Posts: 211	I would LOVE To learn how to use these baits, it's that confidence thing. I just can't get the Confidence required to fish them. I guess I have to be taught first and go from there. After watching this Video I don't have a choice but to try this technique Senko Fishing __________________ Recognizing that I volunteered as a Ranger... Last edited by Mumpy; 07-01-11 at 06:52 AM.

07-01-11, 07:23 AM	#5
Mumpy BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Columbus Georgia Posts: 211	So, been doing some reading and watching vids on Senkos. So I guess the Drop Shot Rig I bought last week will work just fine for Wacky Fishing a Senko worm. Now I need to buy a Wacky Tool and some O-Rings. I HATE THIS SITE! It's costing me a Fortune!!!!!!!! __________________ Recognizing that I volunteered as a Ranger...

07-01-11, 06:59 PM	#9
Lvitch BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 180	A couple of squirts of attractant in the bag does about the same also. __________________ Big gals always make us smile!

07-01-11, 11:51 PM	#10
Bassboss BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Shawano, WI Posts: 7,761	Well guys, I gave em a whirl today. They definitely caught more fish, and had more action.. as much as a dinger or yama senko... no way. Right off the bat a caught 2 spunky little rock bass, had my line bit to 3 pike, and finally caught 3 largemouth on em. Not a replacement for dingers for me, but better then the originals! __________________ If you can't fix it with heavy squats or fish oil, you're probably going to die.

07-01-11, 01:40 AM	#2
oglejust BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Paris, IL Posts: 229	those r the only senkos i use, as fast as they get torn up i have a hard time paying top dollar. i buy a bunch of the .99 big bite baits senkos and catch the heck out of bass the way they r. im sure softening them would make for better action tho.

07-01-11, 01:46 AM	#3
carolina-rig-01 BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Webb City, MO Posts: 6,387	Good tip Sammy. Boiling baits for 10-15 seconds is a good way to straighen out baits that have got kinked in the bag (Zoom baits seem to be bad about this), just let them boil for a few seconds and then lay them out straight on a paper towel to dry and cool off. I really like the fact that you took pics to compare the before and after, good work grasshopper!

07-01-11, 08:37 AM	#6
wallywallace BassFishin.Com Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 849	fortunes will be lost.. me and my gf are going to the big city saturday for a "date: day since it has been a while, a nice resturant and um.. stopping by gander MTN as well, hehe...

07-01-11, 03:31 PM	#8
dave0943 BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Iron Mountain, MI Posts: 174	It took me a few outings to learn to use the Senko. Like it has been said it's that you have to gain confidence in them. I fish them Wacky style with a black ring in the middle of the bait and a wacky type circle hook run under the ring. I don't use weight with this method. This way you get the most action from the bait. I will once in a while Texas rig with a 5/0 EWG Gama. hook and a 1/4 oz sinker. You do lose some action this way. I can see some action being lost with stiff baits. I just have excellent luck with the natural fall and movement of weightless. The stiffer baits would do well Texas or Carolina stype were you lift the rigg and drop it now and then. I use Senko in equal portions to Crawl baits. Smallies love the 4" Senko. I don't have to much trouble with tearing when using a 5/0 EWG Texas style. Of course with the wacky rigg and the band in the middle the hook doesn't pass through the worm at all and I don't loose any. Smart idea treating the stiff brands. Saves some money using lesser cost brands.

07-06-11, 07:57 AM	#11
Mumpy BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Columbus Georgia Posts: 211	I just boiled the Senko's I had in my box and there is a Definite Difference and I have come to the conclusion I will be doing all of my Senkos like this from this day forward. Thank you for the Tip __________________ Recognizing that I volunteered as a Ranger...

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