While soft plastics like Rage Tail Craws, Brush Hogs, and Flukes are popular, the Senko is legendary. When the bass aren’t biting and the pressure’s on, more anglers reach for a Senko than anything else.
The reason is simple: for finesse techniques, there’s probably no more effective soft plastic than a Senko. And while no one bait can do it all, the Senko comes as close as any.
While you can Texas or Carolina rig a Senko, there are much, much better options – and we’ll cover your best bets in all the detail you need to rig and fish them.
If you’re new to Senkos, or just want a refresher as spring approaches, we’re here to help.
Want to increase your Senko know-how?
Keep reading!
Table of Contents (clickable)
What is a Senko?
Weedless wacky rigging allows you to really work a Senko through the top of vegetation.
The brainchild of Gary Yamamoto, the Senko is deceptively simple.
The body is nothing more than a relatively thick, ridged stick bait that resembles an especially fat earthworm.
But those subtle ridges trap tiny air bubbles, and in combination with a salt-heavy body, they create everything from an erratic dating motion to gentle flutters, depending on how the Senko is rigged and fished.
And unlike many – if not most – stick baits, the Senko is just as effective when run weightlessly as it is on a Neko, Shaky, or Drop Shot rig, just to name a few examples.
It casts well, too, and it’s just the right weight to work well with the medium to medium light spinning tackle that’s preferred for finesse techniques.
Pretty much the only thing anglers don’t like about Sens are their fragility. They’re not tough, and they can’t take a beating. A few hard hits will tear one up, and they can be ripped off a hook in a mean fight.
Rigging and Fishing a Senko
While you can rig a Senko like any other soft bait, using anything from a Texas rig to a simple jig head, this stick bait really shines when applied to finesse techniques.
Let’s cover the most productive.
Drop Shot Rig
Finesse techniques share a common theme: they leave your Senko as free as possible to strut its stuff. And if you’re looking for a rig that allows you to keep your stick bait up and off the bottom, there’s nothing better than the Drop Shot.
It’s easy to assemble, but if you need a refresher, check out this video:
Shaky Rig
A shaky rigged Senko relies on an asymmetrical jig head, often with a screw lock to keep your stick bait firmly on the jig after a strike. Senkos aren’t cheap, and losing one to every fish gets old fast.
A shaky head forces your Senko into that desirable head-down, tail-up orientation, and like all finesse techniques, it frees your stick bait to really do its thing. Glued to the bottom by your shaky head, your Senko will wriggle an irresistible “come and get me.”
Especially when bass are spooked, pressured, or heat stressed, that subtle shimmy is the way to go. It won’t run bass off, and that “natural” presentation generates strikes when nothing else will.
But the shaky rig isn’t an all-arounder: it’s a specialty option for relatively open water where the bottom is hard and vegetation is sparse.
This is definitely a technique that’s at its best with spinning tackle. I prefer a 6 ½- to 7-foot rod in medium light to medium power, and the St. Croix Premier is just perfect. Fast actions are ideal as they’ve got the sensitivity at the tip you want to really feel the bottom and detect a soft strike.
And reels like the Shimano Ultegra or Pflueger President are all you need.
I usually run 20-pound braid tied to a 6- to 8-pound fluorocarbon or mono leader. On my finesse rod and reel combo, you’ll find Sufix 832 tied to a Seaguar InvizX leader.
That combo is going to provide the best feel for finesse fishing while still allowing great abrasion resistance if a bass decides to tie me up around a stump or downed tree. And that InvizX is going to be very, very hard to see for any spooky bass.
Like the wacky rig, some anglers like to run hi-vis line with their shaky heads so they can maintain the proper slack for the shake, and if that sounds like a good idea to you, go right ahead!
Owner’s Ultrahead is a great shaky head jig that’s available in 1/16-, 3/16-, ⅛-, and ¼-ounce weights.
Another one of my go-to shaky heads is Reaction Tackle’s Tungsten.
It’s available in plenty of color choices and in 3/16-, ⅜-, 1/8 -, ¼-, and 1/2-ounce weights. Keep in mind that you want to keep your shaky heads as light as you can, so start small and move up only if you need a faster fall or to fight a current.
But don’t forget the “old style” shaky head.
If you’re fishing deeper water and want a slow, spiraling descent, the VMC Shaky Head Jig can’t be beat. Offered in ⅛-, 3/16-, and ¼-ounce weights, those heavier sizes reflect its ideal use.
