First of all, for those of you not familiar with the Senko let me fill you in.  A Senko is a soft plastic bait which imitate a dead or dying baitfish.  It was invented by Gary Yamamoto and is produced by Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits (GYCB).  The Senko was molded from a Bic ballpoint pen design.  There is salt impregnated in the plastic.  You will not find another bait like this with as much salt. 
     Another fact not commonly known is that the scent is molded into the Senko.  The scent is a powerful blend of natural ingredients including amino acids and proteins from foods commonly eaten by bass.  The salt and scent are in the bait, not on it.  This is very important.  The bass will not let go of the bait due to the salt, scent and the natural feel of the Senko to the bass.  Although the salt and the scent are important and cause the bass to keep a hold on the Senko, the action is the attraction. The Senko comes in six sixes a 9X, 9L, 9, 9S, 9J and a new 9B (from seven to three inches) and in many colors.
     The Senko can be fished many ways such as texas rigged with or without weight, wacky rigged, drop shot, carolina rigged, mojo rigged or as a soft jerk bait.  In this article I will discuss how to fish the Senko texas rigged.  Insert a Sugoi hook; I prefer a 2/0 or a 3/0 Sugoi hook; into the flat non-tapered end of the senko.  Please note that the Sugoi hook is currently only available through GYCB and some tackle stores such as Green Top in Virginia.  Gamakatsu makes these hooks exclusively for GYCB. 
     A Gamakatsu offset shank hook may also be used, but beware when skin hooked, the offset shank hook will put a hump in the bait and some action of the bait is sacrificed. Sugoi hooks will not cause a hump in the bait.  The Senko will remain straight and you will obtain optimal action.  I prefer not to use any more that a one eighth ounce worm weight and I always peg the weight. Under certain circumstances such as a strong current you can increase the weight. 
     Gary Yamamoto prefers to use the screw in type weights when fishing the senko this way.  I also use 16 to 20 lb. Sugoi Fluorocarbon line on a 7-foot medium heavy Allstar Titanium rod with a Marado ICON600 baitcasting reel.  As you know a good rod is important for feel and the hook set.  That is why I prefer the Allstar Titanium rod with an extra fast tip.  It is light, well balanced and the sensitivity goes unmatched.  It also has plenty of backbone for good hook sets. You may now flip, pitch or cast the Senko at your designated targets. 
     You can fish the Senko tight lined or you can use the method that I prefer to fish: once the Senko hits the water, drop your rod tip, lose contact with the Senko and let it free fall to the bottom. When using this bait with weight the Senko does not fall straight down as most soft plastics. It will dart and glides like a dead or dying baitfish. Once it lands on the bottom raise your rod tip to approximately ten o’clock and wind in most of the slack.  Keep a bow in your line and watch your line closely.  Bass may inhale the Senko on the fall but a common Senko bite is one where you will feel a couple of taps similar to a perch bite.  Do not set the hook until the line moves.  If your line is not already running but you believe a bass has taken the Senko, sweep your rod tip slowly putting tension on the bait.  If a bass has taken the Senko it will think that the bait is trying to get away and run with it.  Now set the hook and enjoy. 
     A common mistake in Senko fishing is setting the hook to fast.  “Let the fish have it” as instructed to me by Gary Yamamoto while fishing with him during B.A.S.S. Megabucks in Tennessee this year.
     I also like to fish the Senko texas rigged but weightless.  I either fish it the same as described above or I will fish it like soft jerk bait.  When fished weightless the bait does not fall vertically it falls horizontally.  The slightest rod tip movement will cause the Senko to dart up, down and sideways. You can also use the new Senko lites texas rigged on top of the water.  They have less salt therefore are much lighter and will sink slower. They are great for fishing grass and pads as they will not snag or grab the grass or pads. Needless to say my Ranger boat never leaves without plenty of Senkos. 
     The Inside Line is a bi-monthly magazine published by Gary Yamamoto.  The subscribers are entitled to benefits such as trying newly developed baits and or colors, before they are made available to the public.  The magazine will also run specials on baits for subscribers only.  It has articles on fishing GYCB products as well as other manufactures products.  The Inside Line is where I first discovered the Senko and learned how to fish it with great success. 
     You can subscribe to Gary Yamamoto’s Inside Line at www.insideline.net.  For $15.00 you not only get a fantastic magazine for one year but you also get a FREE Yamamoto DVD (Grub and Senko Secrets). You can also receive up to fifty dollars of free products if you wear a GYCB hat, shirt or patch, get your photo taken and placed in a newspaper or magazine and mention GYCB. 

 "As published in the June 2002 edition of The Sportsman's Magazine"