Stick ‘em on a Stickbait
Well, it’s hot. Very hot. The summer months in the Northeast can bring heat waves as strong as anywhere in the country, but don’t let it keep you off the water. You can catch some big, lethargic bass in the dog days of summer, and the stickbait is the way to go.
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A classic in the bass world and deemed the best bass-fishing bait by many, the Senko can be fished in a number of ways. Let’s just be real—it gets bites, time and time again. Many people consider it to be a very boring lure, but here are a few ways I like to fish it that will keep you more engaged on every cast.
One of my favorite techniques for covering more water with a stickbait, and getting it down deeper, is the weighted wacky hook. Docks and deep grass have huge amounts of quality bass in the height of summer, but larger baits that get down in the depths may not convince fish to eat like a Senko can. I love to target deeper docks in the summertime. Other baits, like jigs and Texas rigs, will fall to the bottom too quickly and miss the fish that are suspended underneath. A weightless Senko may fall too slowly, though that is where the weighted wacky hook comes into play. I stick with lighter weight to keep a natural, slow Senko fall, which always draws attention. Look into hooks like the VMC Weedless Wacky jighead. Keep the weight at about 1/8 ounce and the hook size around 1/0.
Another quick tip for Senkos is to pay attention to the type of grass present in your chosen lake and its color. In my experience, matching your stickbait color to the prominent vegetation keeps the presentation extremely natural, which is why the bait is as effective as it is. For example, a lot of milfoil found in Northeast lakes is dark green, which makes the green pumpkin Senko a great option.
Drop-shotting is a key technique to master for summertime fishing and pairing this with a Senko can be incredibly effective. I absolutely love to fish a dropshot Senko rigged wacky style in deep grass. Adjust your leader length to the height of the grass off the bottom and hold your Senko down deep, right above the grass line. When you find a clump of grass with fish, it is really hard to beat this technique.
Finally, don’t forget about a traditional Texas rig. I use a peg, as well, on top of a bullet weight. The Senko works perfectly on a Texas rig because it allows for long casts and can be easily worked through areas of dense vegetation. The 3/16-ounce tungsten bullet weights are a choice option as they’re heavy enough to make long casts but light enough to maintain a natural fall. The length of the stickbait will dictate how large your hook should be, but 3/0 or 4/0 EWG hooks are always good options.
The stickbait/Senko is the most universal bait in bass fishing. It’s also a bait to put younger or newer anglers on good fish. As technical as we bass anglers can be, there’s always room to go back to the basics and give a proven bait a unique twist to keep a bent rod. Make sure to keep a Senko on deck this summer—you’ll be thankful you have it when all else fails.
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