New to Senkos

[sakman]

Need the help of the FMer's. I am going to try Senkos for the first time on Saturday when we float from Monticippi to Ellison Park. I've always used twister tail Power Baits and shallow running cranks for smallies there, but all of this Senko talk has me intrigued enough to give it a go. How does everyone rig? Texposed, wacky, jig or a combination? Also, I'm guessing the usual colors like chart, watermelon, etc work.

Thanks!

[BigMike]

Sakman - you should come out to the FM gathering we are having on Saturday in Monticello. If you are going to float the Montissippi to Ellison stretch already you could join us and meet some other awesome FM'ers! For more info look on the Monti Gathering thread. Basically we are meeting at 7am at Ellison and meeting back at 2:30pm to see who caught the biggest fish. If interested, just post and I'll get back to you. We could show you in person how to rig senkos too.

As for Senkos, they are great. For illustrative pictures on rigging, you should head to www.tjtackle.com. Click on rigging tips and then magic stiks. They have pictures right there to show you how and what each rigging style is called. The best for the river (in my opinion) is wacky style - basically, bend the senko in half and run a hook through the middle. In the river you don't have to worry about the exposed hook tip as much as you do in a lake or water with lots of structure.

Good luck - hopefully we'll see you out there on Saturday.

[sakman]

Thanks for the info, I've checked out a few websites for rigging info. It's good to know that the wacky style is preferred by at least one person. I will try to get to the get-together. I'll be fishing with my son, my buddy and his son. We will be in a 16' Lund with the outboard pulled up.

The only stretch I'm concerned about is that gravel bar under the Hwy 25 bridge. Does anyone know how shallow that is right now and will we be better off getting out and walking the boat through there?

[Mark Christianson]

Wacky is the ONLY way.

I have been doing wacky in lakes for largemouth too. Snags up periodically, but the action on the bait is far superior when wacky hooked.

[HawgTide]

Just North of the bridge the channel is on the West Side of the river and then it moves to the East side just before the bridge. Channel is a relative term when you're speaking inches instead of feet. You can find some deeper holes out there, but it changes quickly.

As for Wacky rigging, I found some red split rings at Gander. They look more natural than the silver ones. Just hook it through the split ring instead of the worm and you save lots of worms/money. That way you don't have to order the bags of 300 like some people on here do...

[This message has been edited by HawgTide (edited 08-24-2004).]

[Mark Christianson]

Hey, I ordered 100 rubber O-rings as well HT.

I mean, who are you referring to?

[sakman]

OK, time for more help. Split rings? What are they, how are they used and how do they save money? I agree, the price of Senkos made me gasp a little. Here I thought Power Baits were spendy.

One other thing. Although I live in ER, I never fish in ER, always opting for the Monti and Otsego area. Now that it's football season, my son has practice and, since I'm already out of the house, thought I might kill the two hours he's practicing by fishing. Is the power plant discharge area productive? I'm also thinking the area where the Elk and 'Sippi meet may be good.

[Mark Christianson]

Dont waste your money on the name brand Senkos. Total rip off.

I get mine from Christophersons in Alexandria. They are 15 bucks for 100. I ordered 3 bags, and shipping was under 4 bucks.
Believe it or not, the imitations even last longer.

Oops. How about those Vikings?

[HawgTide]

Sakman, If you put a split ring or an O ring over the worm (usually a size 5), the force of the hook will be exerted on the ring instead of the worm so it won't split the worm in two. Without the rings, it's usually 1 fish per worm, with the rings, sometimes 3 or 4 fish per worm.

BLB, I hope you got the right size!

[This message has been edited by HawgTide (edited 08-24-2004).]

[Mark Christianson]

I got the ones for 5 inch Senkos. They better be the right ones, because I have 5 inch Senkos.

Nothing a little duct tape cant fix up. :B

[BigMike]

wow - you guys have too much time on your hands...LOL - you wonder how BLB got to over 1000 posts! just teasing.

The rings really help save some $$ and your senkos/imitations. They are metal or rubber rings you slide onto your senko and then hook your hook through the ring and it will give you a handful of fish versus a couple. The ones BigLakeba$$ are referring to are really good, I found them last year when I was up in Alexandria last summer. REAL cheap and just as good. Senkos, and even yum dingers, get to be real spendy - but if you've got the cash they work real well! I almost always have one tied on when I hit the river! I prefer the 4inchers on the river, but the 5inchers seem to help weed out some of the smaller fish - note: SOME! There are always little buggers biting off my precious senkos!

I just started fishing the Elk River section a few weeks ago and have been fairly impressed with bass fishing down there. The only word of caution is be aware that if you launch your boat at the Elk River Park Launch, there have been numerous reports of car breakins. You may want to launch and then park your truck/trailor farther down by the park entrance where it's a little more visible.

[sakman]

I have a buddy who's an ER cop and that whole rest area is a problem area with car break ins and all kinds of other untoward activity. I won't use my boat there, I'm wet wading.

