Posted by Mark from NY on 2002 AM:
Question about senkos & other plastics
What do you do if the
fish are just picking up the lure and not running with it? You feel weight but
take that moment to decide if it was weeds, and by the time your brain says set
the damn hook, it is too late. I know I missed alot of fish with Senkos while
on vacation last week. Is there anything that I could do to detect the light strikes.
I was using a med/hvy 6'8" Rod and 15lb mean green. I tried scent but it
didn't seem to make the more aggressive. 
Posted by Paulie D on 2002 PM:
Mark, need more details!
Where were you fishing? Water temps?
Size of your Senko? What style hook? Seems like your using pretty stiff outfit,
where you down south? I would be glad to help. Up here in Ct i dont fish a
weightless Senko until 55-58 degrees.
ciao
paulie
Posted by Paulie D on 2002 PM:
Btw scent on a senko is
not required! And lighter line may help you detect more strikes.
ciao
paulie
Posted by joe pido on 2002 PM:
Hi, Mark! I saw your pic.
Awesome fish. Must've put up a good fight, huh?
Watching the line is a MUST especially fishing soft plastics. We all can catch
fish when we feel that all familiar tap-tap at the end of the line. But when
the fish are inactive and all you feel is that "mushy" thing, by the
time you gather yourself for a hookset, fish is gone.
Watching the bow (slack) and the point where your line hits the water for evry
tick and movement is crucial before even trying to feel the fish if he's there.
Its a concentration thing. And is learned only when done over and over.
Most of the fish that I caught on a senko I either saw the line tick or move
from one side to the other.
Also, I know its Florida, but if you have to rely on your
touch to catch bass, maybe down sizing in line will help you feel more. Say,
from 15 to 12 lb...
hope this helps,
Joe
Posted by Sea Jack on 2002 PM:
The one piece of advice
that I got when I first started fishing soft plastic, and it really applies for
all types of lures, is to set the hook if something feels different or out of
the ordinary.
The adage goes something like this: "I'd rather look like a fool and set
the hook when there's no fish there then to be a fool and miss a fish by not
setting the hook." Nothing personal. lol.
__________________
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"It's not the fishin' that brings in the Sacajaweas!" - L. T. Smash
To email me: Bassin303@aol.com
Another
WNY Bass Site
Posted by New Wave 83 on 2002 PM:
I don't think its always
weight that you feal, Somtimes when a fish picks up a lure its more of a
weightless fealing. When a fish picks up the lure it can just have it sitting
there in there mouth and not run. Not to say that you never feal weight, well thats
just my take at it.
-New Wave
Posted by JOHN G on 2002 PM:
Mark, Im sure you know your way around fishing, judging from your pictures, however, I will make a strong suggestion: to pick up those kind of bites, and I had a million of them last year, not only with senko but with the snoozer's tube...you have to downscale your equipment. the Setup you described would be more perfect for soft jerkbaits or worming in the weeds, but to pick up those the " bait isnt moving but he mouthed it' type of bites, you really need a sensitve high graphite spinning setup.....our member on the board here that we jokingly refer to as the Senko Baron, Jeff, was using a 6 foot medium loomis and a stella reel,I believe a 2000....he was spooling with 10 pound test but 2 pound diameter power pro.......most of my applications with what you are talking about were done with similar type thing, high modulus spinning rods, in my case a Stradic spinning reel and I used a lot of Coploymer...Gamakatsu 10 pound, and Pline xxx in either 6 or 8.........that will REALLY help a long way in picking up that fine thing, and once you get it, you will be amazed at how quickly you will pick up that subtle bite thing....... JOHN G
Posted by Mark from NY on 2002 PM:
Thanks for the help
I do have a few medium
action spinning rods but always had them set up with topwater lures. This year
I will try down sizing to one of them and see if it helps. I worked real hard
last year trying to make the Senkos work. I guess I was over doing it. Thanks
for all the replies.
Mark
Posted by earthworm77 on 2002 AM:
If you were fishing those senkos on a Texas rig....set a little quicker. I can't see a fish rejecting the bait unless is felt resistance from you and simply dropped it. If you were wacky rigging them, perhaps you pulled the worm away when you, attempted to set the hook. Slow steady pressure is all the is needed
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Posted by hvbassmaster on 2002 PM:
Light line is a key. I
fish it with the same weight test as I would a tube. 8-10 lb. test on a one-peice
spinning rod with great sensitivity. This will help you boat more bass.
A good fisherman showed me a trick on picking out rods. Take a buddy to shop
for them with you. Take the tip of the rod and place it on your buddies neck
and check his heart beat as you are holding the reel end. If you feel his pulse
that is the rod you want to fish a senko with.
pimp 
Posted by dodgeguy on 2002 PM:
if your line is slack you
have to watch it or you won't know you have a strike.any little twich means set
the hook!!!no stretch or low stretch line helps.i use berkley sensation.power
pro is loved by baron von senko.a balance weight on the end of the rod helps a lot.a
super sensative rod helps.i use a pro qualifier from bass pro shops.one day on maho
last year john g. was amazed at some of the bites i felt,especially the 3 inch
sunny i caught in 40 feet of water that tapped my jigging spoon.
__________________
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Posted by JOHN G on 2002 AM:
HV, you got me going with that one! LOL....I will HAVE to try it with someone! JOHN G
Posted by Mark from NY on 2002 AM:
I have a Fenwick HMG
6'8" med that I used to use for split shotting Helgie's below the dam on
the river. It should give me alot of sensation. I think I will put some power
pro on it to do away with the stretch for hook sets.
