How To Fish A Senko: Everything You Need To Know!

The Senko is arguably the best bass fishing lure of all time! It comes in more than 100 colors, all sorts of sizes, and can be fished so many different ways it will make your head spin. The bait is so effective that an entire category of lures called "stick baits" have been designed to imitate it. Do you really need all those options to catch fish? Of course not! Here's what you need to know... 

If we could only have one Senko to get us through every day on every lake it would be a 5" Yamamoto Senko in Green Pumpkin Black Flake. That bait can be Texas Rigged or Wacky Rigged and will catch fish in virtually every lake in the country. From there, the Neko Rig has earned a special place in our arsenal, as have a few different colors for specific water color situations. 

Below you'll find links to the Senko, some of the better Senko alternatives, as well as the gear we use to rig and fish these stick baits. All the links go directly to Tackle Warehouse where you can see detailed photos and descriptions of each item. 

SENKO... 

-Yamamoto Senko: http://bit.ly/2axAmNS

Favorite Sizes: 5" and 6"

Best Colors...

-Green Pumpkin Black Flake

-Watermelon Copper Orange Red Flake

-Electric Shad

Clear Water Colors...

-Baby Bass

-Natural Shad

-Green Pump Purple Copper

Muddy Water Colors...

-Black Blue Flake with Blue Tip

-Junebug

-Black Blue

SENKO ALTERNATIVES... 

-Yum Dinger: http://bit.ly/2J8nMrF

Colors: Green Pumpkin, Bama Magic

-Big Bite Baits Trick Stick: https://bit.ly/3shcgNK

Colors: Green Pumpkin, Tilapia

Gambler Fat Ace: http://bit.ly/2aJq2AO

Colors: Green Pumpkin, Magic Craw

-Magnum Baits: http://bit.ly/2KBhPWU

Colors: Green Pumpkin, Kush

WEIGHTLESS RIGGING... 

Bait- Yamamoto Senko 5": http://bit.ly/2axAmNS

Hook- Gamakatsu Finesse Wide Gap 1/0: http://bit.ly/2aKGmHM

VMC CrossOver Pliers: https://bit.ly/3ipm9HN

VMC CrossOver Bands (7mm and 8mm): https://bit.ly/3w0NYdz

NEKO RIGGING... 

Bait- Yamamoto Senko 5": http://bit.ly/2axAmNS

Hook- Owner Weedless Finesse Neko 1/0: https://bit.ly/2zXirRH

Weight- Swagger Tungsten Pagoda: http://bit.ly/2iGNSFW

VMC CrossOver Pliers: https://bit.ly/3ipm9HN

VMC CrossOver Bands (7mm and 8mm): https://bit.ly/3w0NYdz

TEXAS RIGGING... 

Bait- Yamamoto Senko 6": http://bit.ly/2axAmNS

Hook- Gamakatsu Superline EWG: http://bit.ly/2ac92XG

Hook Size: 3/0 for 5", 4/0 for 6"

TIM'S 5" WACKY RIG SPINNING COMBO... 

Rod- G Loomis NRX+ 852S JWR: https://bit.ly/2dX9zjv

Reel- Shimano Exsence A 3000: https://bit.ly/2iMtscV

Line- Sunline SX1 12 lb Braid: http://bit.ly/2tn8EzQ

Leader- Sunline Super FC 8 lb: http://bit.ly/2p7fxju

TIM'S 6" SENKO TEXAS-RIG COMBO... 

Rod- Megabass Orochi XX Braillist: http://bit.ly/2OSVNwH

Reel- Daiwa Tatula Elite: http://bit.ly/2ONCBS1

Line- Sunline Super FC 20 lb: http://bit.ly/2p7fxju

BUDGET ALL-AROUND SENKO COMBO... 

Rod- Shimano Intenza 7'1" Medium Heavy: http://bit.ly/2QADLTq

Reel- Shimano SLX 150 (HG): http://bit.ly/2NfdOnk

Line- Suline Super FC 12 lb: http://bit.ly/2p7fxju

WANT TACTICALBASSIN GEAR??

We have a variety of apparel items and custom lure designs available! Everything from hats, to hoodies, to crankbaits! Its all available direct through Tackle Warehouse with fast shipping. See it here... 

TacticalBassin Apparel and Lure Designs: http://bit.ly/38YpPIz

Senko Fishing Tricks! Beginner And Advanced!

