problems fishing with senko

[oglejust]

ive been using a big bite baits trick stick texas rigged a lot lately and im very pleased with how well it works. i cast it out, let it sink, twitch a couple times then reel it in and repeat. my problem is that about 1 out of every 5 fish i catch swallow the hook so deep theyre bleeding and im worried im killing the fish by doing this. im setting the hook as soon as i feel the fish but its like theyre just slamming this lure so hard i cant keep them from swallowing it. is this common with a senko or is it me? just curious if any1 else has this problem with a senko and if i am really killing the fish or if u think they heal up after a little blood. i havent had this problem with any other worm just the senko. thanks

[Tavery5]

In my experience fishing the stick type baits this is a common occurrence, fish do tend to take these baits deep if you are not quick enough to set the hook. There are a couple of things you can do to help with this, fish a rod with good sensitivity so you can detect the bite earlier, a good quality line will also help with this. Probably the thing you can do help with this the most is to pay close attention to your line, lots of these deep hooks are because the fish picks the bait up on the fall and we do not recognize this until the fish starts to swim off with the bait, by then it may be too late. If your bait appears to stop falling prematurely lift gently on the rod tip to see if you feel any weight, if so, set the hook, you may miss a few fish or set the hook for no reason , but they are always free. As far as bleeding fish go, I have heard allot of personal opinions about this but have never seen any published information, I choose to release the fish and give it the opportunity to recover.

[boloson]

the fact that u say 1 out of every 5 fish swallows the hook points to operator's error. i recently started using wacky rigs & had to adjust to set the hook. adjust meaning that i had to pause a second to set the hook which is not what i was used to. even doing this i still am able to lip the bass. maybe switch to a more sensitive line or rod? that might help in "feeling" the bite better

[BigBassin144]

if you're wacky rigging, try a hook like a Gamakatu Octopus Circle or just a Circle hook. These hooks are designed to hook fish in the lips. You won't use a normal hookset though; just put pressure on the fish and reel, the hook should almost set itself.

BB

[bassinbob]

Consider smashing the barb down.

[bigbasser]

Carry a bottle of Mountain Dew with you (I keep ita bottle in the boat ), if you get a bleeder pour some M/D on the bleeding. It won't take much and it doesn't matter if the Dew is flat. bigbasser

[oglejust]

im using the abu garcia silvermax baitcaster, its a 6'6 mh rod and 14lb mono line. i feel like im not missing the bite, i feel like i can detect the bite fast enough, ur probably right, theyre hitting it on the fall and really swallowing it. and yeah i did use a barbless hook the other day and that was really nice but it was the only 1 i had and somehow i hooked a fish and about the time i got it close the hook broke (this was a first) so im probably gonna smash the barb bc i really hate to take a chance on killing the bass. now if it was a bluegill or a redear i would just throw it in a bucket and fillet it but i really look at my bass as a "sport fish" or a possible trophy

[Jrob78]

If you're tx rigging the senkos you might try using a 5/0 hook with the barb pressed down. I would think the bigger hook might help a little.