Hi All. Sorry about the late report. Fished out of Big Break this Sat 4/28. There was a tourney happening(as you all know)and a stiff wind blowing. This however did not stop us from having a fantastic day in the Delta. We stayed in the break all day, no more than 200 yards from the launch. Threw Senkos all day. Ended up with 12 fish for 4 hours work. Including a beautiful 9.6 kicker. Best 5 would have gone 28-30lbs.(thats is strictly a guess). This was my first time fishing Senko's and although it worked well for us, I am not convinced that I would not have caught the same fish using say a 7" power worm. The cost of a Senko is roughly 60 cents a piece and I do not think I caught more than one fish on each. They tear up really quick. Have any of you had enough experience fishing these to say that the extra cost of the Senko is worth paying? Please give me your thoughts on this. I also spoke with a "Pro" that was complaining that the Senko was taking alot of the skill out of bass fishing. What do you think? I am interested in hearing what all of you have to say about this.

Tight Lines,

Clay

Clay,
Sounds like you got on them pretty good. What kind of boat where you in out there? We were in a White/Blue Ranger 492 with big Okuma stickers on it.

How were you fishing the Senkos? You gotta love the quote about a pro saying they make catching bass too easy- basically that means they kick the heck out of the fish! What size were you fishing? I've been flylining the little 4" ones and fishing them on the downshot with a lot of success. Just ordered some of the larger units. I haven't been to into the whacky worm thing but tried it with the Senko and the bass ate it.

Nah that wasn't me in the Ranger.(I wish I had a Ranger) Mine is a 17' Bass Tracker. We call it the Stump Jumper cause we beat the heck out of it. It serves us well though. I think I saw you out there Swimbait. Nice rig!! As for the Senkos, I was using the 6" Senko in Smoke w\ blk flake. Rigging them tex-sposed on 3/0 and 4/0 wide gap Gammies and pitching them to the tullies and boat docks. The fish were taking it on the initial fall or as soon as it hit the water. Looking forward to this weekend. Lets hope this wind blows out though.

Tight Lines,

Clay

Sounds like the guy you were with is a kook. Senkos take a lot of skill to fish. Getting bit and putting a fish in the boat isn't a guarantee. Senko fisherman must know how to effectively detect a strike and hammer a fish to get them hooked. Obviously you release the ambiguity of professional fishing. There is no magic baits, only the right tool for the right job.

I'd put Senkos up there with proper worm fishing. Yes, they whack fish, however, you can get your butt kicked by someone who truly understands easily. My experience is that Senkos take great patience, awareness, and confidence.

Fish hard and be thankful for fish that come easy. Anyone foolish enough to make a comment like that isn't a professional. There really are only a handful of professionals, and lots in between. Stick to the guys with positive attitudes and proven experience.

A comment like that reminds me of people who claim electronics give fisherman an unfair advantage.

The thing with Senkos, you can just toss them and as they sink bass will inhale them- I know it takes skill to locate the fish in the first place and get the bait where it needs to be, but they will eat the thing and hold on to it, which would probably make it easier for someone with less experience to get a hookset. I fish bass a lot, and I'm more then comfortable with my fishing skills, but I really like this bait. I could take a novice fishing and show them the basics with lots of plastics, but I think they would have an easier time actually setting the hook with a weightless bait that the fish will hit on a slack line and hold on to, then say a Texas rigged plastic where they think every bump over gravel or bang into a tree stump is a bite. Just my buck fiddy, I guess I owe a $1.48 over my two cents! Tight lines!

P.S.- I am kidding, Senkos don't work at all- Don't waste your money on them if you fish my local lakes!

LAST EDITED ON May-03-01 AT 08:38 AM (PST)

Hey Bassnet,

You crack me up. I really get a kick out of your sense of humor. You are right though, it still takes much skill to find the fish and properly present a bait to them. I really like the ease of fishing the Senko for the same reasons. I can now put my girlfriend in the boat with me and actually get to do some fishing. This was never possible with texas rigged plastics(or any other bait for that matter). To me Gary Yamamoto is my hero.haha Keep up the killer work on this sight. I highly respect the opinions of the fisheman on this sight and look forward to your posts.

Tight Lines,

Clay

p.s. I dont feel that Senko's take alot of skill to fish. As a matter of fact its one of the easiest I have ever thrown. The skill is all in locating the fish. Then throw it to em. Nothing personal but I would have to disagree with "mwp" on that point.

I moved to the Bay area from San Diego about 8 months ago. I was surprised at the popularity of senkos up here. All in all, it really depends on the conditions. I've fished side-by-side with an acquaintance in his own boat, and outfished his senkos with a combination of socal handpours and zipper worms. I've also fished with a friend who was throwing senkos and decided within the first 5 minutes that I needed to do the same.

As far as the "skill" thing goes, that's really a bunch of BS. I admit that senkos can be easy to fish, but there are always other variables besides lure choice. Also, does it really make sense to complain that a lure catches fish and is easy to use? I pride myself on having some level of bassin' skill, but criticizing a lure for working makes no sense. Maybe that'll change if Yamamoto comes out with an infomercial and 5-year old kids and bluegill fishermen start hauling in limits of hawgs, but until then, more power to the senko.

Right on, but I did catch a 10 pound cat last night on a Senko- hmmm..... Maybe we are cheating with these things!!! :)

Cheating-NOT! I still haven't figured these out. One day 12 bass in 3hrs. Next day, same to slightly better conditions, same location, 4hrs., NADA, ZIP, NOTHING. What gives?

Befuddled,
Wade

Happens to the best of us Wade. If you find the answer, I would love to hear it.lol Nice cat on the Senko Bassnet. Senko's flat out catch fish. But there will always be those times when it doesn't go our way. I have been on schooling fish in the Delta so thick that they were chasing shad into the side of the boat and not be able to buy a hit. I mean I threw it all and zilch. If I was able to kill em every time I went out, I think fishing would lose its appeal to me quickly. The Senko is not a MAGIC bait, but it does work extremely well in the right situations.

Tight Lines,

Clay

>The Senko is not a MAGIC bait, but it does work extremely well in the right situations.

Very well said. Couldn't agree more.
-Brian