BASS TIPS
c S a U tc S hin P g ENDED
BASS
By Tami Curtis
T
he Senko has been a highly productive bait
for many throughout the years. As a co-
angler I have learned to use the weightless
Senko to help contribute many decent size bass to the livewell. I fish them frequently enough
that I keep two Plano stowaways for each of my
favorite sizes of Senkos. One is labeled shad colors
and the other has all the greens, browns, and a few
other colors mixed in. Here’s the ins and outs on the
ways I fish this setup and specifically on how I fish
for suspended bass with the weightless Senko:
This is a really versatile bait for me. I like to use a
4”-5” in my favorite colors and rig them wacky. The
size fish on this rig seem to be more directly related
to colors and Senko size. I target suspended bass
anywhere from 1’-20’ deep and sometimes up to 30’.
The bass could be suspended over a depth of up to 100’.
Fishing over deep water 40’ and deeper, the ideal
situation is choppy water or with a slight breeze, and
suspended marks on the graph, and structure close
by such as a walls, humps, brush, fish structures,
and trees. This doesn’t mean that a calm day won’t
produce results. There are times that I will catch
suspended bass as much as 50’ from the structure.
I look for marks on the graph within the top of the
water column. To give you an idea, if it’s 40’ deep I usually look for fish suspended in 1-15’ of the surface. When the boat is sitting in 100 plus feet, I’ll look deep, such as 1-20’ deep. This is not exact, but is what seems to work generally. Also, when sitting in deep water, I will only fish it wacky rigged.
Fishing in the wind and for suspended bass is tricky, but once you get a feel for it, it’s a breeze and a RUSH! This is a technique that is either hot or it’s not, usually within 5 fanned casts you will know if it’s working. The other thing I like about the wacky rigged
18