Seems like I get myself in a confused state of being when it comes to rigging my favorite bait !
for a long time I would use a 3 ot long shank hook to rig the 5" senko and that seem to be just great, then comes the o-ring and wacky rig hook and I switched over. I cant see any differences in action or rate of fall, cept when using a weighted hook 1/32oz. So can someone way smarter than me please explain why the wacky is hands down better over a tex rig ? Other than a o-ring to save the bait from tearing ? I kinda like the way I can get the bait into more holes and pockets in the reeds and weeds tex rigged, plus less hang up's !
I'm so much not smarter! But, for my money, I feel I get bit more often whacky, but not a lot. I generally use a 1/0 Gam weedless finness hook but also have been using their new weedless whacky, ugly-*** hook. I think I like the new hook, but need more time to be convinced.
I also think t-rig allows me to work back between the tules better. Use a 3-4/0 EWG Gam and feel like I can keep that bait in the water longer as I wiggle it thru the tules where the whacky rig would hang up.
So, I basically am no help with the question because I fish both ways.
Guy, I fish it wacky rigged most of the time, for the simple reason I get a lot more use out of a single Senko..There have been several days when I have used the same Senko all day and caught multiple fish with it..When I do use a t-rigged one, once it has been pretty much used up, I put it away to use for wacky rigging..Unfortunately quite often the Senko tears off when t-rigged..I loose a lot more Senkos when t-rigging..Truthfully I believe I catch more using the wacky rig..
mac
Take a kid fishing, and don't forget about us older kids either..
Rule of thumb I use is... if I'm fishing open water, I wacky rig it, and if I'm fishing cover, tules, etc., I Texas rig. I can pitch a Senko way back into the tule pockets and drop it into the holes in the weeds and mats when it is T-rigged, but the action can't be beat with the wacky rig.
When it is wacky, watch the fall as it sinks and you will see both ends wiggle enticingly - I don't get that same action with the T-rig, and I think that is a major trigger.
Roger
Tight lines forever!
http://www.tunaman.org
*DISCLAIMER* - This post is in no way meant to be offensive. If you feel it is, please re-read then PM me for an explanation if it still offends?
i agree with tunaman he says it all! wackey trigger more bites coz of both ends wiggles to give more action of the bait. and for what mac says about senko tearing up, get urself a mend-it glue and glue ur senkos back when rip. this saves me $$$$...good luck fishing!
***GODZILLA AFTER MILFS!!...(MOMMAS I LIKE TO FISH)....***
In my opinion, The difference between t-rig and wacky rig isn't the baits action. The difference for me is that an exposed hook has a higher hook up percentage than does a t-rig. In my experience a t-rig you have to set the hook and that with a wacky rig the fish loads up on the hook in more of a sweep. A t-rig is better is moderate to heavy cover, becasue it has a better weedless design than even a weedless wacky hook.
With regards to action, you might hope to alter action on wacky rig with the use of nail weights or similar add ons. I think these are of marginal or situational use with senkos, but perhaps rate of fall or depth might persuade their use.
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The Wacky has a more powerfull bite trigger. Hook up is great, but you may snag up more.
The Texas works better penetrating heavy cover flip/pitch. It goes in without a blip like Greg Louganis. You can hit little tiny areas not possible with Wacky. And this is different than swinging a Texas rig worm with a big weight, the Senko goes tail first into the target not head first and the tail trying to sink through. (Or you can rig Senkos backwards and flip/pitch them head first.)
So, it may not all be in the action, but presentation may wander into your choice.
Mac, try using the Owner Twistlock in 4/0 or 5/0 for texas rigging your senko. I've been trying it lately and it works well. It cut my senko usage in half at least.
I have tried numerous hooks and hook styles fir t-rigging Senkos, I use Mend-It a lot..Each of your recommendations helps save the Senkos, but even then you will still go through more Senkos t-tigging than you will wacky rigging..For sure Senkos are one of if not the best bait ever..
mac
Take a kid fishing, and don't forget about us older kids either..
Senkos are so full of salt that they break easily, even with a parasite keeper.
One thing that helps me is tex-posing the hook, so it's already through the bait and just skin hooked. It seems to help them last a little longer. Emphasis on the little. I think it's because the hook is already through the bait.
But I haven't found a way to make T rigged senkos last near as long as wacky rigged/O ring senkos.
