Senkos

[Flysmallie]

Gavin,

I'm not the biggest fan either but I rarely fish it like a dead minnow. I like casting into junk and twitching it like a jerkbait. But that is still slow and patient fishing. Something I'm not a big fan of.

[10pointer]

strapping tape, rubber rings, split rings, duct tape are all great ways to fish senkos....the problem with the yamamoto baits is they are very fragile and cost and arm and a leg when it comes to going through bags per trip.

Id look at the ozark tackle "senkos" they are super soft, much limper than the yamamotos and i think they catch just as many fish if not more!

[creek wader]

I almost solely fish senko type worms. I like the 3" "Yum Dingers" for stream fishing smallies, actually all stream bass. For me they out fish any other artificial bait. But, that's just me. I tend to fish skinny water because I wade fish. There's usually not enough room to work a crankbait or spinnerbait. I have yet to catch a smallie on a spinnerbait. I have caught them on inline spinners though. I've had real good success with them. I usually Texas rig senkos with a split shot to help slow it down in the current or to bump it off rocks. I rarely snag and can cast into the worst brush or rocks.

I did get the opportunity to watch Russ (i.e. Wacky Worm) fish wacky worm style at night, on the Elk. He did quite well.

As far as fishing wacky style. It works great. I've caught lots of fish that way. I bought the tool and rings, and used it a few times. But when I catch a fish. Half the time, the fish throws the worm/senko off, and all I have left is the hook and if I'm lucky the ring. After I lost several worms, I hooked it old style wacky (through the worm), and would catch 3 or 4 fish, before the worm was destroyed. I must be doing something wrong. I think maybe my worms (5") were too skinny for the rings. Do they have smaller size rings? I'll try that tape thing and see how it works.

By the way please don't argue with me that crankbaits or spinnerbaits are better than soft plastics. Everyone has their personal favorite, "go to bait". I've even tried copies of Al Agnew's "go to baits" and have not caught a fish. I guess "I'm no Al Agnew". ...lol.

Since, I went back to standard worm hooks. I rarely gut hook a fish. I maybe loose 1 in 100 fish. ( one in every 4 or 5 trips) I think that's on par with other baits. Like I said earlier, the water that I usually fish is more suited for soft plastics. I guess, I'm just a soft plastic kind of guy. That's just how I roll.

Ok, I'm rambling... I'm out. ...wader ...

[Al Agnew]

Hank, I started fishing Senkos for river smallies a couple of years after they first came out, and for about two years I caught a lot of fish on them. Like Gavin, I didn't like fishing them all that much, but they were a bait that really DID work when my usual stuff wasn't working. More about that in a bit.

Then, they just kinda stopped working for me. Since those first two years I fished them, I've fished them quite a bit, usually when other stuff didn't seem to be working, but sometimes when the other stuff WAS working, just for the heck of it. And I can't seem to buy a fish on them.

I think we all tend to try different things when our old reliables aren't working. And, probably most of the time the new stuff won't work under those conditions, either. So a lot of anglers discard a lot of lures that other anglers just love, simply because they only tried them when NOTHING would have worked.

I still carry Senkos and other stick baits. And I suspect that at some time in the future they'll again save a day for me, and become a more valued part of my tackle selection. But right now, I'm wondering why I'm still carrying them.

Creek wader...you gotta BELIEVE! Or just keep using what works for YOU. That's what I do.

[fishinwrench]

you gotta BELIEVE! Or just keep using what works for YOU.

No truer words have ever been spoken. The effects of the mental (zen) aspect of any technique is so true and valid that it borders on magic, especially in the hunting/fishing game.

When you "feel" it happen....and then it does, you just experienced it.

I wish I could learn to apply it at will, and into other areas of my life.

[dereck_evans]

I almost solely fish senko type worms. I like the 3" "Yum Dingers" for stream fishing smallies, actually all stream bass. For me they out fish any other artificial bait. But, that's just me. I tend to fish skinny water because I wade fish. There's usually not enough room to work a crankbait or spinnerbait. I have yet to catch a smallie on a spinnerbait. I have caught them on inline spinners though. I've had real good success with them. I usually Texas rig senkos with a split shot to help slow it down in the current or to bump it off rocks. I rarely snag and can cast into the worst brush or rocks.

I did get the opportunity to watch Russ (i.e. Wacky Worm) fish wacky worm style at night, on the Elk. He did quite well.

As far as fishing wacky style. It works great. I've caught lots of fish that way. I bought the tool and rings, and used it a few times. But when I catch a fish. Half the time, the fish throws the worm/senko off, and all I have left is the hook and if I'm lucky the ring. After I lost several worms, I hooked it old style wacky (through the worm), and would catch 3 or 4 fish, before the worm was destroyed. I must be doing something wrong. I think maybe my worms (5") were too skinny for the rings. Do they have smaller size rings? I'll try that tape thing and see how it works.

By the way please don't argue with me that crankbaits or spinnerbaits are better than soft plastics. Everyone has their personal favorite, "go to bait". I've even tried copies of Al Agnew's "go to baits" and have not caught a fish. I guess "I'm no Al Agnew". ...lol.

Since, I went back to standard worm hooks. I rarely gut hook a fish. I maybe loose 1 in 100 fish. ( one in every 4 or 5 trips) I think that's on par with other baits. Like I said earlier, the water that I usually fish is more suited for soft plastics. I guess, I'm just a soft plastic kind of guy. That's just how I roll.

Ok, I'm rambling... I'm out. ...wader ...

