I Was Wrong

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

I have always stood fast on the fact that I was a Senko purist and would never rig them any other way but Texas style and weightless. Since I have been on their pro-staff for 5 years, that is the only way I have rigged them. I don't even really like wacky rigging but will do it in some situations. My deal was that if you were going to weight them, you might as well use a cheap knock-off because you have defeated the single most important feature that seperates the original from the wanna-be's and that is the action as it falls. Well, I was wrong.....plain and simple. This last trip to Michigan taught me a valuable lesson to be open minded and if I hadn't done it myself, I probably never would have. The wind was howling, cold front moved in and the fish got really finicky. Normally I would downsize and finesse the bite a little more. That's hard to do when you are already throwing 3 inch tubes on 1/4 oz jigs. It was hard to make contact with the bottom as we drifted with that outfit in 20mph winds, let alone going smaller. CIII was slowing the drift as much as possible with a wind sock be we were still moving at a good clip. I thought how in the world can I get a slimmer profile that would hug the bottom a little better. Then it came to me.....Judy Wong. The rig that Judy used to win the WBT was a 5" Senko on a jig head. She used it because she was fishing a discharge and it had a lot of current. I dove into my tackle and rigged a 5", color 297:wub:, Senko on a Gamakatsu 1/4 oz, football head jig. Man alive what a difference!! All of my big fish came off this rig as well as CIII's and it even caught that monster Musky he posted a picture of. I'll bet we went through 10 bags of Senko's!! Would a cheap knock-off have performed any better...I dunno because all I had were the real McCoy. I have dubbed this the "Wong Rig":lol::lol: and will be throwing it here in VA to see if it works as well on big-heads!! Moral of the story....Get out there and throw your Wongs in the water!!:lol::lol:



A quick Yamamoto note: Take a look at the link below and go look at the new offerings fron them both out now and those to come out this summer. The bait I am most excited about (among others) is the 5" Senko in color 318....It gives me goosebumps!! Proud to say, I pushed very hard for that color and got it. If it performs like I think it will, it will be in the top 3 of my favorite colors!! Glenn and CIII will be happy to see their favorite color now applied to the Swim Senko and Shad Shape Worm (Green/White Laminate). As always, if you have any suggestions on colors/combinations you would like to see be sure to let me know. GYCB is always open to new colors.



TOXIC
http://www.insideline.net/weeklynews/08-0519.html

 

[Carlos Hathcock III]

Shuldnt that be I was Wong??



AHAHAHAHAHAHAH Am i funny or what???

 

[Jim in VA]

Yea, but looks aren't everything!!

 

[mike chip]

toxic,

the green and white laminate is my favorite to. i will shoot you an email, about the jig head senko.

mike c

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

Shuldnt that be I was Wong?? AHAHAHAHAHAHAH Am i funny or what???

Yea, but looks aren't everything!!

Whoa!!! Ya gotta admit CIII, Jim got you there.:lol::lol::lol::lol: Now Jim, if I were you, I'd keep the Lake Anna House dark and also make sure the blinds and drapes are pulled every night. That wouldn't be much of a shot off of the Lake!!:unsure:



He was kidding Carlos, just KIDDING!!! REALLY!!!!!



Uncle Billy

 

[Luke Musto]

Toxic,

I've been fishing both senkos and knockoffs on a 3/0 offset EWG w/ an 1/8 oz tungsten pegged here on Champlain for the past few seasons.. I honestly cant find a difference between the orginals and the knockoffs in this type of set up.. I've also smashed the smallies on the same set up at Thousand Islands area of the St Lawrence..



I do agree 100% though, if you are going to fish weightless.. The original Senko is unparalleled!!!

 

[Carlos Hathcock III]

HAHAH Jim and UB! You guys are tooo funny!!!!

 

[Marty Klein]

Great story about lessons learned and a great display of humility; laughs were great, too. Only disagreement I have, and we all know it matters little, is the word "cheap." Cheap implies poor quality and I've found that fishing Senkos and similar baits is 100% identical with two exceptions-the others cost less and last longer.

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Marty,



I call the knock-offs cheap because all of them are cheaper than the Senko. It's pretty common knowledge that you can and will catch fish on the imitations but there is also one fact that is un-deniable......none of them and I do mean none of them have the fall action of a weightless Senko. That's been proven to me and by me a 1000 times. I have thrown Senko's so much, I can tell you that different colors and laminates have different fall rates all rigged weightless!! It has to do with the different flakes and the amount of color needed to make them. IMHO, Sometimes you need a senko, sometimes you don't. If I were buying my own baits (and this is an honest statement) I would buy knock-offs (first choice Case Magic Sticks, then BPS Stick-o's then Yum-dingers)for weighted applications but I would still use the Senko for weightless and wacky rigging. A close second in Michigan (after tubes) was the Yamamoto twin tailed, skirted grub on the same 1/4oz football head jig. That is Mac's favorite bait. That is the bait that Gary Yamamoto first designed on Lake Powell and got him in the bait business. As long as we get to be on the water all of them are good.



TOXIC

 

[Tony Crowder]

I won Big Bass at the Gambler Open last month at Everglades Holiday Park on a 7" Senko on a jig. Tony
http://groups.msn.com/TonysNitroZ7fishingpage/shoebox.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=13

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

Great doings Tony!



Uncle Billy

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Way to go Tony. There is a time and place for that 7" monster senko....I just haven't found it yet!! I know they were throwing them on Amistad and Falcon in the Elites this year and were catching Hawgs!! I have some but have never rigged them up. Hmmmmmmm....:lol:



TOXIC

 

[TritonGlenn]

Tox,

Just go ahead and send all those 7's to me. I'll put them to good use and send you the pics from Falcon, Amistad, and Choke Canyon. I'll make sure they work fine so when you get down here, the fish will be "prepped" for your arrival.:lol:

All the best,

Glenn