I just started fishing with senkos this summer and usually fish wacky rigged. I finally got around some ponds that were in need of me to fish weedless and nothing was working so I threw a texas rigged senko on. Thew past 2 days I hooked into 4 bass and they all got away as I set the hook. Am I not setting the hook hard enough? Its been pretty discouraging with me missing those fish because this pond holds some giants. Any ideas of what could help me out?

I fish 5" stick baits like that texas rigged with a pegged bullet sinker and a gamakatsu EWG 3/0 or 4/0 . MH Fast 7' baitcasting rod with 17 pound test Trilene XT mono.

I do swing for the fence when I set the hook. As with any worm I do give them a two count before I set.

That is what I fish 90% of the time. Use a 2/0 - 4/0 offset hook. Let them pull, and then come out of your shoes!!!!!! Make sure your drag is set so you can rip hard setting the hook. If its a bass and they are pulling, then it should be 99.9% set. However, some times you will have perch grab the tail and swim with it.

11 minutes ago, Weedless said:

That is what I fish 90% of the time. Use a 2/0 - 4/0 offset hook. Let them pull, and then come out of your shoes!!!!!! Make sure your drag is set so you can rip hard setting the hook. If its a bass and they are pulling, then it should be 99.9% set. However, some times you will have perch grab the tail and swim with it.

Yeah same here I got away from the standard EWG as the hook point is very much obstructed by the design of the hook. Offset is the way to go IMHO. Usually a 3/0 or 4/0 for me and I avoid the light wire versions. Not that they don't work but I'm like many here I set to hook with intention. 

59 minutes ago, PhenoM said:

I just started fishing with senkos this summer and usually fish wacky rigged. I finally got around some ponds that were in need of me to fish weedless and nothing was working so I threw a texas rigged senko on. Thew past 2 days I hooked into 4 bass and they all got away as I set the hook. Am I not setting the hook hard enough? Its been pretty discouraging with me missing those fish because this pond holds some giants. Any ideas of what could help me out?

How far do you bury the hook? I usually just barely put the hook just barely under the skin. I also use braid so all of my hookset moves the hook and is not absorbed by line stretch.

8 minutes ago, Scott F said:

How far do you bury the hook? I usually just barely put the hook just barely under the skin. I also use braid so all of my hookset moves the hook and is not absorbed by line stretch.

I barley bury the hook...

I fish the bait almost everyday.  Lots of good info in the previous reports.  I will include a M/H rod, and take up slack before slamming the hook set.  I seldom have a problem, if they are bass.  Like someone said, some baitfish will nibble on the tail.

keep your rod tip as low as possible when working the bait, or reel down before setting the hook. I get the best hook sets when my rod tip starts out about 45 degrees tip pointed at the water and ends 45 degrees to the sky. 

What hooks are you using?  You really need to slam it home with t-rigged soft plastics. You have to penetrate the plastic, as well as the fishes mouth, so naturally it's going to take more "umph" to drive it home. I personally fish 3/0 and 4/0 Gamakatsu EWG hooks for 90% of my soft plastic fishing(I use flipping hooks for thick creature baits), and I personally haven't had a whole lot of issue. I don't recognize any difference in hook-up percentage between old style offset hooks or wide gap hooks. 

Make sure you're taking up any slack before you set the hook, you eventually get a rhythm after having done it a while. Lower the rod, reel a couple turns until you feel the weight of the fish, and then slam it home. Make sure your drag is set so that it either doesn't slip at all, or it only slips just a TINY TINY bit. 

I would try both offset and EWG hooks and see which you prefer, and use something sharp. Gamakatsu. Owner. Trokar. Etc. Every little bit  helps. I tend to prefer gamakatsu myself. I use the superline versions since I fish braided line.

11 hours ago, CNYBassin said:

What hooks are you using?  You really need to slam it home with t-rigged soft plastics. You have to penetrate the plastic, as well as the fishes mouth, so naturally it's going to take more "umph" to drive it home. I personally fish 3/0 and 4/0 Gamakatsu EWG hooks for 90% of my soft plastic fishing(I use flipping hooks for thick creature baits), and I personally haven't had a whole lot of issue. I don't recognize any difference in hook-up percentage between old style offset hooks or wide gap hooks. 

Make sure you're taking up any slack before you set the hook, you eventually get a rhythm after having done it a while. Lower the rod, reel a couple turns until you feel the weight of the fish, and then slam it home. Make sure your drag is set so that it either doesn't slip at all, or it only slips just a TINY TINY bit. 

I would try both offset and EWG hooks and see which you prefer, and use something sharp. Gamakatsu. Owner. Trokar. Etc. Every little bit  helps. I tend to prefer gamakatsu myself. I use the superline versions since I fish braided line.

I always use Gamakatsu 3/0 hooks. 

Just wanted to say thanks for  all the help! I landed about 7 bass yesterday and NONE came off. These fish had HUGE heads but the bodies were so d**n small, they have so much potential to be 5+lbers if the pond had more food for them.

Oh man someone has been dumping those d**n diet pills in your water. 

 

What hook style did you end up using? What did you change?

40 minutes ago, S. Sass said:

Oh man someone has been dumping those d**n diet pills in your water. 

 

What hook style did you end up using? What did you change?

I stayed with my current setup,  Gamakatsu 3/0 hook. Only thing I changed is I looked like I was on the bassmaster pro tour when I was setting my hooks, and sure enough that's what I was doing wrong.