Guaranteed To Catch Bass

[skey44]

Found both baits for 6.99 at my local tackle shop.

[Syppy]

Yeah, having a problem with this lately too.  Never caught anything on jigs before, and so far haven't been able to get this to work.  The only fat Ika's I could find anywhere around here were green/pumpkin and so far I haven't any sort of bites on them and I'm fishing SLLLOOOWWW. Starting to almost get discouraged.

I'm going to spots where I've caught before, got it rigged skirt up, no weight.  What on earth could I be doing wrong?

[jignfule]

We just had Dick's open up last month here. Fat Ikas $7.49 & the only store around that carries them. So yesterday was the first time I tried them out. I tore it up on smaller fish, missed a lot til I move up to a 5/0( ran out of 4/0)  Caught nothing big on them, but then yesterday was a tough day for bigger fish no matter what I was throwing. Anyway I was really impress by the Fat Ika, had to go buy more today.

[Hammer 4]

Yeah, having a problem with this lately too. Never caught anything on jigs before, and so far haven't been able to get this to work. The only fat Ika's I could find anywhere around here were green/pumpkin and so far I haven't any sort of bites on them and I'm fishing SLLLOOOWWW. Starting to almost get discouraged.

I'm going to spots where I've caught before, got it rigged skirt up, no weight. What on earth could I be doing wrong?

I fish Ika's pretty often, in High Pressure city park lakes. One thing I found was, if the sit there, twitch repeat doesn't seem to work. I'll toss it out there, let it sit for 20-30 secs. then pop it about 12" off the bottom, and let it fall on semi slack line, you Need to take up the slack as quick as possible, as 99% of the time, they will hit the Ika on the fall. They tend to inhale the Ika's, so it's easy for the bass to get hooked deep...so be ready.

[Daddyodo]

Thank you for the tips! Can't wait to get out and try it. Gave up my day off tomorrow to gain some overtime. Where are my priorities???

[T-rig]

I haven't used the Fat Ika for while but today it proved again that it catches fish when everything else doesn't work.....

[bigbill]

The number 1 bass bait of all time is the plastic worm. In the early 70's we used the creme 6" black worms with a spit shot rig. All of a sudden the split shot rig was new a while back. Thanks to my cousin because he kept his nose in field & stream back then and passed it all on to me.

I have a ritual of baits i go thru most of the time. I use a rapala, manns baby 1 crank, BPS topnocker and a rebel BIG claw crawfish crank. Add some scent and most of the time one will or all will catch fish.

I think what really matters is where were fishing and what time were fishing as to where the bass are and in what mood.

I'm having fun just casting and practicing my presentations. I need more practice too. We need to stay focused on what were doing all the time too. Clear your mind of everything else and just stay focused on fishing. BB

I fish from shore and have a rocky point were i tried jigs for the first time.  I used a 3/8oz football jig in green pumkin with a pork trailer on a baitcasting setup.  I casted it out straight down the rocky point to the edge of the weedline and hopped it along the rocks slowly.  Then i nailed my first LMB on a jig right away.  Think jigs, think crawfish and go to the rocks for success.

[roadwarrior]

Nice fish T-Rig!

Great pic, too.

[SoFlaBassAddict]

Darn nice fish right there.  Now thats how you bring back an old thread.  Way to go.

[MFBAB]

Someone mentioned the bass getting hooked deep with the Ikas, I fish a lot of finesse plastics on light or no weight and this can be a problem.  The best solution I've found is to mash the barb, it really doesn't seem to hurt the catch ratio and releasing the fish is a lot easier.  I don't do that on jigs or pegged t-rigs though because with the weight right at the hook I think they can throw it pretty easily

[bobbyc]

Anyone fish the ika on a jig?

[Cecil]

There seems to be a lot of members that are not catching bass, some are just starting out and a few have never caught one. If that's where you are, then this short piece is for you. If you want to start catching some bass, follow these instructions EXACTLY, no modifications or adjustments.

Equipment:

Medium or Medium Heavy Power/ Fast Action spinning rod and reel.

#6 Yo-Zuri Hybrid, Ultra Soft, P-Line or XL.

Gamakatsu 4/0 EWG Offset Worm Hooks.

1 bag GYCB 5" Senkos, watermelon with black flakes (194)

1 bag GYCB Fat Ika (194)

Place:

A pond at least 5 acres in size, preferably with some bottom features or contour. Or, if you have access to big water, a well defined cove, not a bay. Whether you fish from a boat or the shore, you will fish exactly the same way.

Method:

Start with the Senko. Cast parallel to the bank, 10-15 yards off the shoreline. Let the bait sink to the bottom, count to 30 (as in 30 seconds) then move the Senko 6-12" with a slow horizontal sweep, allowing the bait to fall on slack line. Count to 10, then repeat. Continue all the way back, move ten steps forward and repeat.

Fish the ENTIRE shoreline regardless of whether you see cover or structure. Fish two Senkos and if you are still not catching bass, switch to the Fat Ika and fish it until you lose it. Don't switch back and forth. Fish the Fat Ika EXACTLY like you fished the Senko.

To make this testing fair, you need to spend at least one hour out fishing, two would be better. You can't hurry and you must stay focused. If you don't catch a bass after two trips or four hours of fishing, you need to find new water.

Good post 

[Cecil]

I haven't used the Fat Ika for while but today it proved again that it catches fish when everything else doesn't work.....

That's a freakin monster!

What did it weight?

