The Best "Senko"?

[BassManDan]

Since just about every soft plastic manufacturer has made their own version of the senko, which one is really the most popular?

Is it the Yum Dinger, with the recessed hook slot on the back for texposed rigging, is to the Mann's bait with the tough plastic mid section for wacky rigging, or is it the Strike King Zero, with the near indestructable superplastic composition.

From my own personal experience, senkos do their job and they do it very well, but after catching one or two fish, the bait is toast. Not to say that the $0.60 senko is not a fair "trade" for catching a fish or two, but why not use a strike king Zero and catch 30 bass on it instead and still have a bait that can catch more fish. I know that Yamamoto offers a myriad of colors, but if your throwing green pumpkin, watermelon, pearl, junbug colors like that, everyone makes that color, so why stick with the senko?

So my question really is why the Senko, because of the roots the senko has in the west, or is it really superior to the other baits in the market?

Just curious, but them senkos, you can have'em! Strike King Zeros all the way!


BassManDan

[CW2 Tucker]

I prefer the Yum Dingers, they don’t cost as much as most of the competitors and have all the colors like you said. The slot for Texas rigging is a nice touch. I can usually catch 5 plus fish on one bait. I personally think that the senkos are a rip, 2 fish on 1 bait!? Some of our pockets are not as deep as others. I could honestly care less on where the bait came from, as long as it works. I never noticed a better hook up ratio with senkos compared to the competition either. You should have made this a poll to find out the answer to your interesting question.

Fish ON!!!

[Jeff Jewell]

The Senko works so well, that I haven't even tried anything else. No even the Kanami bait.
I figure that with the limited time I have for fishing, I'll just pay the price and use the best.....

[parker]

I use both senkos and zeros. the zeros are sented and they are more durable but you cant beat the yamamotos fall plus you cant find the zeros in many stores except bass pro

[Stratos278]

Most of the time I stick with the original Senko, but I have also had fair luck with the Senko "knock-off" from Chompers, the Salty Sinker. It has a garlic scent that seems to work pretty good.

As for the Kinami Flash, I believe it is the same as the Senko, it is marketed by Gary's son Derek.

[StockOption]

I was a diehard Senko user, but I just started pouring my own and they work great so my days buying Senkos may be over

I'm able to customize my hand pours in a variety of ways and so far they work great.

We'll see how they fare out on the big pond this week

[bryanw80]

Bass Pro Stick-O for price and durability.

[492slayer]

The best one for me was bought out of the discount bin at Oroville Outdoors. I used a silver/white 6" to land the Oroville Lake record 15.48# this past Easter. $500 worth of swim baits and I use a $0.25 senko....

[HawgCatcher]

The Yamamoto Senko is probably the best on the market. But your right after a few fish its so tore up that you have to replace it. Over the past few months I have been using the Strike King Zero which is made from there "3X" material and it is just a soft as the Yamamoto but its a bit stronger.

[StogieMan]

ya can't post a pic like that without a comment from someone, might as well be me! I heard but never believed Oroville has ANY fish other than 12" spots, MAN that's a nice hawg! you gotta take me fishin and my parting shot...............wait for it.......
I thought all you did was try to break the speed barrier with that hot rod Ranger of yours, who knew you could fish too.

[Greg_Cornish]

I fish way to much with Senkos. About 95% of my fishing. Sad because it limits me a lot in learning other techniques, but I catch bunches of fish. I mostly fish Yamato 4" smoke rootbeer with copper flake, But I used to use black/red laminate Kinami and caught an 8 lb on those and many 4+. I've never had much luck with Yum comparatively but I could have been using the wrong color. I think the heavy salt content makes the fish hold on to the Senko longer. I've often been tempted to no set the hook and see how long they would hang on under a little pressure but I'm sure it would swallow it and hurt the fish so I haven't.

[Marc]

The very "complaint" some of you have voiced about the durability of a Senko is one of the reasons it is more effective than the competition. That softness allows the Senko to wiggle side to side as it falls in the water column.

Many factors affect the durability (in use) of any soft plastic. The style of hook, hook wire thickness, how you rig the hook, line type, etc.

