The Senko: Weighted and Weightless
- Neil Ferris
- Oct 3, 2019
- 6 min read
When you hear the word senko, what comes to mind? The senko is probably one of the most popular baits on the market today. Almost every fisherman I have met has thrown a senko, or uses one consistently. My dad when not throwing a Texas Rig is normally found throwing a senko. The thing I have learned in the last few years is that the senko or stick bait is not limited to a weightless Texas Rig set up. As I have experimented with different ways to throw a senko, I have found a couple things that seem to work really well.
The first time I saw or heard of a senko was when my dad came home several years ago with several packs of Gary Yamamoto's Senko. This was 8-10 years ago, and I had never heard of this bait or brand. My dad let me have a pack and I packed it away in my tackle box. Over the next year or two, I slowly started to fish a senko more and more. At that time, I thought the only way you could fish a senko was to throw a weightless texas rig. I had gotten used to letting it slowly fall and fish it a lot slower than a normal Texas Rig. I was amazed that I could catch way more fish on a senko than a weighted worm on certain days. At the time, I didn't understand how bass reacted to certain actions and how the free action that a weightless worm brings can cause a reaction strike. Then one day I was watching the Bass Elite series on TV. My dad was doing something else and I was watching by myself. I remember it just like it was yesterday. I don't remember the tournament or the lake, but I remember this one thing because it helped change the way I fish. Terry Scroggins was fishing in this tournament, and I do remember that he was doing really well. I remember them talking about him fishing offshore brush piles. As I was watching, he hooked into a really nice fish. It ended up being a keeper that helped him and he put it in the livewell. As he rigged up the worm he was fishing for another cast I suddenly realized that he was using a senko with a weight. I remember being a little confused. I thought the only way you could fish that bait was weightless. Now remember, at this time I was only like 13 years old and didn't understand a lot of the knowledge I have gained over the years. I tucked away this piece of knowledge and didn't think much more about it. A month or two later my dad and I were fishing on Sangchris Lake in central Illinois. It had been a long day for me with almost no fish bites. I had been fishing a senko most of the day and remembered what I saw on TV. Even though I didn't know why Terry Scroggins did it, I added a weight to my line and put on a 5 inch Watermelon Red YUM Dinger. I threw it out and on my first cast caught a nice bass. The rest of that day was a total opposite of the start. I ended up catching 5 or 6 fish in just a couple hours. Since then I wasn't afraid to throw a weighted Senko, even though I still didn't quite understand why.
Over the next couple years I started to be obsessed with fishing. I started to research, read articles, watch videos, desperate to learn as much as I could. During this time, I started using a wacky rigged senko and continued to use a weightless and weighted Texas Rig. During this time I started to understand why the senko was effective and also how it worked each way I rigged it. One of the reasons the senko is so effective is because it has been designed to look very lifelike in the presentation. It has a very natural look and action when it falls in the water. This is why it is so effective when it is weightless. It is one of the best baits when it comes to mimicking a worm. The wacky rig is so effective because of the fluttering action and movement it gives. Alton Jones is one of the pros that has made this popular. One of the ways that he will trigger a strike if the bass are stingy is by reeling it in a few cranks fast and killing it. He gets many reaction strikes that way. Then, the weighted Texas Rig. The reason a weighted Texas Rig works is because it shows itself to fish that would not normally get to see it. The one disadvantage with weightless Senko styles is that it can't penetrate heavy cover. If the bass are sitting deep in the grass, some of those bass will never see a wacky rig or weightless texas rig because the senko sits on top of that grass. But, the weighted senko can get down in that grass to where those fish can see it.
Right now we are slowly transitioning to fall fishing. This time of year for me is the time when I always have a weighted senko and a weightless set up ready. Normally I throw a Fluke on my weightless rig, but will also throw a senko on it as well. I also always have a wacky rig or ned rig ready to go as well. With the ned rigs rising popularity I have seen lots of fisherman putting senkos on a ned rig. Another great way to make irresistible action. But, back to fall fishing. This is the time of year where I throw lots of senkos in multiple styles. I'll throw the weightless senko in the lighter cover and then pick up a weighted senko when I get to heavier grass or brush. I catch a lot of fall bass doing this. Another small tip I have picked up over the years is that you can throw a little bigger senko when you have it weighted. I use a 5 inch for all my weightless set ups and a 6 inch on the weighted rig. I still use a 5 inch, but to give a little different presentation I will often use a 6 inch.
There are lots of senko style baits out there on the market today. The three I recommend are the Gary Yamamoto Yamasenko, the YUM Dinger, and Googan Baits Lunker Log. I got started with the Yamasenko because it was my dad's senko of choice. I like the Yamasenko and have caught a lot of fish over the years on it. One day I was out of Watermelon Red Senkos and went to the tackle store. They were out of Yamasenko's in Watermelon Red, so I started looking for something else I could use that day. That's when I saw the YUM Dinger in Watermelon Red. I have also caught tons of fish on the YUM Dinger, and I used them for many years because they are just as good as a Yamasenko in my opinion and they are a little cheaper as well. Then, earlier this year I joined Team Googan. Over the summer Googan released their version of the senko, the Lunker Log.
I stocked up on Lunker Logs as soon as I could and have been using them over the last month or so and I absolutely love them! I love the color options, I love the action, and I love the fish they catch. I would definitely recommend that you get the Lunker Log to try it, I know you won't regret it.
I will link the Lunker Log below so you guys can go check it out. I'm sure every fisherman here has fished with a Senko, and that most of this info isn't common knowledge. But, I hope this article helps someone new to fishing or a young fisherman learn some things that took me several years to figure out. Check out our other posts and join our newsletter so you can know updates before anyone else. Share the post and help us inform fisherman around the world!
Googan Baits Lunker Log:
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