Yo fishermen, gimme advice on soft stickbaits

[mothershipconnection]

So, I've finally become a believer in soft plastics, notably, the Kinami Flash/Yamasenko.

I'd never had any luck with soft plastics, but I was using Kreature or Brush Hog type soft plastics and finally decided to go with the stickbaits when the lake I fish simply got too weedy to use anything with exposed hooks. I've found the Kinami Flash Chartreuse Shad to be absolutely deadly, as I caught 17 bass in 3 hours Sunday - by far my best day of the year.

On the heels of this success, I wanted to know what else everyone uses. I hear Yum Dingers (or Tiki sticks) work alright but with a different fall rate, and are cheaper. I use a Gamakatsu 3/0 or 4/0 hook, anyone have a favorite method? Finally, and this is my biggest issue, the sticks tend to twist your line up something fierce, does anyone have experience with barrel swivels when using these worms? I assume it'd take the twist out, but I fear the weight would mess with that slow fluttering fall.

[EsoxLazer]

Mothership: Although not a stickbait, Musky Innovations makes all different of sizes of Bulldawgs, an all rubber jerk/pull bait. Their MicroDawgs and SpringDawgs are pretty small and I know plenty of guys that have been doing really well on them for bass on the local lakes. If you want, e-mail me at elazenby19@yahoo.com and I can send you some drawings of mods that Ive made to make them weedless. They are a great bait and extremely versatile...can be fished shallow over or in the weeds, dropped along the breaklines, and with a little creativity texas or carolina rigged. Take a look at muskyinnovations.com to see their different sizes and colors.

[foamboy1]

I love this place....you can create a topic on anything, including soft stickbaits and get an educated response.

[mothershipconnection]

The bulldawgs may be a little rich for my blood. They do look a lot like some of the curly tail swimming shads I like though.

That, and I'm really looking at salt-impregnated worms I can finesse fish along the beds - everyone says salt is a necessity (and that Senkos work because they have a ton of salt) when they move this slow, since they're held onto longer by bass.

[brettac1]

I like the Gary Yamamotos, the laminated Swimsenkos, especially. You can really hammer the bass with them, near the shores and in shallow areas.

 

Joe Bucher's Pro Finesse are pretty solid in this department, as well.

[mothershipconnection]

I've read about swimsenkos in magazines and seen them in stores, but you're the first actual person I've heard talk about them. What is the movement like? How does it compare to a standard Senko stick? I assume you just swim them weightless (Like a Sluggo) as opposed to just letting them sink and using a very slow retrieval.

[brettac1]

Yeah, just let them out without a weight (though a light screw-in weight can work really well, like a 1/8 oz. - I think Yamamoto says that himself), and use slow methodical moves with it. The beauty of them is that they don't have a consistent movement pattern like a lot of other baits do, which over time bass have come to recognize and stay away from. It has a more natural movement than a regular senko stick does (though it's not a swim bat, per se), so I think that allows it to move through grass and stuff near shore more easily - which is where you can catch a bigger bass.

[EsoxLazer]

Mothership...send me your address and I'll send you a few microdawgs that I have and dont use. You can buy a little kit to do your own salt impregnating if you want to go that route. If you like them and want to pick up a few more, Bass Pro usually has them on sale for around 5 bucks. The musky sized versions can get pretty pricey since they get ripped apart pretty easily...just gotta get good at melting them back together once they get torn to shreds. I think I have a bunch of the other Bucher soft plastics and some smaller hybrid baits that I can send as well(hard plastic body, soft plastic tails). I really don't do much bass fishing anymore and would rather someone get some use out of them instead of them just collecting dust.

[BraunsBoyfriend]

Wow, I always thought you just put a worm on a hook and prayed. Interesting stuff!

[mothershipconnection]

Wow, I always thought you just put a worm on a hook and prayed. Interesting stuff!

 

Nah, that's only when you're drunk. For those at all interested, this is what I'm talking about.

 

http://www.probassfishing.ca/articles/images/Senko-Texas-Style.jpg

[chuckiehacks]

These are absolutely deadly for bass. I've used them all over Southeast WI, in both lakes and the Milwaukee River. I don't even take a tackle box fishing anymore, just a box of hooks and a bag of Yamamotos. Brown seems to work best for me.