If you want to get 15-20 bass out of a Senko, you can do it. Use a Wacky-RigR (rubber O-rings). This way you get the enticement of a Senko, and when you hook a bass the Senko slides up your line where it isn't damaged.

ciao,
Marc
Yamamoto Prostaff

[Cooch]

There's the best, Yamamoto's Senko, and then there is just the rest! I don't git it, I only fish a Senko weightless, texas rigged, with a 3/0 round bend hook, I git 6-10 fish per bait on the average. I've tried and seen plenty of the others the past 5 years, I've never experienced a time when they out fish the Original. As Marc said, it's in the plastic, none of the others have the proper DNA ta really compare.

We'll pay $16-$20 fer our favorite Lucky Craft, $10-20 for our favorite paddle tailed swimbait, $40-$80 fer a big dawg swimbait, yet complain about a $.69 piece of plastic that out fishes em all! Like I said, "I don't git it?"

[Joe W.]

What I find kind of funny is the fact that when it comes to any bait that isn't a swimbait, most anglers have no problem using a knock off of an original bait, but a swimbait knock off......blasphemy!

[NaCl]

Any halfwitt can make something that looks exactly like a Senko. You can even buy molds from Barstows and other places that mimic the Senko in looks. And, you can cut back on the salt content to make it more durable. But, after you've done those things IS IT STILL A SENKO???

The answer is "no". The real secret of the fish catching power of the Senko is in the highly guarded formula for Yamamoto plastics. They do not use the average plastic that anyone can buy over the counter from tackle making supply companies. Quite the contrary...when I toured the manufacturing plant a few years back, there was one area that was strictly forbidden, even to prostaff. That was the preparation room for the plastic for the injection molds. So, knock off Senkos are NOT the same as real Senkos.

.....NaCl

[bruizer343]

*other



senkos dont work

[dockboy]

I like the Senkos. The Flash is good too, when they seem to be eating the bait a bit more gently. It has more of a horizontal slow fall, not like the fast sink rate when compared to a senko. But the main reason I like the Senkos is the sizes I can get them. Color, whatever. I use only use about five or six anyways. But it is hard to find any other brand model stick bait in the smalller sizes like a Senko. The Zeros and most of the others don't have the sizes you can get from a Senko, with the exceptions of handpours. The 7" is an awesome follow up bait for SB fishing; the 6" is a good kicker fish bait; the 5" catches'em all sizes; the 4" is good during a slow bite; and the 3" is awesome this time of year when you have small shad schools. I have a couple 3" handpours from friends in clear with flake that kill'em too. But the Senkos are just the best in the range of sizes and consistency of colors and availability.
I usually don't have to big a problem when I T-Rig the bait. Wacky rigged, that's a different story. I now use a rubber o-ring, it helps, but I don't fish'em that way too often anyways. Try'em on a darthead. The 6" on a bigger head is a good bigger fish bait. The 4" and 3" are good too when you want to show the fish something a bit different.

[Slippy]

i have alot of plastics ranging from small grubs to 10" big units. i would say that the senko's are 50% of my plastics that i carry. I have 2 rods dedicated to senkos, i fish senko's pretty much all the time weightless texas rigged. I really only get about 1 fish per senko but thats fine i dont mind paying the .70 cents per bait.

this is by far the best bait i have ever used to catch fish year round.

[Mattlures]

The original Senko is better. It has a better sink and better colors. They dont last as long but use Mend-it and they will end up costins less than the knockoffs.

[CW2 Tucker]

WOW, I voted for Yum but with the enthusiasm you guys are showing for Senko maybe I should re-think the whole thing. I am not afraid to try them again. It has been a couple of years since I bought Senkos. I will give them another chance and use some of the tips you guys posted.

Fish ON!!!

I still like YUM Baits!

[BIG DADDY BLUE RANGER]

The Yami Senko of course

my only question is what the heck is Cooch doing to get 6-10 fish per bait... 2, 3, 4 maybe on a good day...

[Paul W]

I've used several "Senko" baits and generally liked them all. The Kinami's and Wave Tiki Sticks are great, and seem to be the closest in sink rate, texture, etc to the Yamamoto baits. The Strike King Zero is another good one, but sinks slower than most of the others. I like it alot for bed fishing and dropshotting. The one I use the most is the Bass Pro Shops Stik-o. You get 20 for $5, and they have worked great for me from Clear Lake to Florida. They have alot of action, and a decent fall rate...I was skeptical of them at first, but they have proven themselves to me over and over.

