Fishing with Yamamoto senkos Fishing with Gary Yamamoto senkos is often a very productive way to catch fish. These baits are the perfect plastic worms for bass. They look like big, thick, juicy worms when left alone to flutter or drift in the water, but they may be made to mimic fleeing baitfish with alternate retrieval techniques.
Senkos are already weighted (as sand is poured into the lure molds along with the molten plastic during their production), and further weight is not necessary unless they are being fished in very deep waters. Sometimes allowing these lures to sink all of the way to the bottom before beginning a retrieve similar to that of tubes and jig and pigs is a great way to fish senkos. They may also be fished like the smaller Zoom finesse worms.
A faster reeling technique is also great at times, particularly when targeting smallmouth bass in rivers. This method also works for largemouth along the edges of ponds and lakes. The worm should be cast, and then brought back with a slow but steady reel, and every few seconds, the rod tip should be twitched up gently. The reeling hand should make a full circle about once a second when reeling the lure steadily, although in very shallow water, it may be necessary to reel faster.
Yamamoto senkos are very easy to rig. When fishing with four inch worms, a 2/0 worm hook is best. For five inch senkos, 3/0 hooks may be used. The hook should be fed directly into the head of the worm, and then pulled out through the side about ½ inch in, and then the hook should be pulled through until the eye is against the head of the senko. Then, the hook point should be stuck into the body of the worm. Colors do not matter too much, as long as dark colors are used.
Although these worms are usually best in the warmer months when they may be reeled faster, enticing bass that are willing to chase baitfish, senkos also work in the fall and spring, especially when they are fished slower and in deep water.
