The Yamamoto Senko

Senko For Bass



The Senko is a plain plastic worm looking lure; but in fact is a soft plastic jerkbait and is anything but plain. This thing is a fish catching machine. Like the crankbait, when rigged and used correctly it’s a killer lure in and around shallow water cover and structure.

The senko is a Gary Yamamoto lure. And in my opinion, it’s the best thing Gary Yamamoto ever put on the market. It comes in most any color that you could desire.
Senkos are made of the same type plastic silicone material as most all plastic worms; however much more dense. This gives it much more weight; allowing it to cast better and sink faster when fished weightless as it was originally designed to be fished.

How to rig the senko

This bait is most effective when used as a jerkbait. Basically you should rig the senko the same as a carolina rig; however without the weight and with a shorter leader.

You’ll need a senko, a 3/0 or 4/0 worm hook (preferably an offset shank worm hook) a barrel swivel and a 12 to 16 inch piece of line for the leader. The purpose of using the barrel swivel and leader with this lure is to reduce line twist caused by the eratic action of the bait.

First tie the barrel swivel to your line. Then tie your leader to the opposite end of the barrel swivel and tie on your hook. Now insert the hook point into the head of the senko about 1/4 inch and bring the hook point out the side of the bait. Then pull the lure up onto the offset shank and rotate the hook so that the point is facing the body of the senko. Insert the hook point completely through the body of the bait then pull it back in just enough to keep the hook point unexposed. Now your ready to go

Senko fishing

The senko is designed to be fished as a jerk bait; however can be used for deep water applications as well. It works great on a carolina rig with a weight, but is most often fished wieghtless and in shallow cover. Fish the senko just as you would any other jerkbait but be aware that this type bait has an obvious distinct advantage over hard plastic or wood baits with multiple treble hooks when it come to fishing heavy cover. Cast it to the cover and work it back with a short twitching motion pausing between each twitch to let the bait sink.


The twitch and pause of this bait is what makes it so deadly for bass fishing. the action perfectly imiatates injured or dying prey. This triggers the bass predatory instinct to strike.


If the fish aren't coming up to get the bait don't be afraid to let the bait sink deep into the cover. Many times I have made several cast to a piece of cover without a strike. And then cast the senko into the cover and let it sink completely to the bottom and come out with a nice fish.

Fishing the senko is a very visual presentation in clear water. If you see a fish strike the bait wait until the bait is no longer visible in the fishes mouth to set the hook.
This bait can be a killer. So anytime fish are shallow don’t forget to try a senko

Until next time

Fishhound