best bet for smallies

I thought you got your assed kicked if you were a guy with earings in Southie

Depends on who you are and who you know.

So that's why you moved

LOL, they chased him out of town with torches and pitchforks in their hands!

Seriously though, the same can go for Senkos if you are feeling the bite early enough and setting the hook right away. I'd say 85% of my Senko fish are hooked in the top lip, with my Senko past the hook and up my line. The rest can be gut hooked, but if you go through the gil, reverse the hook direction and snip the line, almost always there will be minimal to no bleeding and the fish is fine. They've stayed in livewell and released absolutely lively and kicking. The worse out of it all is a quick line retie, but it's worth it to me to save the life of that fish each and every time!

Just my 7 1/2 cents on the subject!

This debate always hits a nerve! Can a Senko type bait with a single hook be any worse than a lure full of trebles? To me treble hooks are brutal on a fish. I hate using them but sometimes forced to use that type of bait.

This debate always hits a nerve! Can a Senko type bait with a single hook be any worse than a lure full of trebles? To me treble hooks are brutal on a fish. I hate using them but sometimes forced to use that type of bait.

A treble will do more structural damage for sure but a fish can recover from it. A single hook to the gut the bleeds is a death sentence close to 100% of the time

bed fish sometimes have tons of holes in their mouths and survive. the gut hook and bleeding is far worse.

If people would just set the hook when they feel the fish there wouldn't be that problem! It's kind of like the guys I watch ice fishing that let the fish run with the shiner what seems like forever! Flag pops, feel fish, set hook! It's not complicated!

If people would just set the hook when they feel the fish there wouldn't be that problem! It's kind of like the guys I watch ice fishing that let the fish run with the shiner what seems like forever! Flag pops, feel fish, set hook! It's not complicated!

There in lies the problem with a senko. Its a slack line technique for the most part. cast it out and let it fall, and fall, and fall, twitch, pull, let it fall and fall. 85% of the hits happen when the line is slack. They do not feel the fish till the slack is reeled in or the fish is swimming off.
The high salt content in baits like this fool the fish into thinkiing it is reel and they swallow the bait quicker.

I can only remember one instance last year that I nicked a gill with a treble hook out of hundreds. My son fished with me twice, caught 2 fish and guthooked one with a senko. 50% kill rate.

Are people really guy hooking a lot of fish while senko fishing? I don't think I have ever had this happen? Get a better hook if you are. I think a fish biting off the senko and swallowing the plastic is more of a concern.

You have to be a line watcher too. You can tell (at least anyone worth their salt as a fisherman) when you get a hit on a falling bait. The debate on what does what to who, when and how can be endless.

Bottom line, fishing has consequences to the fish every time no matter how big or small. For every action there is a reaction. The level of those consequences is what separate the responsible fishermen from the dopes!

I crush the barbs just to be on safe side. When I first started fishin senkos had some gut hooks but as I learned to detect slightest hit far n few now. Just them real windy days can be tough. I will try n set hook even with slight doubt sometimes. Rather be to quick then to late n kill a fish. The bucket brigade does enough of that for us.

Like thelucky stated, a lot of the fish are swallowing baits that are thrown off the hook. I have watched bass swimming the shallows pick up a soft stick bait, drop it, pick it up again and swim away. I'm sure this happens with all scented soft plastics. It bothers me, but what can you do?

Like thelucky stated, a lot of the fish are swallowing baits that are thrown off the hook. I have watched bass swimming the shallows pick up a soft stick bait, drop it, pick it up again and swim away. I'm sure this happens with all scented soft plastics. It bothers me, but what can you do?

So you don't like fishing baits full of treble hooks and don't like seeing fish swim off with plastics.....how do you fish exactly?

I am talking about plastics without a hook! Nothing you can do when the bait gets thrown off. I don't eat freshwater fish so I don't keep them. That is why I get concerned when a fish gets mangled by hooks. I crimp my barb on soft plastics so I have never had a problem with a deep hook.

I am talking about plastics without a hook! Nothing you can do when the bait gets thrown off. I don't eat freshwater fish so I don't keep them. That is why I get concerned when a fish gets mangled by hooks. I crimp my barb on soft plastics so I have never had a problem with a deep hook.

Haha I know I'm just playing. I'm with you. The few times I've taken my fiancé out she has gut hooked fish using senkos. I started Texas rigging the bait real deep and using non salt senkos with her until she learns.

There was a stretch this summer where I had bass inhale a brush hog it got gut hooked. Happened to me twice in a two hour window in a tourney and I didn't pick up the rod again. If I can't set the hook correctly I don't deserve to use it. Sometimes they are just so aggressive to certain baits its hard to prevent it.