How to Fish Fast with a Wacky Rigged Senko

Fishing with a wacky rigged Senko can be a highly effective technique for catching bass. 

The wacky rig refers to the way the bait is hooked, which allows for a more natural and erratic action that can entice fish to bite. Though widely considered a slow, finesse-type presentation, a wacky rigged soft stickbait can also be fished quickly in a quasi power fishing mode.

If you're looking to fish fast with a wacky rigged Senko, here are some tips to help you get started:

Choose the Right Gear: Selecting the right gear can help you fish faster and more efficiently around shallow cover. A medium to medium-heavy spinning rod with a fast action tip is recommended. This will give you the power and sensitivity needed to detect bites and set the hook quickly. Pair your rod with a high-speed spinning reel and 10-20 lb braided line with fluorocarbon leader to help you quickly reel land your catch.

Cast and Retrieve: One of the keys to fishing fast with a wacky rigged Senko is to cast and retrieve quickly. Cast your bait out and let it sink to the desired depth before reeling it in with a steady lift and drop retrieve. You can also try a twitch-and-pause retrieve, which involves twitching your rod tip to make the bait move erratically before letting it pause to sink again.

Quick Tip for Using EWG Worm Hooks with Soft Stickbaits

Ever since I started fishing soft stickbaits over 20 years ago, it became one of my go-to baits from the first trip after ice out until the last before ice in. Though I haven't formally tracked the numbers, the soft stickbait likely accounts for more than half the bass I catch each season. It’s definitely a bass catcher.

Most of the time, I use a 5" (some brands produce slightly longer versions) bait though I also use 4 and 6 inch lengths under certain conditions.

Rigging Soft Stickbaits with EWG-style Hooks

When fishing a soft stickbait, I often switch between a Texas and wacky rig depending on the type of cover being fished and the mood of the bass. A few trips each season, I have several rods rigged with the baits I use for an outing; one rod with a 5” soft stickbait Texas rigged on a 3/0 EWG hook and a second stickbait wacky rigged on a #1 or #1/0 wacky style hook.

Most of the time however, I fish from the bank or a kayak and only carry a couple of rods with me. During those trips, I use a 3/0 EWG hook for both rigs when regularly switching back and forth between the Texas and wacky rigs. That way I don’t spend extra time retying baits during short trips and when I have limited tackle available due to space concerns.

This approach works well when fishing cover like sparse weed patches, rocks/boulders, open docks or logs/stumps without lots of branches. When fishing heavier cover however, I’ll re-rig when switching since the wacky-EWG rig is far from snag proof.

Is this the best system when wacky rigging soft stickbaits?

Perhaps not but when time and gear are short and I want to quickly switch between a Texas and wacky rig, it works for me! :)

Wacky Worming Deep-Water Structures

When most anglers hear the term wacky worm fishing, they instantly think of fishing shallow flats and cover…

Switch out the typical wacky worm and un-weighted hook with the a combination of the newer sinking worms and wacky jig-heads and a whole new dimension opens up …

Now’s the time watch the folks from Angling Edge TV demo how it’s done with heavy-weight worms in the video below!

I love fishing wacky rigged soft stickbaits...

Doesn't matter to me whether it's deep or shallow!

Everyone Loves Wacky Rigs

Most bass anglers love simple bass catching techniques and there aren’t many as popular as the wacky rigged worm.

Originally fished with 5″ to 8″ soft plastic worms, one of the most popular soft stick baits used in wacky rigs today are soft stick baits like the Yamamoto Senko or Yum Dinger…

Take a moment and listen to why FLW Touring Pro, David Dudley believes the wacky rigged soft stick baits is one of his most power bass catching tools…

Soft stickbaits are one of my favorite baits to fish from early spring through early winter and the wacky rig is used at least 1/2 of the time...

How about you?