5-inch Senko Rigging Guide - Pro's Choice
Posted by T.J. Maglio on Jun 14th 2021
By TJ Maglio
There are very few baits responsible for more big bass, big limits, and tournament wins than the 5-inch Senko. What Gary created out of a ballpoint pen tube didn’t just change the soft plastics game, it changed bass fishing altogether.
How many bass fishermen catch their first bass on a Senko each year? And if you’ve ever got a true rookie in the boat with you, what’s the first thing you rig up for them?
A Senko no doubt.
The most brilliant thing about Senkos is their versatility. They are equally effective in the hands of top tour pros or the greenest of the green; and whether you’re fishing a mountain lake; lowland reservoir, tidal river, or a farm pond, you’re going to get bit.
Here’s the part where you may be thinking “Yeah; Senkos catch fish, tell me something new…”
What you may not know is that despite the Senko’s pedigree, one of the most common questions anglers still ask us all these years later is “what’s the best way to rig a Senko?”
We all know the truth.
There’s no wrong way to rig a Senko. You can use it cut in half on the back of a tiny Ned head or punch it through a thick mat of hyacinth behind a 2-ounce sinker. It really doesn’t matter much; as long as it’s in the water the bass eat it.
Since the vast majority of anglers realize that; I suspect the real question they are getting at is not “what’s the best way” but rather “how should I rig it?” Meaning what hook, line, rod, reel, etc.
A great way to solve questions like this is to sample a group of experts on the topic; listen to their opinions and then see where you fall. Which is exactly what we wanted to do. We decided to reach out to four of the Yamamoto Tour pros know specifically for their Senko prowess (Brent Ehrler, Larry Nixon, Jimmy Reese, and Jay Yelas); and ask them to break down how they specifically rig Senkos in a couple of the most popular ways (Texas Rigged and Wacky/Neko), so you can get a variety of details on the specifics of what terminal tackle, line, rods, and reels they use to catch fish across the country.
Hopefully these setups will help you narrow down your options as you search for the perfect setup for the way YOU fish!
Texas Rig
Brent Ehrler
Rig: 4/0 Gamakatsu Offset Round Bend, 16-pound Sunline FC Sniper fluorocarbon
Rod/Reel: Daiwa Tatula Elite MPS 7’3”, Daiwa Tatula Elite Reel (7.3:1)
Notes: Brent’s go-to Texas rig is actually weighted, which he likes as it shows the fish something a little different. “That little sinker really changes the fall of the 5-inch Senko. It’s still subtle but it has a really nice spiral on the fall; which bass don’t see a lot.”
Jimmy Reese
Rig: 5/0 Gamakatsu EWG (standard gauge), 12-pound Yo Zuri Fluorocarbon
Rod/Reel: Douglas Rods 7’2” Medium Rod LRS724F, Daiwa Tatula 150 (7.3:1)
Notes: The key to Reese’s Texas rig setup is versatility; and he keeps it on the deck pretty much all the time. “You can throw that thing up against a rock, dock, piece of wood, whatever you see – you can just pick things apart with it; and you can go pretty much anywhere around the country with that setup and go down the bank and catch fish.”
Jay Yelas
Rig: 5/0 Gamakatsu Superline EWG (heavy gauge), 15-pound Strike King Tour Grade Fluorocarbon
Rod/Reel: Lew’s Custom Speed Stick 7’ MH, Team Lew’s Hyper Mag Speed Spool (8.3:1)
Notes: Having a high-gear ratio reel is critical to Yelas with a Texas rig. “Particularly in shallow water; big bass will grab that Senko and just take off. If you can’t reel fast enough to catch up to it, you’re never going to get a good hook into it.”
Larry Nixon
Rig: 4/0 Gamakatsu EWG (standard gauge), 10-pound Sunline FC Sniper fluorocarbon
Rod/Reel: Dobyns 7’ Champion XP 705 Casting rod, Bass Pro Shops Johnny Morris Series (7.1:1)
Notes: Patience is the key when Texas rigging a 5-inch Senko says Arkansas legend Nixon. “Most of the time I fish a Texas rig weightless; and I’ve caught about a gazillion fish doing it. Just be patient and let the bait do its thing. If you’re not getting Senko bites; you very well could be fishing it too fast. Slow down and you’ll get bit.”
Wacky/Neko
Brent Ehrler – Neko
Rig: Size 1 Gamakatsu B10S Stinger, 3/32-ounce Ark Tungsten Nail Weight, 12-pound Sunline X-plasma Asegai braid (main line), 6-10-foot leader of 8-pound Sunline FC Sniper
Rod/Reel: Daiwa Tatula Elite AGS 7’1” Brent Ehrler Drop Shot Rod, Daiwa Tatula LT spinning reel
Notes: Ehrler’s spent hours studying the way a hook penetrates a fish’s mouth, which led him away from a short shanked hook to the B10S Stinger (which he helped develop). “A short shanked, wide-gap wacky hook looks kind of like a horseshoe. Tie a rope to one end of a horseshoe and pull it and see what happens to the point – it pulls away from the skin. The Gamakatsu stinger is based upon a fly hook which is designed to be set with very little leverage.”
Larry Nixon – Wacky
Rig: Size 1 Gamakatsu B10S Stinger, Frenzy Baits Wacky Saddle
Rod/Reel: Dobyns 7’ Champion XP 704 spinning rod, Shimano Stradic
Notes: Anyone that’s wacky rigged a Senko has had the unfortunate experience of getting a bite and setting the hook only to come back with a ball of Senko when the hook penetrates the Senko instead of the bass’ mouth. Nixon’s developed a method to minimize that eventuality. “With the wacky saddle, you can actually insert your hook perpendicular to the length of the Senko. If you use an o-ring you have to run your hook in-line with the Senko, and the body of the bait can impede hook penetration.”
Jimmy Reese – Neko
Rig: 1/0 Frenzy Baits Wack-A-Sack Jig (1/4 or 3/8 ounce), 14-pound Yo Zuri Fluorocarbon
Rod/Reel: Douglas Rods C715F 7’1” MH Casting rod, Daiwa Tatula 150 (7.3:1)
Notes: Jimmy’s unique rig is so effective because it shows deep bass a look they don’t often get to see. “The way I fish a Neko is a bit unique; because it’s so close to the bottom the whole retrieve. But those deeper bass don’t see that wacky action nearly as often as shallow bass, which gets me more bites.”
Jay Yelas – Wacky
Rig: 1/0 Gamakatsu G-Finesse Weedless wacky hook, 20-pound Strike King Tour Grade Braid (main line), 4-6-foot leader 10-pound Strike King Tour Grade Fluorocarbon
Rod/Reel: Lew’s Team Custom Mark Rose Ledge Rod 6’10” M Spinning Rod, Lew’s Custom Pro Speed Spin (3000 Size)
Notes: For Yelas, one of the biggest mistakes anglers can make is over working a wacky rig. “The vast majority of Senko bites occur on the fall. You don’t want to impart any action at all when that thing is slowly falling to the bottom. You can shimmy or hop it back if you want but I like to maximize my odds by reeling in quick, so I get as many of those falls as possible.”
