I learned to fish Senkos via Wacky Rig. I have had so much success with this rig, that I never thought of changing it. In fact, I did not know there was another way to rig Senkos. That is until a friend of mine told me that he only fishes Senkos via Texas Rig. He blew my mind! After some field testing, I can confidently say that both rigging options are successful in specific situations.
When I fish my Senkos Wacky Rig, I use O-rings. I select the hook and O-rig size based on the Senko’s size. The O-ring absorbs most of the impact during a strike and thereby reduces bait damage. I often catch multiple fish from one single Senko. When one of my Senkos eventually splits in two, I glue the two halves together via super glue. I have re-glued the same Senko multiple times, and caught fish!
When I fish my Senkos Texas Rig, I use a swivel to keep the bait from sliding down the hook. The strength of the swivel is not critical; the top eye of the swivel just needs to reach the eye of the hook.
In clear and shallow water, I fish my Texas Rigged Senkos without weight. When I want to penetrate vegetation or deep water, I thread my line through an appropriately sized weight. I use EWG hooks in sizes proportional to the Senko sizes.
Wacky Rig Senkos exhibit lots of action as they flutter towards bottom. They can be used for multiple fish. However, they do not penetrate vegetation. In contrast, Texas Rig Senkos have less action, they damage easily and often beyond repair. However, they penetrate vegetation and deep water.
