As effective as a 5" Senko is in so many scenarios, wacky or weightless, when would you feel the need to downsize and what would be your preferred rigging method?

 

Was I mercilessly attached by the bait monkey when purchasing these little guys. ?

 

Here's a comparison for ya'.

I fish a small, nearby lake and the 4" versions work best there, usually wacky rigged.  I also use z-man finesse TRDs on a drop shot rig (instead of senkos) since they are more buoyant.

10 minutes ago, Bird said:

As effective as a 5" Senko is in so many scenarios, wacky or weightless, when would you feel the need to downsize and what would be your preferred rigging method?

I always have a few along.   About the only scenario they come out is when I'm trying to beat back a skunk.

  I did cash a check in a tournament a couple years ago when it was late in the day, I was at my wits end, two fish shy of a limit....broke out four inch senkos and actually had to dead stick them to limit.   Painful fishing, but worth it at the time.

I use them for numbers. If I want to get some smaller fish for a fish fry. 

If I’m taking a beginner or kids. 

Sometimes I just like catching fish, no matter what the size. But occasionally, there will be a big fish . I caught a 8.6 with one once.

I T-rig mine, with a 2/0 wide gap gammy  hook. I don’t do well with wacky rigs. I normally fish them weightless in the shallow, weedy ponds / lakes I usually fish… They cast great, and skip great too! I esp. love them around brush piles or under docks.

I use the 4” wacky rigged, as I fish a lot of ponds and they tend to get quite a bit of pressure. The smaller size and profile seems to help get more bites when nothing else is working. 
 

Caught everything from .25 pounders to 4 pounders on the 4”. I do not fish a Senko of any size weightless TX rigged, so I can’t comment on that.

I use a lot of 4's

 

Wacky rigged shallow and mostly rigged weedless on a DS

T rigged 4" stick bait, weightless, or with a wee bit of weight will out catch most things most days when things get tough.

Most of my bigger lakes I fish are predominantly spotted bass mostly smaller guys with a few bigger ones around.  I had amazing success this year throwing a 4" Senko on a Neko rig for them only time I've used my 4's.  Was the most effective technique for me in March and April this year.

I added a few bags of 4" Senkos to my academy order.  I always wondered if the 4" would produce the famous shimmy like 5".  We'll see....

I've never really used them but the bait monkey got ahold of me several months back and I ordered like 15 bags of 4in dingers in assorted colors.

When I’m fishing for smallmouth primarily. 

Weighted wacky jig head and wacky drop shot.  Zappu  Inchie.

I use the 4" Stick Os when I'm fishing a place where I can catch a SMB. I have used them in tough conditions and caught LMB on them.

4" t-rigged weightless, floating with the current for river smallies is a top producer for me. I've fished the 5" the same way on the same trip and they did not produce like the 4".

The 4" in general works better for me and catches bigger fish. Biggest fish on the 5" went 4.1 but the 4" has caught 4 fish over 6lbs.

That top one looks like a slim senko. My 4"ers are just about the same dia. as the 5". 

1 minute ago, detroit1 said:

That top one looks like a slim senko. My 4"ers are just about the same dia. as the 5". 

Agree. 

Do they still make the slim senko?

 

Allen 

When? All the time. Where? Rivers for Smallies and Ponds for Largemouths.

 

My favorite way to rig them is weightless on a 2/0 worm hook. Senko’s and Stik-O’s cast like a bullet. I also wacky rig using O rings and a owner wacky hook.

Because the fish took the other inch off 

I'd have a 4" Senko Green Pumpkin and Watermelon Red on hand as an insurance policy . I'd also T-Rig on a Gammakatsu 2/0 EWG and wacky rig on a VMC wacky jig head (1/16 oz. weight) to get the ends flapping a little better . 

I’ve never used one but just looking at the picture I would use that 4” for wacky around docks, same as I use the zoom finesse worm for. 
 

I don’t wacky the 5” or bigger. I like to t-rig those Weightless.