[philsoreel]

HEAR HEAR!!! All who glance at senkos and say, " I've tried them but they're nothing special." Follow RW's guidelines and you won't be sorry. It's crazy how effective this simple set-up can be. Not just catching numbers but it produces weight. Never was much on the old senko before reading this. After reading and following the directions it only took two trips before I went and bought a dedicated senko rig. Good stuff.

[BONZ]

Read the entire thread. Couldn't determine how the Senko is supposed to be rigged:Wacky style or weightless T-Rig? Also, what does skirt forward mean on the Fat Ika?

[roadwarrior]

You can rig it either way; I fish the traditional weightless T-rig.

"Skirt forward" means the bait is rigged so the skirt leads rather than follows.

The hook is attached to your line on the skirted end.

[Camanche]

I just read this entire thread. RW, thank you for the post and for keeping it up over the past 5 years! I've moved from Wisconsin to California, and am having a heck of a time getting back on track... so this is the perfect post for me. Time to get back to the basics! I do have a few questions.

Must a cove have an active tributary channel to be considered? Here is a picture of one, I do not think there are any active inlets. Should this still be a good spot to try?

I have not had as much luck in this area of the lake... but I have not tried this method and perhaps I have not given it enough of a chance. The best area I have found so far are the rock dikes that edge another part of the lake. Here is picture:

The problem that I run into with working the bottom here is getting hung up on these rocks. If I let it fall and sit, it can slip deep into the rocks which almost always causes a hang up.

What would you recommend in this situation?

[secretagnt]

Kudos to you RW .... This a grat read even for us more experienced anglers .... We all lose sight of the patience virtue in fishing sometime ....

[roadwarrior]

Camanche,

Man, the cove you posted looks great to me. I would focus on the points,

both primary and secondary. As far as getting hung goes...it's just part

of the deal. Rig your soft plastics weedless, that will help.

On a different note, I'm having good luck right now fishing small to medium

size soft plastic swimbaits: Berkley Hollow Belly, Shadalicious, Keitech

Swim Impact Fat and Matt Lures Baby Bass. These baits rarely get hung. The

technique is cast and retrieve, the lures produce the action, not the fisherman.

Good luck!

[Brand0n]

I fish a local lake with finicky bass and I just started using senkos. I use a baitcaster with a 6'6" mh rod. What would be good # test and line type? Looking into yo-zuri hybrid for senkos and t-rigs

[ChiCityBasser]

I read the article and ordered some of the Fat Ika baits after finding them on the tackle warehouse site since Cabelas doesn't carry them. I wanted to give them a try this weekend and didn't want to pay extra for expedited shipping. Next stop ebay and I found them but not in the color RW suggested. I ended up with watermelon/small gold/large black flake #323. I used a 5/0 EWG hook but also put a worm rattle inside and made it out to a couple of the local lakes. I got hits but kept missing fish because I was too anxious to set the hook. I made it to a small farm/retention pond and wanted to put some time in just getting use to fishing it since I fish cranks mostly. My first cast a fish hits it on the fall but I miss him on the hook set. Next fish same thing I missed because I set the hook too early. I work my way around to other side of the lake and again first cast a fish takes it but this time I wait til I'm sure he has it and set the hook on a 2.5lb fish. I ended up getting three more before the Ika was ripped off by a jumping fish. I fished it on a 7' MH/F Field & Stream Tec Spec Tube/jigging rod with a Quantum Kinetic PTi-B20 with 30# Cajun Braid.

Thanks RW for the article and thanks to you I'm now Senko and Fat Ika educated.

[lou304]

Hey RW I have a question? Do you see any problem with using a 4/0 owner twistlock in place of the Gammy EWG? i just get sick of having my baits bunch up on a T-rigged EWG, which doesn't happen with the twistlocks. Just wondering.

[kidnikarus1]

Patience is key. I grew up fishing in new york strictly on crank bait. Started fishing senkos when I moved to virginia and did not have much luck until I found a stream that has a horrible dragonfly problem. The dragon flies would land on my rod my arms and my head. When I would stop bouncing my worm to swat the dragonflies off me I was hooking up with bass. Now I always do a 30 count before I move mt bait and it works wonders,

[roadwarrior]

Twist locks are great. Take a look at Moaner Hooks, too.

[ClackerBuzz]

Finesse fishing is one of my weak spots so I’m glad I came across this post. Thanks RW.

I think I miss fish on senko’s a lot bc I set the hook too fast. I was doing the same thing with frogs. Someone suggested I wait till the bass takes the frog, lower my rod and count to 3 before setting the hook. That helped a lot. But then someone else suggested I wait until I “feel the weight of the fish on my line”. I don’t set the frog until I literally feel the bass pulling it under. That helped tremendously. Would you suggest waiting for the same pull with senkos? Or should I go with ole “let the fish tell me how to set the hook”?

I’m also interested in floating plastics for shaky head/drop shot/Carolina rigs. I know there are great floating worms on the market. I’ve read about Big Bite Bait Squirrels, Strike King 3x Finesse worms (supposed to be super durable/elastic), and Roboworms to name a few. Does anyone have a preference? I’m leaning toward the Strike King b/c of durability (4” for drop shot in shallow; 7” for shaky head in pond slight algae/leaves on bottom).

I use the same cast approach with a fan configuration and it has been deadly with spinnerbaits, chatterbait, buzzbait, jigs, swimjigs.

Re: Bring up your "User CP" at the top of this section.

Hit "Posts".

Under "Posts" you will see "My Favorites".

Where is the “User CP”?

Thanks