focus to a handful of the most popular uses for this multipurpose bait. Consider these tips from seasoned Senko slingers, rod maker Gary Dobyns and Bassmaster Elite Series pro Brent Ehrler.
WEIGHTLESS WACKY
Dobyns said he and his son Richard have tested wacky-rigged and Texas-rigged Senkos side-by-side and the former typically excels 10 to 1. Noting that the bait is made for movement, Dobyns points out that a wacky keeps both ends wiggling, as opposed to just one end of a Texas-rig.
“In my experience, the fish eat the wacky rig far better than straight Texas-rig,” he said. “In heavy cover, you really have to fish the Senko on a Texas- rig to prevent snagging, but anytime we can throw a weightless wacky rig, we get far more bites.”
When fishing shallow with heavier line, Dobyns prefers baitcasting gear – usually his 734C and he’ll step up to a 735 when fishing cover. Ten-pound fluorocarbon usually works fine, but in off-colored water, Dobyns goes to 40- or 50-pound Daiwa Samauri braid.
“A lot of guys use stiffer 7 ft models, but I like a little tip action and more length in a rod for this technique,” Dobyns said. “That’s why I use a 3-power, medium-heavy rod. It has a nice tip for pitching, but it also has good length for picking up line on the hook set.
When he’s letting the bait free fall in deep water, Dobyns likes spinning tackle, because the way the line feeds off a spinning reel tends to generate more bites. For this application, he’ll use a Dobyns DX 743 SF with a Daiwa Proton 2500 size reel and 8-pound fluorocarbon.
SHAKY HEAD
Favoring this rig in deep and/or clear western waters, Ehrler uses a Boss Shaky head with the Yamamoto Pro Senko. He’ll go with a 1/8-ounce for 0 to 15 feet and a ¼-ounce for 15 to 30. With any size, the Pro Senko offers the ideal design elements for this presentation.
“I like this bait because of its slender profile that’s somewhat similar to the Thin Senko; but the Pro has some key differences,” Ehrler said. “The bait has a blunt head that’s just right for attaching to the shaky head, while the skinny tail exhibits incredible action with the slightest movement.
“That tail motion is really key to the shaky head presentation, because of how I fish the bait. I like to make contact with hard bottom and when that jig head pings off something, that tail shakes and imitates something live.”
Ehrler fishes the shaky
head and Pro Senko
on a 7 ft, medium-
action Daiwa
Steez AGS
spinning rod – a
model with carbon
fiber guides
that decrease
resistance and
rod weight. His
reel is a
Daiwa
Steez
carrying
12 lb
Sunline
SX braid
Photo by Yamamoto Baits
FALL 2015
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