Check out Hitch Series keepers http://www.hitchseries.com/
I made a similar keeper decades ago (shown in my old '85 & '93 In-Fisheman articles) .
We have lost the meaning of Texas rig and now it's how a hook is inserted into soft plastic in lieu of a bullet sliding sinker and hook combo.
The Senko's action is a very suttle wiggle as it sinks slowly, adding T-rigged weight tends to kill this action and the Senko becomes a fat worm. A wacky rigged drop shot Senko gets the worm dowm faster and allows it wiggle on the slack line when resting and that seems to work good in deeper water. For general use the o-ring rigged with no weight or 3/32 oz nose insert weighted Senko seems to work best for me.
Tom
Texas rigged for me most of the time. I feel it still has great action on slack line and used mainly for throwing at some type of cover of some sorts, weedy shallow water gives em no time to think, they just eat it. I like like the entry presentation I can create with it T-rigged. I Just NEED to remember to set the hook.
This also depends what body of water I'm fishing, like in open water its gonna be wacky 90% of the time. My partner (Mac) always is throwing wacky anyways so it is always back and forth.
Guy Kelley wrote: Seems like I get myself in a confused state of being when it comes to rigging my favorite bait !
for a long time I would use a 3 ot long shank hook to rig the 5" senko and that seem to be just great, then comes the o-ring and wacky rig hook and I switched over. I cant see any differences in action or rate of fall, cept when using a weighted hook 1/32oz. So can someone way smarter than me please explain why the wacky is hands down better over a tex rig ? Other than a o-ring to save the bait from tearing ? I kinda like the way I can get the bait into more holes and pockets in the reeds and weeds tex rigged, plus less hang up's !
So now I will shut up and you can talk !
Robert Lee explained this on video during one of the B.A.S.S Invitationals that he won on the delta many years ago.
The senko has a slightly different action when rigged Texas versus wacky as explained by others. I wouldn't go so far as to say the wacky rig is hands down better over a texas rig though. They each have their place.
One of the key benefits of wacky though is you don't move the bait very far when you sweep your rod or shake your rod compared to a texas rig, where the bait is more likely to glide a further distance. So when this is preferred, like working a bed or any other vertical presentation, a wacky rig is superior because you can impart a lot of action through your rod and line and not move the bait far due to the way the worm is rigged. You pull the worm perpendicular, so there's more water resistance.
That is true, the wacky falls right there, and pumps right there if you twitch it. I dig it when thing are vertical like a dock pile, or retaining wall etc.
The Texas can glide back underneath docks, and overhanging cover like, (Do I dare say it?) the Flying Lure!
Both ways are good for different reasons.
I never really did get a grasp on how many big fish were swimming in the Delta till fishing the 9X extensively.
Awesome bait.
(The six pounder in my avatar was caught on a 9X and another just like it same day same pass at the bank.)
Also you can pretty much get the same action out of a t-rig as a wacky by down sizing your hook and running it through the neck further so the t-rigged hook is in the center of the senko,works really well with lighter line but I usually only use it like that when the fish are in the timber in the lakes the downside is to get the action you sacrifice cutting more baits with the line on the hookset
So ! As I see it from all of you who bothered to answer my question (Thank You ) It seems to boil down to different strokes for different folks !
Depends on conditions at the time of bait presentation, weeds and reeds and trees, Tex Rig. Vs. open water and more of a lake situation, or less stuff to hang the senko on, then it's cool to wacky. I think I need two senko rods on the deck, maybe ?
And hell yeah ! for vertical presentation's, seems like I have spent hrs watching my bait in clear water with just a slight twitch, the senko will start to dance and shimmy in place. Me I don't care much for the nail weight in head, tears em up to much, so i just use the o-ring and 1/32 or 1/16 weighted hook, if I need to deal with a faster drop or a real fast guy in the front of the boat, burning down the bank
Marty , I am still trying to figure out how in the world that will help me with a senko and a hook eye in the head of the bait, still need to pass the hook through the head of the senko, so that starts the damage and when a fish it's it, it's all over for the bait, unless tuffer baits like sweet beavers or others !
Well, you old fart, you obviously haven't discovered the wonders of tungsten!!! Tungsten nail weight are the only way to go, and a properly-placed nail weight at the right time (Shasta in January?) at the right place is absolute MONEY!
