Well to each his own. Do you catch fish on weightless plastics in general?

My favorite color senko is green watermelon red flake.

Educational thread...

I've caught more fish on senko then anything else.

Either pegged or unweighted trig skipped under docks or brush overhangs. Rigged whacky and skipped into the center of downed trees. Unweighted, tossed (I prefer to skip as I think it looks like baitfish scattering and it does attract fish from some distance) up on grass and pulled to edge, let sink. I do use scents. Rarely do I fish to boat. 2-3 "hops", reel and repeat....

I know everybody loves these things, but for the life of me I can't catch anything with them. I have fished them deep, shallow, wacky rigged, Texas rigged, weighted and weightless. I have fished them in cold water, warm water, pre spawn, spawn and post spawn. I have fished them extensively, not just a few casts and move on. I have tried several brands including the number one brand. I give up, they flat don't work for me. I have never so much as gotten a nibble, never mind caught a fish. That's Hootie's rant for the day.

Hootie

 

Please don't tell me you're throwing all yours away.....stickbaits are not to be wasted. 

I agree with the fish it slow camp. Cast it next to grass or other target let it fall, eat a small candy bar, pull it lightly and be ready to set the hook. If nothing there, reel it in and pick the next target.

The bass will come and find it.

 What size of line are you using?  I love throwing Yum-Dingers on eight pound Sufix mono line with a 3/0 wide gap hook on a spinning reel.  That is my main bass fishing set up.  

 

  Soft stick baits are so effective for me that I'm considering trying an experiment in 2016 - only use soft stick baits the whole year plus lizards and that's it.  That's how much confidence I have in soft stick baits.  When I say soft stick baits I'm talking about Yum-Dingers, Stick-Os,  Senko's, and also soft stick baits with paddle tails like the Strike King Rage Cut R worm.  

 Hey Hootie I use to think the same thing... but i started fishing a pond where all they will take is a senko so I started to work with it a lot and perfect it.  now I catch more fish on senkos than anything everywhere. 

 Hint# 1 - always leave slack in the line ( it falls more naturally and gives them a chance to play with it)

       # 2- worms don't jump around the bottom

       # 3- they have it more times than you think you just have to hook 'em

       # 4- and most importantly only Gary Y senkos work 100% of the time ( have had luck with others but you can't compare)

Have you tried the 4" versions?

I don't own any senkos. Tried yum dingers but didn't care for them. There was a Roland Martin commercial promoting Yamamoto baits with an ad phrase that said something along the lines of "the bait works for you." Well I want to work the lure, not the other way around.

Love the senko. its my go too on the shake head.

Stopped using them a few years ago..6yrs. ago they were the rage here...the bass seemed to get ''conditioned'' to them on my lake last couple years...now the rage bait is from Yamamoto also..the Fat Ika

For the most part when other baits don't work for me the wacky worm will. It's my last resort because I like action baits. During the spawn here in the last few weeks I've caught alot of bass on and off beds with senkos, stiko's etc. Black/blue and green with a chartruese tip have been slaying them. Don't give up on them. Keep at it. Most times I get hit on them just letting it sit.

Please don't tell me you're throwing all yours away.....stickbaits are not to be wasted.

No, I would never do that. They now have a new home in my buddies tackle bag.

Hootie

Have you tried the 4" versions?

 

Have tried them from 3" all the way to 5".

 

Hootie

Well to each his own. Do you catch fish on weightless plastics in general?

 

I catch most of my fish on plastics. Tubes, beavers, ribbon tail worms, chigger craws, structure bugs, etc

The remainder are  usually caught on jigs and spinnerbaits.

 

Hootie

I feel you Hootie.

I keep trying but for some reason they just don't work for me like a pot boss, structure bug, minnow or even worm does.

The only thing I even keep the few around that I do have for anymore is up-sized Ned rigs and wacky.

I know everybody loves these things, but for the life of me I can't catch anything with them. I have fished them deep, shallow, wacky rigged, Texas rigged, weighted and weightless. I have fished them in cold water, warm water, pre spawn, spawn and post spawn. I have fished them extensively, not just a few casts and move on. I have tried several brands including the number one brand. I give up, they flat don't work for me. I have never so much as gotten a nibble, never mind caught a fish. That's Hootie's rant for the day.

Hootie

Same here

 

~Kevin

Stopped using them a few years ago..6yrs. ago they were the rage here...the bass seemed to get ''conditioned'' to them on my lake last couple years...now the rage bait is from Yamamoto also..the Fat Ika

 

Rigged tentacles backward or forward?

Rigged tentacles backward or forward?

Doing that with the Jackall cover craw, backwards.

Hootie

It's called technique the bait is aslow bait you have to fish it slow.

I caught a bass on my first ever cast on a wacky rig. The  nothing for a couple years. It has already saved the day for me twice this year. Last time out, I was getting skunked while my buddy was only getting dinks on a minnow. They weren't chasing any food-postspawn blues. As a last resort, I tried the wacky-rigged Big Bite Trick Stick. I had nothing to lose. I caught 5 on it. and Lost a +/-5 pounder at the boat. Then I caught another 3 pounder on a Pop-R. Lesson learned...this won't be a last resort for me anymore.

 

But this was a large pond/watershed. You know there is a captive population of fish there and you have to find a way to catch them. In a major lake, they could just not be where you are.

 

BTW, I don't let it sit there 20 minutes. I hardly let it hit the bottom unless I know a fish is there. Cast it, let it sink on slack line, twitch a couple times and repeat in the next location. My buddy power fishes and I didn't have time to let it lay. But I was catching fish in spots he already cast to.

Anyone think that perhaps some JJs Magic could change things around?

I've never used a senko because they are too costly , but caught all kinds of bass on those stiff Luck Strike Jogger worms .   I was fishing them "wrong" . I used a T rig and slayed them  , didnt know I was suppose to use them weightless and wacky  style. Sometimes it pays to be ignorant .

Taking into account your visibility situation, have you ever considered going UP in size to a 6" or even 7" version, in a dark color, with the hopes that the contrast and increase in water displacement will help a fish locate your offering?

 

Just a thought.

I've never used a senko because they are too costly , but caught all kinds of bass on those stiff Luck Strike Jogger worms .   I was fishing them "wrong" . I used a T rig and slayed them  , didnt know I was suppose to use them weightless and wacky  style. Sometimes it pays to be ignorant .

There's no wrong way. The most accepted way is weightless T-rigged. But I've only used them wacky style. That's because I already use Trick Worms weightless T-rigged everywhere I fish. I was looking for a different presentation. And I was sure the fish haven't seen wacky.