Where can I get my hands on order info for the imitation Senkos and where, oh where can a frugal guy like me get those rings? Also, I'm guessing the worm breaks in half or tears? Has anyone tried super gluing the worm on the break?

[Royce Aardahl]

BLB I just got 2 bags today. 20 are now missing. heehee I'm gonna look for some small rubber bands. The o rings I tried didn't seem to help that much. Expieriment time I guess.

[BigMike]

Don't use super glue, fish won't bite it and I doubt it would work - for the cost $.50 for an original senko, it's not worth the super glue.

As to the cheap senko imitations, just look up on the internet for a number and give them a call.

The rings is a guessing game when you first start using them, but if you get rings that are too big, just downsize and give'em another shot. They are really great.

Another thing I forgot to mention about senkos is the hook. I used to always use the Gama EWG hooks 1/0 or 2/0 for wacky rigging, but I've started using the 1 & 2 circle hooks from Gama & red ones from Owner. The bigger circle hook you get the better. But the thing with circle hooks is if you hook them wacky through the senko, you may miss a few fish because there isn't enough clearance in the gap, so that is where rings really help and are actually a better hooking precentage than the EWG hooks because the hook is fully exposes and there is no plastic getting in the way.

One method that I have just started using too is split-shot & drop shoting with smaller senkos (3inchers). I found some short 3inchers on sale and thought I would give'em a try. They have been pretty decent. Dropshot doesn't really work too well on shallow waters (less than 2 feet), but in deeper (2-5feet) it works real nice with a 8-12inch distance between hook & weight. This presentation has works real well when casting right too the back side or tail out of a boulder or pool. In faster current, the senkos just fly right by and may or may not hit the strike zone, this method allows you to be a little more precise and stay in those big bass areas more.

[Dan Wood]

I have great luck with the Magic Stik brand mentinoed above from T.J.'s Tackle. There really is no need for the Yamamoto brand with good immitations available. We've actually tested these in head-to-head competition and have caught more fish on the Magic Stiks. I've done some testing on these to compare the sink rate vs. Yamamoto, and the sink rate is nearly identical. That would be my biggest concern with any immitations - the sink rate is critical for these baits. I'd take a look at these before you plop down $6 for 10 senkos. Magic Stiks are available online through T.J.'s. The 4.5 and 5.5 are what I typically use for LM, and the Lil' Stik and 4.5" Magic Stik are perfect for Smallies.

TJTackle

For o-rings, the 1/4" I.D. size fits the Lil' Stik and the 4.5" Magic Stik and 4" copies, and the 5/16" I.D. fits the 5.5" Magic Stiks and 5" copies.

I use either a 2/0 EWG hook for wacky or a 1/0 circle hook. Depending on size of worm, I'll use between a 2/0 and 4/0 EWG hook for t-rig.

[This message has been edited by Dan Wood (edited 08-25-2004).]

[Dan Wood]

Hey Mike,
We'll have to get back out to pool 4 again this fall!

[BigMike]

Dan the MAN!

Thanks for all the info Dan! Those Case plastics are really awesome. The 4.5'' are perfect for the river smallies! Great colors combos too.

Good luck in Anoka for your LETS event! Sorry that I couldn't make it happen for some prefishing.

Mike
TJ Tackle Pro-Staff

[This message has been edited by BigMike (edited 09-02-2004).]

[BigMike]

Pool 4 is definitely on the top of my list before ice over! Those footballs are awesome down there. Pool 4 smallies a true footballs by fall! You could catch a 15incher that weighes 2.5-3lbs. Imagine a 19-20 incher (what do you think, 5 maybe 6??).

I'm headed to Springfield, MO for labor day weekend (I'm heading down to visit with brother-in-law & friends...and head to mecca, aka Bass Pro Shop ). It stinks being a weekend warrior! I want to get in as much as possible before my winter hibernation.

[This message has been edited by BigMike (edited 08-26-2004).]

[Mille Lacs Guy]

Are you guys using weights when you are rigging Senkos Wacky style? I tried a 5 inch Senko wacky style on a 1/0 Gama Hook and it didn't seem like I had enough weight to stay down.

How slow or fast do you fish the Senko's?

Thanks in advance.

[BigMike]

Mille Lacs Guy,

I usually fish senkos fairly slow. Jerk up, let sink for 3-6 seconds depending on how deep, repeat. Obviously I don't fish deep water with only a 3-6 second sink/pause. But for deeper waters (8-10ft & deeper), you can add a small split shot about 12-18inches up the line and this will help you get a little deeper. This is great for outside weedlines & deep points. It's sort of a mini carolina rig for senkos. But I think the prefered method for fishing senkos deeper is drop-shotting. Most use the typical rigging of a drop-shot senko: a 3 or 4 inch senko nose hooked on a 12-18inch tag line. But many people forget that you can wacky rig a senko on a drop shot rig also and have even better results - especially for more active fish.

