Author: Taylor Hale – Tournament Coordinator

Photos: Prover

Subject: Senkos for Suspended Bass

I started hearing hype about Senko’s a couple of years ago. Of course I went out and bought several bags and tried unsuccessfully to fish them several times over the last few seasons. By the end of last year they were hanging on my own personal “Wall of Shame” – with the rest of the forgotten toys and lures. Fortunately, I decided to pull them out for one last run earlier this year and have finally developed some confidence in a couple of specific techniques.

At the Fish-On Bass Angler’s Conowingo tournament held this past May on the Susquehanna River, I was looking for a way to fish almost vertically along deep bluff banks. Then, when fishing Little Seneca Lake in the Black Hill Regional Park I was faced with fishing almost vertically down standing timber in 25+ feet of water. While it turns out that my “great idea” is used commonly in the southern lakes, it still is a great option for fishing for suspended Bass in any fishery. Although I haven’t been able to turn up enough keepers in either tournament fishing this way, I definitely caught fish that I wouldn’t otherwise have been able to hook. In fact, while practicing before Black Hill, I caught 6 solid keepers up to ~17” long in high wind conditions that had bass holding tight to cover. So what was the magic combination?

Slider heads and Senkos

I used a 1/8 oz Slider head and a 4” green pumpkin Senko to cast to nearby trees and rock bluffs. For both Conowingo and Black Hill a key was cutting down the Senko to 3” long, although for different reasons at each lake.

Fishing for suspending Largemouth Bass in the creeks of the Conowingo Reservoir I was looking for small profile baits. If I had 3” Senko’s with me they would have been perfect. Even with a quarter of the length removed from the 4” bait, the larger diameter and mass meant that the bait fell quickly. Along the rock banks I wanted to doodle the bait down the sides and worked hard to control the fall. Unfortunately, all of my 3” Senko’s were back home on the “Wall.” At Black Hill I cast short distances to standing timber and let the bait fall near the trees. There I needed the extra mass to get the bait down in the water column to where the fish were suspended. I did try the 3” Senko’s but wasn’t happy with the fall rate. I will select the 3” vs. 4” Senko based on where I think the fish are. Conowingo, although typically a clear water lake, was muddy from runoff and water being dropped through the damn. Most of the fish were caught in shallower water near deep drops. I wanted a small profile and light bait. Black Hill is a deep clear water lake with fish suspending along standing timber. Most of the fish were deeper in the water column and I needed a small profile and heavy bait to get to them.

Conowingo

On Conowingo (or any other bluff wall with deep water), I skip the Senko under overhanging tree limbs and shrubs right to the bluff walls. I will immediately close the bail and begin to slowly use my rod to feather the bait down the steep wall. Bites come on the fall and are usually subtle. I rarely feel a solid tap, rather there is pressure and the line starts moving. Pay close attention to the depth where you are getting bites. Bass seem to hold in similar areas throughout the day. I rarely fish the bait all the way back to the boat; instead, I concentrate on keeping my bait in what I think are key areas. The goal is to cover as much water as possible while looking for concentrations of fish. Often, a small change in the contour of the bluff face will hold many fish. If you catch one fish in a spot, cast back as soon as you can.

Little Seneca Lake – Black Hill Regional Park

With ultra-clear water, Black Hill presents a different challenge. There I cast to standing timber from 15’ or more away. Casting to the tree reduces the possibility of the boat spooking the fish. Rather then closing the bail, I allow the bait to free spool down, keeping it as close to the cover as possible. The bite is tough to detect while free spooling. You have to watch your line closely. For the most part, the fish will catch the Senko as it falls and not move off of the trees. You will simply see the line stop before it should. The tough part is not setting the hook right away, often you will be sitting on top of a tree limb and swinging too quickly will result in losing a lot more lures as well as possible fish. I hold the line with my index finger and slowly lift out any slack looking for weight or resistance. If there is something there, close the bail and continue reeling up slack while keeping on the pressure. One of the advantages to the Sliderhead/Senko combination is that the fish hold on well and the hook set’s itself. The other challenge in fishing this way is fighting the bass out of substantial cover with light line. If you keep good pressure on the fish and don’t try to horse it out usually things come out fine. Occasionally though a Bass will wrap you around a tree limb and manage to get off.

Tackle Summary:

1/8 oz Slider head
3” or 4” Senko’s, my preference is green pumpkin but other colors should work.
6’6” Warrior Medium Extra Fast (MXF) Spinning Rod
Shimano Sedona 1000 Spinning Reel
6# Berkley Sensation line

Final Things to Remember

First, I use the conditions to dictate what size, what weight, and what colors to use. I have a lot of confidence in the 1/8 oz Sliderhead and 4” Senko combination fishing for suspended Bass in deep water. That makes it right for me. That’s not to say that other presentations in those conditions won’t work. Experiment and find something that works for you. Second, pay close attention to your line and visualize what your bait is doing. Strikes on the fall are tough to feel to begin with and the Senko bite seems to be subtler than most. Third, fishing around heavy cover with light tackle means that you need to monitor your line and knots often. Too often I haven’t bothered to retie and have broken off good fish. You will break off and lose fish using light tackle anyway, don’t increase the odds of losing that kicker bass with frayed line. Finally, experiment and have fun with it. For me, fishing over deep water structure and cover like is found on Conowingo and Black Hill has been a real eye opener.