If you've never caught a smallie on a spinnerbait you are really missing out. My good friend Curt has won the angler of year title a few times on current river throwing his spinnerbait almost exclusively. I believe it has a lot to do with wire size. thinner the better. Single willow blade with white skirt works well in clear water. Cast over barely submerged logs in the current. The heaviest weigh in ever in our club was 22lbs with eight smallies. All caught on a spinnerbait. in late summer early fall when the water is low and crystal clear sometimes all you can catch a good limit of smallies on is a carolina rigged senko style bait. I like the 4 in cinnamon purple.

[creek wader]

Ok, I knew this would happen,... Here we go

I've always liked trying something new. A new bait or a new stream, lake, boat, reel, flyrod or species. Because it's a challenge.

I still carry spinnerbaits and throw them for a while, almost every trip. Because, you guys catch fish on them. So now it's a challenge to me.

I've tried normal speed in the mid water column, I've tried slow rolling, sometimes I even try reeling fast to break the water surface. I've tried different sizes,. With and without trailers. After 45 min. of nothing, in very "fishy" water. I switch to soft plastics and catch fish. Yes, I know how to use spinnerbaits. I've had good success on largemouth in ponds and lakes with spinnerbaits, in the past. Maybe it's because, when a spinnerbait lands in 2 ft. of clear water that is only 12 ft. wide, it scares the heck out of the fish, .....maybe not. But, when I throw a 3" dinger, near the bank and drag it off, or over a log or a rock, or just let it set.. KAPOW!!, fish on.

As far as crankbaits go. I've had very good success on wee craws and Rapala floating minnows. On the Osage (much larger stream then I usually fish), I've done well on bombers and wigglewarts. But the smaller "wade/fish" streams ..nada. ... I guess it's what you have confidence in. I"ll keep trying them. But this is Missouri. ..the bait has gotta.. SHOW ME

[405z06]

If you've never caught a smallie on a spinnerbait you are really missing out. My good friend Curt has won the angler of year title a few times on current river throwing his spinnerbait almost exclusively. I believe it has a lot to do with wire size. thinner the better. Single willow blade with white skirt works well in clear water. Cast over barely submerged logs in the current. The heaviest weigh in ever in our club was 22lbs with eight smallies. All caught on a spinnerbait. in late summer early fall when the water is low and crystal clear sometimes all you can catch a good limit of smallies on is a carolina rigged senko style bait. I like the 4 in cinnamon purple.

Yeah, I struggled a bit on missouri smallmouth streams until I tied on a 1/4 oz double-willow leaf spinner. It is my go to bait, without questions. White or chartreuse.

I had never been much of a spinnerbait guy while fishing for largemouth on reservoirs, but if I only had 1 bait to take with me for smallies on the steam, out of a canoe, without question it would be a spinner.

[Al Agnew]

Ok, I knew this would happen,... Here we go

I've always liked trying something new. A new bait or a new stream, lake, boat, reel, flyrod or species. Because it's a challenge.

I still carry spinnerbaits and throw them for a while, almost every trip. Because, you guys catch fish on them. So now it's a challenge to me.

I've tried normal speed in the mid water column, I've tried slow rolling, sometimes I even try reeling fast to break the water surface. I've tried different sizes,. With and without trailers. After 45 min. of nothing, in very "fishy" water. I switch to soft plastics and catch fish. Yes, I know how to use spinnerbaits. I've had good success on largemouth in ponds and lakes with spinnerbaits, in the past. Maybe it's because, when a spinnerbait lands in 2 ft. of clear water that is only 12 ft. wide, it scares the heck out of the fish, .....maybe not. But, when I throw a 3" dinger, near the bank and drag it off, or over a log or a rock, or just let it set.. KAPOW!!, fish on.

As far as crankbaits go. I've had very good success on wee craws and Rapala floating minnows. On the Osage (much larger stream then I usually fish), I've done well on bombers and wigglewarts. But the smaller "wade/fish" streams ..nada. ... I guess it's what you have confidence in. I"ll keep trying them. But this is Missouri. ..the bait has gotta.. SHOW ME

Actually I'm not surprised at your experience with crankbaits and spinnerbaits if you are mostly fishing small, wading type streams. On the little creeks that I wade and fish, I seldom throw crankbaits and "normal" spinnerbaits, either. In my experience, crankbaits work best whent there is some color to the water. I seldom throw them if you can see the bottom in water deeper than 4 feet. And with spinnerbaits, they seem to work best in bigger waters, clear or murky. On the other hand, my homemade twin spin WILL work in small, clear waters.

The one thing you're probably REALLY missing out on in small, clear creeks by sticking with soft plastics is the topwater bite. Geez, I use topwater lures 75% of the time in the wading creeks I fish. See my latest report in the "other Ozark streams" section...as soon as I write it up about today's trip.

[hank franklin]

I think we all tend to try different things when our old reliables aren't working. And, probably most of the time the new stuff won't work under those conditions, either. So a lot of anglers discard a lot of lures that other anglers just love, simply because they only tried them when NOTHING would have worked.

Al, you are zeroing in on how the angler's mind works with this comment. Yes we all have our favorites and we also carry all these other baits we've *heard* might catch fish like crazy so we've bought them just in case. But you know what? We never go out and fish that new bait first thing out, but stuff it in the back of our tackle box and forget about it. Then, a few trips later when all the favorites just aren't working, we dig deep and find *that* lure that some guys on a message board RAVED about so we automatically think yep, this is it, this will solve all my problems! So we put it on and on a day when NOTHING else works, guess what? THIS LURE DOESN'T WORK EITHER! But because this is the new guy on the block, and the one with all the hype, we think, screw that thing, what was I thinking?...The guys on the message board don't know *WHAT* they're talking about.

Yep. This is approximately my exact experience with the Senko.

I'm going tomorrow by the way. Can't wait.