For more information on rigging senkos/magic stiks check out Dan's great post on: http://fishingminnesota.com/ubb/Forum57/HTML/000754.html

If you are fishing the Mille Lacs like your name implies. Drop shotting would be a preferred method for reaching deeper rockpiles. Start with a 12inch tag for active fish feeding on and hiding in the rocks. If they don't bite, go for an 18inch tag - they may be hovering/suspending just over the tops of the rocks.

Good luck.

[BigMike]

Sak, when you are working current, a splitshot is a really good idea! Senkos are great on the river, but when the current is really whipping through a section, crimp on a small splitshot to help keep it down as Sak said. The splitshot also works as a pendulum to help swing the senko into the pockets behind breaks & boulders and keep it dangling right in their faces!

I wish I invented senkos...

[sakman]

Mike,

Regarding the get-together Saturday, since I don't know any of you guys do we just wander up and ask for you? BLB?

As I stated earlier, we are floating Saturday and we may not get on the water until after noon. However, my son and I may do some wading prior to that while we wait for my buddy (and the other vehicle) to arrive. If that is the case, do we head to Ellison and ask around. There are lots of times where I really prefer not to look like a bigger doof than I already am...... I am looking forward to a chance to meet a number of you guys and pick up some tips. Also, for anyone who does not have a boat I am willing to pilot a trip in the Anoka stretch in exchange for info on the best stretches and tactics for walleyes in that area. I have fished there for cats with another buddy and that really piqued my interest in that section of the river.

[BigMike]

Sakman - I'm going to be with Hawgtide & BLB in HT's jet boat (tracker). So if you see someone stuck on rocks, it's probably us LOL!

We are meeting at Ellison at 7am and back at the park at 2:30pm. I'm not sure who is going to be around Ellison, some may wade there, some maybe drive to another spot to wade...But I do know that it's going to be Hawgtide, BLB, RiverRat, Tinman, greggles & me (maybe Westy and anyone who wants to join us ). Am I missing anyone? I know it's weird, but just ask if we're any of the guys out there from Fishing MN and if we are, you'll know and just introduce yourself. The three of us are going to be in a boat, and then tinman, greggles and riverrat may be together or paired off somewhere on the river. If we aren't there, maybe we'll see you on your float down . It should be a good day out on the river.

[sakman]

Sounds do-able. Please keep an eye out for two guys with two kids in a 16' Lund and shout if you see us.

What do you mean SHOULD be a good day on the river? Would you rather be mowing, rearranging the furniture or fishing?

[sakman]

Since I started this thread, I'll share with you. This is what I found if you plan on river fishing. I got started with information provided by the great participants on this site.

I went out the other evening (while my son was at football practice; don't tell my wife she thinks I was holding a tackling dummy) and fished some shallow (just over knee deep) water. I found a small split shot helped to get the bait down to the strike zone. Otherwise, by the time it got down, it was at the end of the drift during which the bait rises because the line lifts it up. Plus the weight kept the bait down as it was being retrieved upstream.

Hope this helps. Has the bite improved on the pond yet?

[BigMike]

Good point Sak. LOL. With that said, it's going to be an AWESOME day on the river.

I just looked at the weather, and the forecast has warmed up a bit, now it's going to be perfect. Partly Cloudy & 70. Not bad! Plus the recent rain has pushed the river up a little bit - maybe I won't have to get out and push Hawgtide's boat off the rocks - I'll just make BLB do it

[West County Joe]

Hey fella's, went to Gander today and found some imatation Senko's. Gander has a Falcon plastic box filled with 50 plus baits in all the fish catching colors for $9.99. I think it's a great starter kit for the guy who has never used Senko's. Big Mike it sound's like you guys had a whale of fun Saturday. We fished a lake out west for smallies and only managed a few walleyes and some dink L.B. I was disapointed that you cancelled the B.B.Q. , that would of brought me to the river for sure. The fishing should really take off in the next couple of weeks. good luck all and let the big one's go. WEST

[BigMike]

Sakman - we never heard back from you regarding how well you did with senkos/stickbaits on your float trip? How did the trip go all together - did you get stuck on any rocks like we did that weekend?

------------------
Mike
TJ Tackle Pro-Staff

[sakman]

Mike,

Sorry about that. We did very well on that Sunday after the get-together. Four of us caught somewhere around 60 fish with the biggest being 19.25. My son and I were out on Saturday afternoon as well for about 3.5 hours and caught 22, with the biggest being 16.5 (caught by the little guy). In fact, my first cast resulted in a 16. Great way to start an afternoon. Also had one on that came unbuttoned when she jumped. That was the biggest smallie I've ever seen! We have caught as many fish on Zoom's Centipede and Yum Dingers as Senkos. Seems like as long as they are brightly colored and fished slowly the fish don't much care what your throwing at them.

Yes, we did get stuck. I believe the final total was three rocks and the shallow water under the Hwy. 25 bridge. I managed to get us into the channel to get under the bridge, but came up one bridge pylon short of the channel on the downstream side.

I did report this on the get-together thread where I attempted to get a medical waiver and have my catch counted, but you guys poo-pooed that idea.

Saturday I saw several jon boats get launched at Ellison. Was that anyone out there, and if so how did you guys do?