I guess it boils down to a simple rule I was forgeting : Let the fish dictate
what you use. I'm sure if they are hitting it like a hammer and running with
it, a medium hvy rod would work.
Thanks for all the help.
Mark
Posted by Paulie D on 2002 AM:
Mark, here is how I fish Senko's
. I use a 6.2 Med action fast taper spinning rod with a Stradic 2000 and 8lb
test line MONO!!!. I prefer for the most part spinning tackle because i can put
the senko in places I cant with baitcast gear. I wacky rig the Senko with a Gammakatsu
#1 Octopus hook stock # 02410. This is by far the best and stongest hook for
wacky riggn that i have used and we have experimented with many over the years.
The hook is not a circle hook, but rather a standard octopus hook. I usually
wait for the water temps and the fish activity to dictae when to start fishing
them. If you were to fish a Senko now here in the NE in this manner i would
expect very little success and short strikes like you indicated. About 55-58
deg is a good starting point although not in concrete. I usually begin with a
4" and then move up to the 5" as the seasonal activity and movement
dictates. I stay with the basic wacky rig throughout most the year until fall
when I will usea jig head and also split shot the bait. If you have any more
questions just post them up there are alot of really good anglers on board to
help ya.
ciao
paulie
Posted by Rob J in WNY on 2002 AM:
Line
watching...
Mark,
If it's at all possible, also watch your line. With weightless senkos, you
typically don't impart a whole lot of action to them, if any at all. I have, on
many occasions, just seen my line begin to move off or just subtly 'twitch'
without feeling so much as anything, and have consequently brought bass to the
boat after a 'foolish' (as JR would say) hookset. 
Somtimes the magic is right before your eyes. 
Tight Lines...
__________________
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in WNY - A Personal View
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- RobJinWNY@hotmail.com
Posted by earthworm77 on 2002 AM:
I'll second Paulie's choice of an octopus hook.
__________________
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Posted by Jameson on 2002 AM:
Gammy line is VERY
sensitive. I caught 3 bass 12-14" and two picks (lots o bites) last week
on that warm day. THis is all in an hour and a half and I never saw the line
tick once. The line coupled with a good fast action graphite and a smooth reel
makes for a deadly combo. I would think most of the guys here are doing the
same thing, but you don't need a $600 dollar shimano/VS , $300 loomis combo to
do it like some will tell you.
JC
Posted by dennis on 2002 PM:
octopus hooks
Yes, yes. I really think
that the octopus hook helps is the key to this problem.
If your picking up the weightless rig to move it or jig it, and a fish does
have it, the feeling is just like a weed. Just keep a little pressure on it,
and if it is a bass, he should start to move off and he can't really shake that
type of hook. This should give you the time to realize whats what and set the
hook. I've had good luck myself fishing this rig in the weeds and let the hook
do the work for me.
Dennis
Posted by Charlie on 2002 PM:
Hi Mark!
I have to go with John and Craig on this one. You certainly need to be more
"in touch" with your terminal tackle and a lighter approach would
probably work well for you until you understand the bite your getting.
One thing I like to do with a new lure is to hold the lure in my hand and close
my eyes, hopping the bait up and down in my hand to "feel" the
weight. When I am satisfied that I know exactly what I have on the end of my
line I make my cast and "feel" the 1/4 ounce or 1/2 ounce as I
retrieve it. When something does not feel right, I set the hook....
As someone else said, I would rather occasionally hook a piece of wood or
weeds, than miss the fish of a lifetime!
Tight Lines!
Charlie
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State Guide # 2803
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Posted by phil colarusso on 2002 AM:
reply to senko question
Thats one of the biggest
problems everyone has is it is"nt it . the problem if it was a fish he he
already got rid of it but 90% of the time you should now by the tap or swimming
away. try slowley tighten up and feel for something alive if so set the hook.. sent
is not a big factor I spent close to 600.00on this type of lure and never used
sent once. another problem what size are you using if you fish the river
5"is to big, forage in the river is small. so i stay with 4"
'
__________________
Phil colarusso
Posted by Drew on 2002 PM:
different spin
I think you've gotten
some good advice if the problem you are having is just a matter of strike
detection. Maybe its not just that. Maybe you have come across fish that will bite
but aren't aggressive. Maybe they are just mouthing an end of the bait and
staying put, instead of engulfing it and swimming off.
Maybe you should downsize and adjust your rigging. What size senko are you
using and how are you rigging it? If, for example, you were wacky rigging a
5" senko with a circle or split shot hook, you will miss a lot of strikes
in this situation. You may need to downsize your bait to a smaller or slimmer senko.
I'd opt for a texas rigged offset worm hook rigged with the hook eye buried
enough to place the hook near the middle of the bait or wacky rig with a
straight shank hook. You want the fish to have the whole bait and the hook in
its mouth, and you want to be able to reel down the slack quickly and get a
good hookset. I think a circle hook is a bad choice here because with that
style of hook your best hook ups occur when the fish is swimming with the bait
at an angle to you and you can apply pressure. If you set the hook hard with a
circle, you'll often pull the bait away from the fish.
Also, consider the possibility that a senko just isn't the best choice here,
and try something a little different (e.g. a tube). Sometimes a different
profile or fall rate or action on the drop will make all the difference in the
world.
If it is strike detection, have your eyes glued to the point where the line
meets the water (good polarized glasses help), and keep a finger on the line
and the rod blank at all times. Tight lines.
__________________
Drew
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