[Topwater]

Shore fishing, 10:30-noon, n/ne wind gentle but steady, sunny w/a few clouds, 78*, 6lb mono, black & pumkin 5" senkos. One 2lb+, one 12", one 10" LM Bass. They all got on within 20 minutes then a dead halt. Threw a popper for practice but nothing (except a bunch of snags!). How do you work a topwater popper anyway? I just assumed it was a jerk-reel-jerk-reel thingy and fairly quick, right?

P.S. Thanks guys for posting your senko experiences!!! Especially Jason. I have had more consistent results as a result of reading about senkos on these pages and have increased my enjoyment ten-fold!!!

 

[JasonN]

That's what it's all about my friend - sharing and learning.

 

[BravesFan]

Thanks for the report, Topwater I've been trying senkos and topwater poppers (a jitterbug) myself on other waters, but so far not much luck.

 

[Topwater]

It took me a while to get the hang of it. One day I just said I was going to fish only senkos until I started getting results. Then I started looking at different parts of the setup but primarily the line and seem to have found what works for me anyway. Keep trying! If I can catch fish with something anybody can! :lol:

 

[Augy]

how are you working the senkos?

 

[Topwater]

I am pretty sure I've found a weed bed and drop off, or several drop offs. Basically I just cast out, usually let it drop a few seconds or more sometimes, like if I want a sip of coffee then just twitch, reel, pause, twitch, reel, pause. Being real sensitive to the pull of weeds rather than a Bass is important, I think I get the bigger dogs if I can gently pull the senko through the weeds without getting hooked up on 'em. then a twitch or two and BAM, the big dog hits! But basically its just a slow retrieve with twitches and pauses, ocassionally I keep reeling in very, very slowly but non stop and twitch every few seconds, that seems to work some times as well. I also try to vary between working the bottom as well as near the surface, with again the big dogs tending to come from nearer the bottom. I think.... Also, the rod I use is a medium but it is pretty stiff at the tip, not a lot of give, in fact very little when working the senko; and thus the twitches are maybe a foot in length or so at the tip. I've used a more flexible rod and am not sure but think I have had less results with that, but I almost always use my main rod/reel for casting. And IMHO the biggest difference is the line, but we won't go there

 

[Augy]

those bass don't have a chance man!! :mrgreen: it's obviously working well for you top. glad you found confidence in senkos. they are my favorite. here's a couple thoughts about senkos from my limited experience.

most, if not all my bigger bass, 17" and up, all came on the fall. there is a very unique horizontal wobble the senkos produce when sinking and that's what makes a senko, a senko. this horizontal wobble is what drives the bass bonkers for senkos. i usually test my senko to see if it's rigged properly by dropping it right in front of me and make sure it's falling horizontally and that it's producing that wobble. having polarized sunglasses really helps here.

my theory is, and that's all it is, the smaller bass are more aggressive and are the ones that are more likely to attack a senko as it's being worked thru the water with twitches/jerks. when i do work my senko i try and produce "walk the dog" action with my rod tip down and making two to three sharp jerks to get the senko to swerve left and right. this creates a whipping action of the tail that mimicks a minnow. i also like yum dingers and they work well as a jerkbaits too, but they have a very different fall. the tail sways side to side where as the senko actually "wobbles" vertically as it's sinking. i always have a package of both cause you never know what they want on a different body of water and on what day. 2 cents...ok, maybe 3.

 

[Topwater]

I'll have to keep 'the fall' in mind. I've tended to cast out as far as possible and work it back in. But there does seem to be a few 'spots' that I get most hit in. Perhaps if I cast directly into those, or just past, and let it sink????? we shall see!

 

[FishinMatt]

Don't forget about wacky rigging too. I did not try it until this year and am hooked on that method. A 3'' Yum Dinger wacky rigged with a 4 or 6 octupus bait hook has taken a ton of fish so far. I like your retrieval method topwater. The bass will often suck them off the bottom if you take long pauses. Personally, I can smoke and drink coffee when using these baits and still catch fish. Can't beat that