I may not be the best angler in the world but if there's one thing I've learned over the last few years, it's that summer time is a time to slow WAY down. Now of course we're talking those hot hazy days of summer when there's no ripples on the water and you're thinking of fishing naked to beat the heat (but you won't do that again after those cottagers started throwing rocks from their dock the last time).
On days like these I've experienced Largemouth like to just hold up on something and kill daylight until it's cooler. I've found docks and weeds do well as a starting point.
Both spots are perfect for Senko fishing and I've found three ways to rig them. Everyone has their own brand but I've always been partial to Gary Yamamoto (the original), Dream Fishing or XZone brands.
As for the rigs let's start with everyone's favorite - the WACKY rig!
I've never had the chance to see what this looks like under water but from what I've seen from the boat, the two ends wiggle pretty nice on its way down. In order to get that wiggle you're going to need an 'O' ring and a Wacky Hook, I suggest a size 1. Simply slide the 'O' ring over the worm and move it to the center. You can use a Wacky Tool to help do this as well. Once the 'O' ring is on slide your hook underneath and include a bit of of the worm with it. Getting a bit of the worm will help keep little fish from stealing it.
The wacky rig has an exposed hook and may get hooked up on docks and weeds but if it's fished gently it can be used almost anywhere. If you would like to give it a better chance you can get weedless wacky versions of the same Wacky Hook.
If you want something you can really get into gunk with, I would try the next rig - TEXAS RIGGED.
I'm sure you've used Texas rigging for some of your other baits. It's often used in flipping creature baits or carolina rigs. If you've never done it before, the hook installation can seem confusing to read about. The first step is to get the right hook. There's two kinds and everyone has their own preference. The first kind is an offset worm hook and the second an offset wide gap hook. I've mostly used the wide gap hook but this year I've started to try the worm hook, I feel like there's less metal sticking out the side of the worm.
To install the hook, you need to take note of the offset part of the hook (the part near the eye). What you're going to do is stick the hook into the worm, the same length as the offset portion. This is so when you slide the worm up, it fits perfectly on that section. Once you've inserted it down far enough you will push the hook back out of the worm. Feed the whole hook through, turning it to slide the bait up the offset portion near the eye. If you've done this correctly, the point should be back facing at the bait. You should be able to rest the bend of the hook over the worm. This is actually the next step as you'll need to put your fingers where the bend of the hook is. This will be a reference point to use as you bend the worm and push the tip through the bait. Once you're fully through the bait, pushed to the first bend, gently pull the worm up and over the point of the hook - this will make it fully weedless.
This presentation falls different too. Instead of the straight drop with wiggle on both ends like the wacky version, this one glides on the way down. It's also perfect as a finesse jerk bait where the bait glides down on the pause.
Option 3 is a DROP SHOT. It's the first way I ever caught a fish on a drop shot - in fact, that fish is the one I use on my logo! The best part of doing drop shot is you can go wacky or nose hooked. Nose hooked is just like you would any other drop shot bait, just your number 1 owner hook through the blunt end of the worm. If you've never done a drop shot before it's pretty easy, VMC even makes a cool Spinshot Dropshot Hook.
If you don't feel like getting another hook, I don't blame ya. You can use the owner hooks and just do a palomar knot with a really long tag end. Feed that tag end back through the eye of the hook and tie your weight on the bottom.
And there ya are! Three ways to rig a simple stick bait for more fish this summer. Comment down below on what way are you going to rig it up? I'd love to see pix of all those senko fish, tag me in them on Instagram (@orilliafishing) or Facebook (@orilliafishing)