Rigging and working a shaky head is easy.
With a screw-down shaky head, just feed the head of your soft plastic onto the screw, then pass the point in through the body and feed it just out over the skin.
You will get a more secure soft bait this way, and you’ll lose a lot fewer worms during the fight.
With the traditional style shaky head, you run your worm onto the hook about ½ an inch, pull the head up flush, and find the place where the point should pass through the body.
It’s easy to work. Cast and let your Senko fall. You’re looking for a bow in your line – semi-slack.
Holding your rod at about 10 o’clock, drag your rig across the bottom, keeping slack in your line.
Popular Senkos
A wide range of Senkos and Senko clones are available. Here are some of our favorites.
Gary Yamamoto 5″ Senko
The original and still unmatched Senko is Gary Yamamoto’s own. And while 3-, 4-, 6-, 7-, and 8-inch lengths are also available, the most popular size is undisputedly the 5-inch.
That length seems to be the sweet spot, and whether you’re fishing for numbers or looking for a lunker, the 5-inch just gets bit more often than the others.
Don’t take our word for it: ask a friend.
Offered in a wide range of deadly colors, the only draw-back to Yamamoto’s Senko is that it’s a bit more expensive than its competitors. Nevertheless, I don’t know a single bass angler who doesn’t have (at least) several packs of these.
They cast well, sink fast, and work like nothing else.
Gary Yamamoto Pro Senko
For head-down presentations like the Neko rig, you really want a long, wriggling tail. It certainly doesn’t hurt on a Drop Shot or standard jig head either, and the 5-inch Pro Senko is a dinner-bell ringing super stick bait.
Weightless, it’s killer, too, and that long tail just does something special.
This would also be my pick for a Senko to rig Texas or Carolina style, competing neck and neck with ribbon-tail designs.
Available in four colors, it’s a great option if head-down presentations are your go-to technique.
YUM Dinger
The YUM Dinger is a Senko in all but name, offering excellent performance at a slightly lower price point than the original by Gary Yamamoto.
Available in a rainbow of colors, lengths include 3, 4, 5, and 6 inches.
Bass anglers have strong opinions, but most agree that the Yamamoto Senko is a tad softer, just a touch heavier, and sinks faster. Many agree as well that the original sports a slightly better action.
That said, the YUM Dinger has earned a reputation on small ponds and tournament lakes across the country.
Chompers Salty Sinker Worms 5”
Chompers takes the salty stick bait and adds garlic to the mix, creating a very effective Senko clone. Available in 11 colors and just one length – 5 inches – these stick baits have proven themselves again and again.
On a slow-moving river where the scent can disperse, these are lethal on smallmouth.
Go ahead – ask me how I know!
If scent and taste are important to you, and you want a split second more time to set your hook, Chompers might be the way to go.
Bass Pro Shops 4-1/4” Stik-O Worm
Bass Pro Shops offers its own version of the Senko, and it has proven remarkably popular with anglers everywhere. Chalk that up to attention to details like a conical, wriggling tail available in contrasting colors, as well as color choices that are impressively broad.
Available in two lengths, a 4 ½ inch and a 6 inch, you won’t be disappointed by the Stik-O Worm.
Since many finesse presentations rely on sight, that contrasting tail can really up-the-ante on attention, and these fat Senko-clones are popular for a reason.
Strike King KVD Perfect Plastics Ocho
Strike King’s line of KVD lures and baits are top-notch, and their Perfect Plastics Ocho is a great stick bait.
Rather than the typical round shape, the Ocho has eight sides, creating long ridges from head to tail. That, in conjunction with a nice air-trapping texture and plenty of heft and motion, make this a hard stick bait to beat.
Offered in 4-, 5-, and 6-inch lengths, the Ocho is available in 19 colors.
Final Thoughts
The Senko has earned its reputation as a bass magnet. And whether you’re just starting out or you’re a seasoned veteran, this is one bait that you ignore to your detriment.
Rigged for pretty much any finesse technique, the simple Senko will deliver bites when nothing else is getting any attention. For me, that makes it a go-to on crowded, pressured lakes and ponds, and when you’re fighting for every bite, you’ll come to love these little devils.
As always, we hope you learned something from this article, and of course, we’re here to field any questions you might have.
Please leave a comment below.
Source: usangler.com