Shallow weeds, heavy cover, clear water, or deep suspended fish, the senko is one of the most universal baits ever made! Learning how to adapt the senko (stick bait) to changing conditions will increase your catch rate tremendously. Today Tim is going in depth, showing us how to adapt a senko in different scenarios from open water suspended bass to flipping heavy cover. 

When someone says they're catching fish on a "senko" we all have a general assumption about what that means. But with all the ways this bait can be adapted, you might be surprised by what they were actually doing. Was he skipping docks? Was he flipping? Was he bottom hopping off main lake points? If you know which sizes, colors, and rigging to use, the senko can be used for virtually anything. 

Tim uses the senko for 3 main applications. He loves to skip docks with weightless baits, fish outside structure with a Neko rig, and flip heavy cover with a texas rig. He uses very specific hooks and colors for each of these methods. Below you'll find links to all the gear he discussed in the video. We've broken it down by size of senko and rigging method. We've included colors, hooks sizes, as well as rod and reel combos for each method. All the links go directly to Tackle Warehouse where you can see detailed photos and descriptions of each item. 

Favorite Stick Baits... 

Best All Around- Yamamoto Senko: http://bit.ly/2axAmNS

Bang For The Buck- Yum Dinger: http://bit.ly/2J8nMrF

Durability- Z Man Zinkerz: http://bit.ly/2ZVJANs

Made For Wacky- Big Bite Wacky Stick: http://bit.ly/2rrNT6g

Great Colors- Gambler Fat Ace: http://bit.ly/2aJq2AO

Wacky Rigging... 

Bait- Yamamoto 5" Senko: http://bit.ly/2axAmNS

Open Water Colors: Baby Bass, Electric Shad, Natural Shad

Hook- Owner Sniper Finesse (Size 1): https://bit.ly/2zXirRH

O-Ring- Frenzy Wacky saddle: http://bit.ly/2xnYcJo

Neko Rigging... 

Bait- Yamamoto 5" Senko: http://bit.ly/2axAmNS

Neko Colors: watermln cop org red lam, Green Pumpkin Purp copp, Green Pumpkin Blk Flk

Hook- Owner Sniper Finesse (Size 1): https://bit.ly/2zXirRH

O-Ring- G7 Protect Tubes (7MM): http://bit.ly/2PWEkUs

O-Ring Tool- G7 Pliers: http://bit.ly/2PRMNrG

Weight- Tungsten Nail 1/32 oz: http://bit.ly/2iGNSFW

Texas-Rigging For Heavy Cover... 

Bait- Yamamoto Senko: http://bit.ly/2axAmNS

Colors: Black Blue, Green Pumpkin Blk Flk, Watermelon Red

5" Hook- Owner TwistLock Center Pin 2/0: http://bit.ly/2cYZ3rM

6" Hook- Owner Offset Shank Worm Hook 4/0: http://bit.ly/2D9Pmj0

7"Hook- Owner Jungle Wide Gap 5/0: http://bit.ly/2sBsR1Z

Last Year's Senko Video... 

Senko Fishing Tricks! - https://youtu.be/bTlj9cL53B8

Best Wacky Rigging/Neko Combo... 

Rod- G Loomis NRX+ 852S JWR: https://bit.ly/3y0Ss5m

Reel- Shimano Twin Power 2500 FD: https://bit.ly/3df3hX5

Line- Sunline 12 lb SX1 Braid: http://bit.ly/2tn8EzQ

Leader- Sunline Assassin 7 lb Fluorocarbon: http://bit.ly/2h4LNjm

Bang For The Buck Wacky rigging/Neko Combo... 

Rod- Shimano Expride 7' Medium: http://bit.ly/2osaj3q

Reel- Shimano Vanford 3000 (Available For Back Order): https://bit.ly/2PDlKlB

Line- Power Pro Braid 15 lb: http://bit.ly/2aFg46b

Leader- Maxima Ultragreen 8 lb: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9

6" Texas Rig Combo... 

Rod- Shimano Expride 7'6" Medium Heavy: http://bit.ly/2nTq9FL

Reel- Shimano Curado DC 150: http://bit.ly/2yHtsp4

Line- Sunline Fluorocarbon 20 lb: http://bit.ly/2h4LNjm

7" Heavy Cover Combo... 

Rod- Shimano Expride 7'7" Heavy: http://bit.ly/2nTq9FL

Reel- Shimano Curado DC 150: http://bit.ly/2yHtsp4

Line- Sunline Fluorocarbon 20 lb: http://bit.ly/2h4LNjm

Budget All-Around Senko Combo... 