Paul W

[Cooch]

The Yami Senko of course my only question is what the heck is Cooch doing to get 6-10 fish per bait... 2, 3, 4 maybe on a good day...

Just a lil bit more savvy than you BDBR! If'n yer getting 2,3,4 on a good day, when the head tears, turn the thing around and git 2,3,4 more! It ain't rocket science! HAR! HAR! HAR!

I also think the hook used(3/0 round bend), the line( 16# Fluoro) and a 7' MH extra fast tippped rod all teamed together, require far less of a violent hookset, which is used by most anglers to put the fish in the boat. I see guys swingin fer the fences when they fish Senkos, geeze, any plastic bait is gonna tear the way most guys set the hook! It's all a mindset in yer approach to setting the hook when using various baits! They are not all created equal!

Wudda we expect when we put a 5" Senko on a 5/0 EWG Gammie hook, heavy action rod with braid, and rip that sucker like there's no tomorrow? Torn baits!

[Cooch]

The Kinami's and Wave Tiki Sticks are great, and seem to be the closest in sink rate, texture, etc to the Yamamoto baits.

The Kinami "Flash", is the exact same thing as a Yamamoto "Senko". Both made in the same factory, just different packaging, various color selections and sold to different markets. The word Senko, means "flash', Japanese to English translation I believe. The Kinami Flash ain't close, and it ain't a knock off, it's the REAL DEAL, from Yamamoto Enterprises!

[Topwater All Day]

The Yamamoto Senko is by far the best stick bait on the market. Hands down it just catches more and better fish. I tried all of the knock offs when I thought I was saving money...and I still caught some fish, but not near as many or the same quality. I'd rather spend the money and catch more fish!

Rob

[Fish Chris]

The best Senko is the one tied to "somebody elses line"

Fish

[g-man]

pumkin green!

[Brian Ruthman]

Why dont you all check out the "Pro weld plastic welder" that cabelas has . It is kind of like a portable plastic soldering iron that runs on batteries and you can melt a senko back togeather in a second . It has saved me a bunch of money on senkos and other baits , i use it all the time . It cost about $27 dollars but doesnt take long to pay for it , i think one days use and mine was paid for .
When i fish a tournament i use new baits but during pre fish and fun fishing it is a great tool to save some $$$$$ .
I also use it on the basstrix swimbaits and catch a bunch of fish on each bait when they tear i just melt it back togeather . It also works good for cutting braided line .
I like the senkos most of the time , if i want a bait that falls slower i use the yum bait , they seem to fall slower in the water maybe they have less salt in them , im not sure .

[MPOLLARD]

I Agree Cooch. Better yet, Wacky rig them with a black ring and you can catch up to 15 fish on one senko... I catch more fish wacky rigging them then weedless anyways.


MPollard
www.gfmarine.com for Nitro and Skeeter Boats
www.savephace.com
www.teampollardfishing.com
www.teampollard.net for Central Valley Real Estate

[NaCl]

Somebody once told me the Kinami baits were cheaper than the GYCB Senkos. NOT! The Kinamis come 6 in a pack while the Senko comes 10 in a pack and if you do the math....voila....the exact same cost per bait! Guess Derek is just as bright of a marketer as his dad! lol

.....NaCl

[Joe W.]

The best Senko is the one tied to "somebody elses line"

Fish

Are you one of those "Too good for a senko" types?

I never understood why some people feel that way.

[Fish Chris]

Hello Joe. I wouldn't say I'm too good to throw Senkos. I just hate to follow the crowd doing anything..... not only in fishing, but with life in general.

I know Senkos have caught a lot of big fish.

But it has been my experience that going off on some odd trail, that leads out to left field somewhere, is what has brought me the most fishing success with big fish.

Anyway Joe, I'm not a "bad guy"..... I'm just a "different guy"

Peace,
Fish

PS, Yes, it sometimes bugs me that so many guys are throwing swimbaits nowadays..... But I started throwing them 10 years ago, when it was not near so common.

[Phil]

THERE ARE ONLY TWO, AND THEY ARE RELATED. ALL OTHERS HAVE A DIFFERENT NAME AND A GOOD REASON WHY........THATS THAT.

JIGS

[Barry Watson]

I have had pretty good luck using Derek Yamamoto's Nories Bug.
I once thought he went on his own to compete with his dad, but NOT. LOL