I don't typically use them any more, but there *is* absolutely a time and place where that is what it takes.
It really is a personal preference and confidence dependant choice here. I have been fishing this bait since the late 1990s, and at least a year longer than most prior to Yamamoto releasing this bait to the public. I've fished it every way imaginable, weighted and weightless and with a variety of hook styles. I only rely on this bait from late winter thru ealry summer, the spawning period when bass are found shallow. I know a lot of guys who fish it year round, especially on lakes where it's fished deeper and some of the smaller baits are used. I also know a lot of guys git stuck on the Senko year round and it's their "go to" bait, mostly because they catch so many fish on it during this period. The versatility of this bait, certainly allows for it to be used year round and under many conditions. For me, it's a spring time bait, as I have far too many other options to use that out produce the Senko at other times.
Over the years, I have developed a preference for using it weightless, rigged texas on a Gammy 4/0 round bend hook. I also prefer to use just the 9L & 9X sizes. The bigger baits fall faster, have more of that "wiggley" action than their smaller brethren, are heavier, more durable, are more easily fished in the wind and current, and last but not least, tend to attract bigger bites here on the Delta.
There are several reasons why I prefer a Texas rig versus the Whacky rig. I have not seen much of a difference in the fall of the bait, using it one way or the other. Although, the way ya rig each, or the hardware ya use, can certainly have small differences in how the bait flutters down. The Whacky rig certainly starts that flutter wiggle right away, just by the nature of how it hits the water and with the hook in the center of the body. Whereas the T-rig will plop down and settle in first the first few inches before it gets into that same rythym. When fish are clocking the bait on the fall, in my mind neither has an advantage over the other that is dependant upon action. The biggest difference I have experienced is in the strike and hook set. I slam em at the first instance I detect a strike when it's falling. I miss and loose way too many fish on a whacky rig with them small circle, octopus and bait hooks. With the round bends, I can set em hard with out having to remember or thinkin bout a soft sweep hookset, which isn't my first instinctive reaction. Also, when they are just bustin' em on the fall, you can get a lot more usages out of yer Senko by moving the hook to the tail when the head tears. Then when the tail wears out, hook it in the center whacky to git a few more casts and bites outa the bait. For me, Advantage, Round bend hook and Texas rig.
Now once that bait hits the bottom, there's a whole new set of circumstances I think about and apply. Most of the time I just let it sit there once it hits bottom, I won't move it at all fer 5-10 seconds. But when I do, it is really a subtle line tension movement, one that just slightly raises the nose of the bait, for the most part, the bait remains in it's inititial place. Yet when I do that with a Whacky rig with the hook in the middle, the whole bait will move forward. I don't want that bait to move from the bed room, yet I want it to appear as if it's sitting there distrurbing and eating on what I hope the bass believe are it's eggs. A bedding bass can't stand that. The longer that bait remains in the same place, the more likely the bass will come get it. With a Whacky, I'm moving that bait out of the strike zone(bed room) too soon. This also gives the bass the time to determine which end is the head, which is where it's gonna strike first, right where my hook is. With the Whacky, you don't have this adavantage, and often the bass will strike either end thinking it's the head, and there's no hook penetration when ya set. For me, Advantage, Round bend hook and Texas rig.
Here on the Delta, we have more variences in cover than any other body of water in the state. As others have mention, the Texas rig just fishes better in the heavy cover than the Whacky rig. I have no doubts that I'm getting more strikes on the Texas rig due to it coming straight thru the cover versus side ways. It appears more natural coming straight. Although, I can atest, there are times under some conditions, that sideways whacky retrieve is what they want, but not on a day in and day out basis for me. It is also a lot more effective and accurate when I'm using the t-rig'd Senko, while pitching and flipping into tight, skinny conditions, it will sail through a tight opening a lot easier than a sideways pitched bait. For me, Advantage, Round bend hook and Texas rig.
I rarely use a whacky rig here and many times will have clients who start that way, switch over to the Texas rig'd version long before the day is out. Oh geeze, I admit it, I ain't one of the smart one's..... I just realized after typing all of this, you asked for "Why is a Whacky rig better than a Texas rig! HAR! HAR! HAR!
Seems like I get myself in a confused state of being when it comes to rigging my favorite bait !
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