Wierd Tournament

[David Jordan]

I finnaly had my new motor broken in enough to take it tour our club tournament last sunday. Weather, 95 clear and hot, location NH.

Well I stated trying top water no luck,

Jigs, ringworms, C-rig, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, spider grub, shallow deep ect no bites for 3 hours and I know the bass are in these spots. Nothing!



I finally switched to a 5 inch senko and got bite but could not hook up. I decided to change colors and switch to a 4" bluegill senko texas rigged no wieght.

Bang, 4 cast 3 fish from the smae spot. No change in technique just a bait change. Now I'm not a deicated senko guy and I'm skeptical of these things having magic powers. Sure I've caught fish on them before but not in such a convincing manor. I had 4 spots that hold good bass. They were all bunched up on each spot in a 10' area on each of those locations. By the end of the tournement I had 15 keepers. I lost a 3 & 6 pounder in the trees. I finished in second place w/ 11-6 for 5 fish. I mised 1st and lunker by 3 oz. my biggest was 4-2. I tried other baits during the day but only this senko worked. I ran out of senko's w/ 1 hour left. Oh well guess I need more. I lost the 6 pounder early and still came back to catch a 3 and 4 # bass.



Aside note: I swear that concentration level is key to doing well. I feel you control your destiny to some extent.

Some times you fish hard but don't do well. Those times that you concentrate and tune in to what your doing wins more tournaments than fishing hard. It's very hard to do. You find your self switching loctions or going to places that for no reason except it feels right. When your tuned in, just left your mind direct you. This is tiring but that seems to work. You know when your going to catch a fish before you cast. I don't know how else to explain this except read about Rick clunn's approch.



BTW the moor worked great.

 

[fatrap]

Not trying to sound too stupid, what is a Senko and where can I find a picture of one? I've been a little out of the fishing scene but am trying to get it back. The last new hot bait I bought was a Chomper.



fatrap

 

[Staci Matheis]

FatRap -



Try BPS's "Stick-O".

Watermelon with red flake.



me!

 

[Staci Matheis]

It's "the same thing" as the Senko. I use them almost exclusively T-rigged without a weight and will either pitch 'em and let 'em drop or fish them like a soft plastic jerk bait.

 

[Staci Matheis]

http://www.basspro-shops.com/servlet/catalog.TextId?hvarTextId=36703&hvarTarget=search

 

[Staci Matheis]

Or, for those Italians on the board.....
http://www.basspro-shops.com/servlet/catalog.TextId?hvarTextId=37096&hvarTarget=search

 

[David Jordan]

BTY that was Motor worked great. I'm not saying that a senko is magic but for that day with High preasure, heat, and sun It was the ticket. The slow fall and motion of the bait triggered the strikes. You need patience fish this bait as it falls abot 1 foot per 5 seconds. Cast and take a nap. I was fish 5 to 12' deep so it takes a while. But 1 fish every 15 mintes is better than 0 in 3 hours

 

[fatrap]

Thanks guy see if I can find some for this weekend.



fatrap

 

[James D.]

do those stick-o's stay on the hook better than the senko's and are they as good? everytime i catch a largemouth the fish seems to throw the bait off the hook at the last instant when i'm gettin him up to the boat. that is ok on a big fish but it is frustrating on a little one. i've been using lemon color (it's like glow in the dark chartruese) the last couple of times out with good results. i'm going to try them without the weight and see what happens.



also, another company makes them also and i think they are called "wave" tiki man or something. i'm told these are by the guy that owned the patent and sold to yamamota - don't know if any truth but that is what i've been told.

 

[Staci Matheis]

James -



I don't think that I've yet lost a Stik-O after only one catch..... My guess would be that they last as long as or nearly as long as any other soft plastic I've used..... But that's only a guess. I guess that the fish I catch just aren't big enough to destroy the baits I use that quickly.



But then, as we all know, "size doesn't matter"!

 

[Kevin Thach]

What type/size hook do you guys normally use on your T-rigged Senkos/imitations? I just bought some of the 4-inch size tonight and I'm hoping to try them out this weekend.

 

[Staci Matheis]

Without going out to the lockers in the boat - I think I use a 3/0 wide gap.

 

[Texas Transplant]

Anyone use a senko wacky rigged?



I'm going to try them on Sat. using a split ring slid over the senko to the sweet spot. Then hook through the ring, but not into the senko. Supposed to work just fine and helps keep life (usage) in the senko's.



Tex

 

[James D.]

i use the owner 4/0 j-hook. in the lake there are a bunch of 4lb+ largemounth so i use probably larger hooks than maybe most, i'm not sure though. i rig them tx rigged and flip into the timber.



scott - the size of fish don't seem to matter as far as loosing the senko. i caught one that was only and inch or two longer than the senko and he was able to throw it off the hook. i guess they just seem to tear a lot easier than like a zoom brush hog or some of the other plastics. i can see going thru a couple of bags of them in a days fishin when the fish really turn on. senko's are a really good bait and i thank this board for making me aware of them.