By David A. Brown
Special to BassFan
In a word-association game. “Senko” will generally take most folks somewhere like “subtle” or “finesse,” but usually not toward “aggressive.”
Don’t tell that to Bassmaster Elite Series angler Kevin Hawk. He has no problem Texas-rigging his Yamamoto bait and pulling it over or through the kind of dense vegetation where jigs, frogs and punch-baits typically trod.
It's tempting to pigeonhole such a slender, simply framed piece of plastic, but the Senko boasts a broad diversity that also includes the heavy work. It’s kind of like that strong safety who can cover the fast guys, but won’t hesitate to move up and take on the fullback.
Remember, Hawk cut his angling teeth in California before moving east to learn the big-name bass lakes. Bold tactics are part of that West Coast swagger, but from a practical standpoint, Hawk said that Texas-rigging a Senko with a weight on its nose just makes sense.
“A Senko is so streamlined, it falls through the vegetation extremely well,” he said. “Depending on what type of vegetation you’re in, whether it be lily pads or alligator grass, sometimes that stuff can be really tough to get a bait through.
“The Senko is ideal in these situations because of its shape. With no appendages, the bait doesn’t get hung up in the vegetation.”
Presentation Points
Hawk said his Texas-rigged Senko tactics comprise a mix of fishing over the vegetation and down into it. Specific scenarios define the percentages, but Hawk is quick to note this tactic also works well as a follow-up offering.
“If I’m throwing a frog or a swimjig over vegetation and I get a short bite and I miss that fish, a lot of times, if I pitch back in with that Senko, I can catch that fish I missed on the reaction bait.”
Sounds pretty straightforward, but Hawk stresses the importance of a well-aimed follow-up presentation.
“I’ll cast past the target to ensure that I get to the target,” he explained. “I’ll reel fast and then let the bait drop when it reaches the target.
“If you try and cast right to where you got the bite, sometimes you’ll undershoot it. You don’t want to do that; you want to get your (follow-up) bait back in there as quickly as possible, so the easiest way to do that is to burn the bait and then let it drop when you get back to where the bite was.”
Extending this rig’s potential, Hawk said he’ll often shift gears from the casting and swimming routine to a targeted flipping/pitching deal when well-defined targets avail. Good example: spawning holes in eel grass on Florida’s St. John’s River.
“The Senko is perfect for that because you’re going to make a very subtle entry into the water; it’s not going to make a big splash because it’s streamlined,” he said. “In my opinion, if they don’t bite that Senko on the first cast, there are not many baits they’ll bite.”
Rig it Right
When selecting his Senko size, Hawk considers the fishery he’s facing and sizes his bait accordingly. The 5-inch is his go-to, but in Florida, he’ll often opt for the 6-inch, while chasing smallmouth in the cabbage grass of northern lakes usually merits a 4-inch bait.
Hawk guides his bait through the vegetation with a Picasso tungsten weight because of the smaller profile. Of his hook choice, Hawk said he’ll use a 3/0 to 5/0 Owner 3X straight-shank whenever possible, but when he’s facing heavy vegetation, he goes with an Owner Wide Gap Plus hook and rigs it "Texposed."
“With the straight shank, that hook point just comes through the Senko too easily if you‘re constantly pulling on it,” Hawk said. “So if the vegetation is really thick and you have to really work it through the cover, you’ll want to go with Wide Gap Plus because the hook point is not going to poke through the Senko.”
Street Fight
Now, just because a Texas-rigged Senko goes into the grass smoothly doesn’t necessarily mean it will exit as easily – especially with a bass wrapped around it. Hawk said there’s nothing fancy here. It’s just a game of brute force in which the victor is decided by who wants it badly enough.
“Just hit him hard and bring that rod straight up overhead and you want to get that fish coming toward you,” Hawk said. “You want to gain control of that fish as soon as possible, especially around heavy vegetation.
Often, a big fish will bury deep in the vegetation and leave 10 pounds of salad separating you from your catch – an unavoidable vexation that greatly increases the likelihood of escape.
“I’m going to keep pressure on the fish at all times and if it buries up and stops moving, I’m going in after the fish, as opposed to trying to pull it out because that’s when you pull the hooks and lose the fish,” he said.
Hawk readies himself for the job with a 7 1/2-foot heavy-action Abu Garcia Veracity rod with an Abu Garcia Rocket 9:1 reel spooled with 17-pound Berkley Trilene 100% fluorocarbon. Most of this outfit matches the expectations — stout rod for powering fish out of the salad and fluorocarbon for a mix of stealth, abrasion resistance and a quick fall when he lets the Senko drop into grass holes.
However, the blistering reel speed is also worth a mention. As Hawk explains, this high gear ratio offers a dual benefit.
“A fast reel allows me to take up line quickly and that’s important not only for setting the hook quickly, but also for making more presentations in a day,” he said. “If you have a higher gear-ratio reel that can take up line faster, you might get another 40 to 50 presentations in a day and that can make a big difference.
“From an all-around fish-catching and efficiency standpoint, it makes more sense.”
