1st Bass of the Year 2018

ilovesprig

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Aug 3, 2012
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Didn't get over to Lake Hodges till 4:00 pm (today was their opener).....The lake was pretty much barren of fisherman.....Got bit right off the bat on a Senko.....And I farmed it.....30 minutes went by before I got bit again and farmed it too.....After that the bite got more aggressive and caught 5 fish, including having a big crappie come off at the bank.....Nice feeling that bump.

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Steve, those are some healthy looking bass. Nice job! Senkos might be the most reliable bass bait ever.
 
Steve, those are some healthy looking bass. Nice job! Senkos might be the most reliable bass bait ever.

No doubt, Kevin.....I almost always start with the skinnys.

Lake Sutherland looks great and if the weather holds, they'll be on the beach there too.....March 1st opener.

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Steve here’s a Senko trick I use, maybe you already know it. Push a very small finishing nail into the end of the Senko. Put hook in the other end. When it lands in the water give some slack and it will fall away from you instead of toward you. The weight of the line normally makes it fall toward you. This method is great when casting toward reeds, rocks, piers, docks, etc. as the lure falls toward the structure rather than away from it. The bigger the nail the faster the fall. Obviously this won’t work if you’re wacky rigging.
 
Steve here’s a Senko trick I use, maybe you already know it. Push a very small finishing nail into the end of the Senko. Put hook in the other end. When it lands in the water give some slack and it will fall away from you instead of toward you. The weight of the line normally makes it fall toward you. This method is great when casting toward reeds, rocks, piers, docks, etc. as the lure falls toward the structure rather than away from it. The bigger the nail the faster the fall. Obviously this won’t work if you’re wacky rigging.

I do this when I wacky rig, I use #2 nail that I have cut the head off, my go to rig when fishing the brush or tulies
 
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Didn't get over to Lake Hodges till 4:00 pm (today was their opener).....The lake was pretty much barren of fisherman.....Got bit right off the bat on a Senko.....And I farmed it.....30 minutes went by before I got bit again and farmed it too.....After that the bite got more aggressive and caught 5 fish, including having a big crappie come off at the bank.....Nice feeling that bump.

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Nice to see fish caught, the lake has been very poor fishing the last few years, maybe it’s coming back
 
Fishin' was really good today.....One about 4 lbs and a huge slab.....All caught on skinny Senko's.....Crappie bite was starting with guys with shiners.

I like the nail & weighted Senko trick, but this water is shallow & I'm flipping from the beach.

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Nice fish Steve! You know the Crappie are aggressive when they’re hitting larger lures.
 
Wow nice catch Steve. Hey, I'm a rookie Senko guy actually I don't even own any. I just fish with live bait down here in the valley and a few crank baits. Steve, can you give me some quick tips on how you rig them up, might try them this coming weekend when I do my first 2018 fishing outing. I guess I can youtube it also.. any help will do.
 
Rick,

They're about as simple as it comes, when it comes to fishing them.....If you can make a plastic worm weedless, then that's pretty much all you need to know on how to rig it.....Hook with a 2/0 or smaller thru the head of the Senko.....Then pull it thru the plastic, turn over, then back into the Senko.....Be careful with the thin Senko's because they're skinny and can rip.....They're full of salt and that's what makes them sink.....The fat Senko's (and there are lots of these available by someone other than Larry Yamamoto) are way more durable and are much easier to buy (Wal-Mart sells Yums).....Here in north San Diego, only Turner's sells the thin Yamamoto Senko's.....Oh, and they're pricey too.....$8.00 a bag of 10.

Don't throw them away when they rip either.....You can Wacky Worm them.....That's where you hook them in the middle with a short shanked octopus type hook.....Really a good technique in more open water.

For your kind of fishing, I don't see them working as well (if it's just canals)....You fish them very slow and fast moving water is not your friend.....Fig Lake or any of the slack water places would be where I would use them out there.....Flipping tules or grass holes is great.....They're totally seedless and sink slowly.....If the water is a little deeper, then as mentioned before in this thread, you can add a nail or lead nail.

I only use 3 colors.....Green pumpkin (BF), Watermelon (BF), and Watermelon (RF).....I like green pumpkin red flake & purple flake and are really good, but almost impossible to buy.....These are Yamamoto colors.....Each brand makes these colors, but are slightly different.....Another color may work better for you.

Lots opinions and techniques.....lol
 

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