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Fishing the Senko - First Impressions
By Lendell Martin

September/October 1998

I've been fishing Yamamoto baits for years. I guess every top pro knows how effective Yamamoto grubs are, and I love the big, skirted ones. That tournament-proven success was the prime reason I got excited when the opportunity came along to join the Yamamoto Pro Staff group.

As a relative newcomer to Team Yamamoto I hadn't had the chance to check out every bait in the line, and man, there's a bunch of 'em. But the one that caught my eye right away was the Senko. The reason? I've been real fortunate to win a pile of money throwing jerk worms over the years (including all the bucks in the Angler's Choice Classic in '91 and '92 – Ed.).

I wanted to see if the Senko had anything to offer, and bingo, it's a winner. With just a minimum of fishing time I can see the Senko is going to be a real asset in my tackle locker. Right away I found, unlike other jerk worms, that the Senko is not a high floater, but actually sinks at a perfect fall rate. I'm guessing that the bait sinks slowly due to the high salt content, but whatever the reason, it's perfect. It allows me to use the Senko just as it comes from the bag; I don't have to add any nail weights. It's, well, it's automatic.

It's as simple as threading it on your offset hook and you're ready to fish. I've gotten in the habit of using a 5/0 hook on jerk worms but some of the folks I've talked with fish the Senko very successfully on a 3/0 or 4/0 hook.

Now here's a real trick with the Senko that you'll probably have to try before you'll believe how effective it is. The Senko runs about two feet deep for me on a normal twitch and pause retrieve. At that depth you can keep good eye contact with the bait. Here's the deal, a lot of times a bass will follow a jerk worm, interested, but reluctant to strike. When that happens you can "force feed" 'em the Senko. Something about the balance or density of the bait causes it to back up slightly when you pause your retrieve. Whammo!

The lure doesn't just stay in one place. Instead of falling straight down the bait will actually back up for you. If you'll just feed it a little line, the bait will actually float back towards the bass, creating a strike for you. That's a fish catchin' move I've never seen another jerk worm make. Again, I'm rigging up with a 5/0 hook so you'll have to experiment with the effectiveness of other sizes.

The Senko has another plus that bears mentioning. This bait has a natural action to it that absolutely anyone can fish effectively. You can rig your kids up with this bait and they don't really have to put a lot of rod tip to it. With a lot of other jerk worms you can get the same action but have to do everything perfect. You know what I'm saying, to make the bait "walk the dog", to make the bass strike aggressively.

What I've seen is that the Senko will walk perfectly with very little rod-tip needed, by just barely twitching it. Actually, you're using the reel more than the rod tip itself. Instant expert, the bait walks perfectly and you don't have to be a pro to fish it and catch fish with it right away.

If you use my "reel twitch" technique with the Senko instead of working the rod tip, you'll find that it takes almost no effort at all. The bait wants to walk just right, all on its own. I think you'll find that you're a lot better off if you select a slow-speed reel for this technique. Don't get in too big a hurry with it and you can do a lot more with this bait. 

Good luck and let me know how this easy-to-master technique works for you on your favorite honey hole!

Editor's Note: Lendell Martin has been tournament bass fishing since the early 70's. In addition to qualifying three times for the prestigious Bassmaster's Classic, Martin has notched ten top-ten finishes and has finished in the money 50 times on the B.A.S.S. Circuit. Martin also fishes the Angler's Choice Pro-Am circuit in the central division and has four wins to his credit. He is an eight- time qualifier to the Angler's Choice Classic, winning the big show twice. A three-time qualifier to the U.S. Bass Flyaway Tournament (circuit now defunct), Martin was named U.S. Bass Angler of the Year in 1987. We are proud to have Lendell Martin representing our company; he is a very strong addition to Team Yamamoto.

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