Senkos: Basic rigging how-to guide

Here is a good site on rigging Senkos.

Enjoy!

http://www.insideline.net/articles/rigging-guide.html

I once spent an entire evening reading bassdozers analysis of spinnerbaits. can you say obsessive compulsive? and I mean, him, not me!

that guy is a scary goldmine of information. thanks for the link Al, (I think).

J

If you want more info, click the video link. That will keep you busy for a while.

al, check this. makes one dizzy. he has a whole section on which way the ball bearing swivel is arranged on a spinner bait...

http://www.bassdozer.com/articles/bd_spinnerbait.shtml

OMG.. that is info overload... I had to read the entire section on blades before I got to the swivels.
Well, not really..but I did read the summary at the bottom:

All armchair theories aside, no one really knows what a bass thinks when it hits a spinnerbait, so who's to say.

The man is a genius!

Actually, I'll probably end up reading all of it.

Thanks for the link J,

Al, question for you.

when you are senko fishing, what kind of line are you using?

Al, question for you.
when you are senko fishing, what kind of line are you using?

I'm no expert on line. I wish I knew more about the different types. Right now I have 12lb Trilene.
I've had terrible problems with my line twisting and fouling at the reel. I thought it was the line or the cheap spinning reel.

After reading some of Bassdozers info, I made a change. Sunday I added a swivel with a leader to the senko. This helped a lot. My line twisting problems were reduced considerably. I didn't realize the senko was twisting my so line so bad.

bassdozer to the rescue!

do you have many problems with breakoffs on 12lb?

I guess you are just losing a hook and a senko, not a $7 rapala.

I was reading myself and senkos in heavy cover were 14 to 17lb baitcaster kind of affairs.

but tossing a weightless senko on heavy line on a baitcaster doesn't sound that easy.

Don't have break offs very often, but I did have on Saturday. The bass took a dive down into heavy vegitation so I tried to pull him, along with the weeds, to the top. Not sure if my knot came undone or if the line broke.

I've tried 15lb mono. The 4 and 5 inch senkos didn't cast too far for me.
Haven't tried a baitcaster.

Al, I've decided you must try a baitcaster,  .

Not because it's better, just because you haven't tried one and it's different, and
therefore a source of entertainment and fun.

actually it might be better from the line twist perspective as well as allowing you
to toss slightly heavier line when you want.

I have been tossing a 3/8 oz plastic practice plug in my backyard with a baitcaster with
10 to 17lb line and it seems to work okay. did not test with a senko tho. that might
be harder.

follow those directions to set the spool tension so that the bait can only barely pull out
line when you disengage the drag, then the casts are a little shorter, but the bird's nests
are very infrequent as long as you thumb the reel just before the bait hits anything.

how you get the senko to then sink since it can't pull out line hanging in air,
I'm not sure, you might have to manually pull out line and control the sink of the
senko to the bottom.

maybe one of you senko baitcaster dudes can tell us what you do here?

get a left handed baitcaster so you can cast and reel like with your spinning rod.

best,

J

J,  If you decided I should try one, who am I to disagree?  I'll do it.

I'll post reports... this should be interesting.

Thanks, Al

what reel are you thinking? low profile or round? abu c4 andr bass pro shops 'extreme'
(their most popular low profile) are about $75, but I see some $40 reels @ bass pro shops.
if you wait until november, you can get some good deals on ebay and clearance @ cabelas and
the like.  june might not be the best month to get a deal...

I only have abu's, but I'd like to try a magnetic casting control low profile baitcaster some time.

a couple of those plastic practice plugs are good for nailing the squirrels.

those ultrastiff rods that let you feel every bite and set the hook instantly are harder to cast with, 
an UL spinning reel with the casting rod on is killer for casting practice.
sure, you couldn't set a hook, but good for practice.

check out the new abus,carbon fibre drag and mag cast control http://tackletour.com/reviewabugarciapreview07.html