All About Bass Fishing - Guide To Fishing Shallow With Stick Worms

Yamamoto Baits invented the Senko. It is a cigar-shaped worm with little or no action and is designed to be fished without weight so it slowly falls horizontally around shallow cover. Other manufacturers have created similar products to compete for the market created by this successful, shallow-water lure.

3 Most Important Factors About Fishing Shallow With Stick Worms

Senkos fall horizontally rather than vertically like most artificial worms.
Imitates live food and wiggles slightly as it falls.
Can be rigged many ways – Texas style, wacky style and others.

3 Most Effective Fishing Methods & Lures

Fish without weight for natural movement and a slow fall.
Cast to shadows around cover in clear water.
Works best in calm, clear-water conditions.

Senkos fished shallow tease bass into striking them.

Senkos tend to attract bass that are less likely to chase fast-moving lures. This often includes the bigger bass in the area because the lure has a very natural look and action.

It is critical to let the lure fall on a slack line to maintain a natural fall. The most common mistake made by anglers is to keep a taught line in order to stay in contact with the lure. Cast it to a desired target area and let it fall on slack line, watching the line for any twitch or movement. Clear water is ideal for Senko fishing as you can see the bass take the lure. Windy conditions are not favorable to Senko fishing because it moves both the lure and line.

The primary technique is to allow the lure to settle on the bottom, wait for only a few seconds and then retrieve for the next cast.

Rigging Senkos

Wacky style. Because you are fishing the outer edges of cover, you can rig a Senko wacky style with an open, or weedless hook. The concept of wacky style is to attach a hook in the middle of the lure, The hook is attached to the Senko using an O-ring, split ring or other methods of holding the hook without penetrating the hook into the lure. Slide the ring to the center of the Senko and attach the hook by sliding the tip of the hook under the ring. This reduces the likelihood of the lure from breaking when fighting a fish. Use open hook when cover allows to increase hook-set success.

Texas-style. Senkos can be rigged Texas style, weightless, if cover conditions dictate that you do so. It will however have a different action during the fall.

Line without curls is crucial to detecting strikes in water when you are unable to see the bass take the lure. Because there is no weight on the lure, the bite is amazingly soft most of the time. Use line that will lay flat on the water as the lure falls. Braid is ideal because of its floating characteristics, without curl in the line. If you are concerned about bass seeing the line in clear water, add a fluorocarbon or monofilament leader.