Rod- St. Croix Bass X 7'2" Medium Heavy: http://bit.ly/2r0xWAs

Reel- Shimano SLX 70 MGL: https://bit.ly/3gIUCgJ

Line- Sunline Fluorocarbon 15 lb: http://bit.ly/2h4LNjm

Want TacticalBassin Gear?  

We have a variety of apparel items and custom lure designs available! Everything from hats, to hoodies, to crankbaits! Its all available direct through Tackle Warehouse with fast shipping. See it here... 

TacticalBassin Apparel and Lure Designs: http://bit.ly/38YpPIz

Senko Fishing Challenge!

Tim and Matt go head-to-head for 20 minutes! Both are armed with a 5" senko, each rigged differently. May the best rig win! 

The senko is a proven fish catcher that works all over the globe for a variety of species. There are so many different ways to rig it but two methods stand out from the crowd. The first is the wacky rig, in which a small hook is secured in the middle of the bait and allows for maximum action. The second is a larger hook Texas rigged, allowing for the bait to be fished in and around cover. 

The gear used in this video...

Rod- G Loomis NRX 893: http://bit.ly/2hedqsq
Reel- Metanium MGL 7:1 Ratio: http://bit.ly/2ezIBfB
Line- 50 lb Maxcuatro Braid: http://bit.ly/2clBRiQ
Leader- 12 lb Maxima Ultragreen: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9

Yamamoto 5" Senko (Fading Watermelon Purple): http://bit.ly/2axAmNS
Tim's Hook- Owner Wacky 1/0: http://bit.ly/2x0yBGU
Matt's Hook- Gamakatsu Superline 3/0: http://bit.ly/2ac92XG

There are so many great ways to rig the senko. If you ask a dozen fishermen what the best hook is, you'll get a dozen answers so here are a couple more of our favorites...

Gamakatsu Finesse Wide Gap: http://bit.ly/2aKGmHM
Owner Mosquito Hook: http://bit.ly/2fqYFCR

Great Senko Alternatives...
Gambler Fat Ace: http://bit.ly/2aJq2AO
Strike King Shim-E Stick: http://bit.ly/2vXqewr
Reaction Innovations Pocket Rocket: http://bit.ly/2aPmvUl
Jackall Flick Shake Worm: http://bit.ly/2bi3Gse

Great Senko Rods...
Mid-Range- Shimano Zodias 7'2" Medium Heavy: http://bit.ly/2cgmMAe
Budget Friendly- Dobyns Fury 7' Medium Heavy: http://bit.ly/2bGvlVV
________________________________________________________________

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Winter Worm Fishing: Shaky Heads Plus an All New Rig!

Shaky Heads are a great way to catch bass throughout the year but there is a new way to rig your soft plastics for Winter Bass Fishing! Check out this video for a dual approach to catching bass in cold water. 

The Free Swinging Wacky Rig is a new bass fishing technique that you probably haven't heard of. We combine either a Dirty Jigs or Freedom Tackle jighead where the head and the hook are loosely connected. Paired with a plastic worm you get incredible action that will catch the most pressured bass. 

When the bite is wide open stick to the shaky head but when the fishing gets tough or the water gets cold and you're wondering how to catch a bass, try this wacky rig method. 

The Gear Shown In This Video...

Tim's Favorite Rods...
G Loomis IMX 7'1" Medium: http://bit.ly/2htJp97
Dobyns 743 Spinning: http://bit.ly/29OVnDa

Matt's Favorite Rod...
G Loomis NRX 852 JWR: http://bit.ly/2hedqsq

Price Point Rod...
Shimano Zodias 7' Medium Light: http://bit.ly/2jOUXAO

Scott Canterbury Shaky Head: http://bit.ly/2aFOs0V
Finesse Stand Up Head: http://bit.ly/2bTnoLO
Owner Shaky Head: http://bit.ly/2iofJdg
Pivot Point Football: http://bit.ly/2jOY1Ns
Zodiac Wacky Head: http://bit.ly/2jAjcU9

View fullsize

Zoom  Trick Worm: http://bit.ly/2aWkG7E
Netbait T-Mac: http://bit.ly/2jndwj9
Roboworm 6" Fat Worm: http://bit.ly/2awYSxM
Yamamoto Cut Tail: http://bit.ly/2iXlzPu
Zoom Magnum Trick Worm: http://bit.ly/2iwZAyo
Hag's Tornado Bait: http://bit.ly/2jfBb2q

Favorite Scale: http://bit.ly/2f7QgQ9
Favorite Camera: http://bit.ly/2iwZqqU
Favorite Net: http://bit.ly/2dh9xQP