Bites On Senkos, Carolina Rigs, & Other Finesse

[Kawabuggy]

I hear people mention that when you get bit on weightless rigs, that the bite is more of a "spongy" feeling... I have only recently tried Senko fishing and have had some success with them Texas Rigged with the bullet weight.

I have yet to get a bite when rigged weightless. I hear people mention that if the line feels spongy, or heavy, that this might be a fish on. In my limited experience, I have noted a feeling almost like I am hung up. Thinking it might be a fish, I have waited patiently for the line to move, or twitch, which has not happened yet.

Is that all I should be watching for? I have been very patient working the bait while I reel in very slowly and when I feel the bait make contact I immediately stop and watch my line.. But no luck with the line moving or anything else that hint at a fish biting.

Besides the obvious of not getting bit, what am I doing wrong?

[texasbasser]

Sometimes it will feel like you are stuck on something. What I do is wind in all my slack and give it a little jerk, and the split second it starts moving set the hook for good.

[bassfisher02]

If you feel before you see, set the hook. What I mean is that if you feel something heavy or spongy on the line, dont wait to see the line move, just set the hook. So be it if you get hung up, its either that or a fish gets away. And usually you can get yourself free of hang ups, especially with braid.

[Rebbasser]

Kawa-you aren't doing anything wrong. When it feels like it is hung up try giving it a gentle pull. If there is some give to it set the hook. About a month ago Flyrod and I were fishing one of our favorite lakes and I threw it up in the weeds next to a riprap dam. I pulled it and it felt heavy. Gave a gentle pull and it had some give to it so I set the hook. Shortly thereafter I took a picture and released a 6 lb LM back ito the lake.

Detecting strikes often uses both sight and feel. I've seen the line move and never felt the fish, and felt the fish and never saw the line move, so don't depend on just one thing-use both sight and feel, and if there is any doubt set the hook. You will occasionally set the hook on a rock, stump, rope and I once hooked a garden hose that was covering a rope, but you will also set the hook on fish. You may have had a fish on and didn't know it-more often than not I never feel a fish hit the bait-it is just there. So when you feel that bait get "heavy", set the hook. It may be a swing and a miss, but it might be a good fish.

On a C-rig I usually feel the fish-it may be real subtle, but I usually feel a tic or a thump. Same with a weighted T-rig. I think it is because of the weight-it adds a little resistance to the line so vibrations are better felt than with a weightless bait. Just remember, hooksets are free so swing away!

[basschamp4]

yea ive had that same problem on thetiki stiks i just feel some heaviness on the other side of the line and set the hook sometimes its not a fish sometimes it is you just never know

[keithdog]

I concur with the above. I don't think I ever felt a strike using a Senko style bait, except a few times when I started reeling it back in for another cast and a bass nailed it. I always experience the same thing. Either I see my line start to swim away, or the lure just suddenly feels heavy. Like maybe you've got a snag. Sometimes it is a snag, but more often than not, it's a fish.

[BigBassin144]

While draggin a craw across the bottom, which when weightless, has verylittle feel, i actually at the line start to slack while I was reeling in. I was of course reeling very slowy. So i reel in the extra slack a bit quicker and gave it a nice jerk, Fish on! the fish actually had it in his mouth and was swimming towards me!

[CLENSKH]

Well a lot of the problem for people is the rod they use.. Some rods are not as sensative as others. As for me with Synkos or weightless baits strikes i experience are mostly fish swimming with it.. When you feel pressure you can usually feel the fish come with you a little bit or go away from you compared to a snag which does not move at all. With weightless baits I get a lot of fish who take the bait and swim straight towards me then I have to play catchup with them. Get a fairly sensative rod with decent backbone for fishin weightless baits. Sometime I acually use a BPS light action crankin stick for weightless synkos. Or I use my Loomis spin jig depends on what I got tied on when I head out that day.

[sayn3ver]

I pretty new to bass fishing, but i can say that i certainly feel a strike with senko
s/tiki sticks, at least recently. On occasion, i will think that i am hung up only to find out that i have a fish on. More often than not, I make a cast, it starts sinking on initial drop and bang, i feel the fish hit it. other times i'll be reeling it in slowly over and through some lilly pads and the bass will strike it harder thinking it is trying to get away. No doubts when fish is on for me most of the time. Granted i am fishing a 6'6"MH ugly stick with braid, so for me i think its pretty sensitive. My last bass caught, granted was a dinker, came through floating algae/cover to grab the thing(when removing the hook it look liked it had its salad first before main course).

Edit: I fish these weightless and wacky, have not used weights, as of yet.

[lunker-lander]

Personally, I like to fish Senkos exclusively weightless. I t-Rig it and cast into or near a weed edge. I let it sink for a few seconds, twitching it on the way down. After I feel the sink has been sufficient, I slowly crawl and twitch it back to the boat. If I feel a heavyness on the line, I drag it, if it goes bump-bump-bump, you are probably dragging through weeds. If it starts to move or there is on solid !BAM!, it is probably a fish. If the latter is the case, I slam the hook home,send it on a vacation - and then some. That is personally how I fish my Senkos...

[skeeter944]

Well, you should learn to line weigh, if you bait feels any differant than normal, set the hook! Maybe its a little heavier, or a little lighter, like when you are fishing deep and you hop your jig and the line goes slack, set the hook! With a carolina rig I normally feel the hit and same with the t-rig. Recently I fished a tournament and I made this one cast to the back of this little cut in the bank. It had riprap on one side with trees over hanging and bushs in the middle. I lifted up my weightless Trick worm and it just felt heavy, so I just put a little tension on the line, gave it some slack, and my line streaked off! I set the hook and caught a 16'' bass. I came in 2nd place that day, because of that fish.

[chjohnson622]

I use senkos alot and you know sometimes the fish drills it at sometimes they just grab it. And forgive me if this has been said but on anything that you fish if you are not sure what it is just set the hook like you know its a 10 lber on the other end. Because it could be....

[Rebbasser]

Welcome to the forum!

Always glad to see a fellow Texan join. Being in Lumberton you have some great East Texas lakes to fish.