Northwest Fishing Reports

I just received these in the mail last week and i got to test them out the other day. These things are way better than those stupid Senko's!

Ok, I like the Senko, but $6 for 10 of them is ridiculous. Also, Senkos only last one or two fish and then they are done. These Bass Pro Stik-O's come in a 20 pack and are $4.99. They have the same movement and are a whole lot more durable. I ordered two packs of the 6" (watermelon black flake, and texas smoke), one pack of the monster 7" (10 pack), and one 3" pack for smallies.

The total order with shipping came to $24. Sure, that might get me 4 pks of senkos (40 baits) but I got almost twice as many and they last 10 times longer.

I was at lake Holmes the other day and landed 4 bass around 10-12". I managed one that was 14", but all together it was a rainy overcast day when I normally don't do well with senkos. I did have one fish on way up under a tree that was definitely over 3lbs, but it swam straight back at my float tube out of the only opening in the tree and threw the hook. The point of this all is that I caught all this fish on one of the stik-o's, not the 2-3 it would have taken me with a Senko.

Anyways, hope this helps some people out that don't like to spend all that money on Senko's.

I use the stick-o baits too. They look like a senko, taste like a senko (don't ask!), and mine seemed to fall apart like a senko also. The price is a whole lot better though, even with shipping.

I love senkos. I mean LOVE them. but yeah i have to agree the price on them is just outrageous, and yeah they might as well dissolve in water they tear up so easy. Unfortunately i havent found a stick bait that compares.

The stick-o, however, is close enough for me. They are loaded with salt, and absolutely reek with Yum attractant. oddly they use the Yum attractant but are far superior to Yum's own "dinger" stick bait. anyways the only complaint i have with them is that they are not quite as supple as the senkos, but this can be solved by simply squeezing the stick-o with your fingers all over the bait, basically mashing it up a bit. hold one up and let it bend over before you squeeze and one after you squeeze, youll notice that the squeezed one is much droopier and softer. another easy way is to just beat the whole bag of them up for a bit.

also i like that the standard size is 6", a whole inch larger than the standard senko. this means that when your stick-o becomes shredded, you can cut the top inch off, thus moving your hook into rip free areas of the bait, and still fish with what would be a full sized senko.

Funny I saw this thread. I have had the BPS stick-o's laying around for a while. I actually used them tonight instead of Senko's. BrianM, they may work just fine, but don't think for a minute they fall the same as Senko's, don't kid yourself :colors: I will agree, they may work just fine, and they definetly hold up better than Senko's. Reason they hold up better is because they don't have nearly the salt content in them. Tonight, I was throwing the Stick-O's in towards shoreline limbs, doing the yo-yo trick, and they held up great.

Edit: Nik, almost posted the same time as me. I'll agree with some things you said Nik. I however like the Yum Dingers more than the Stick-O's, so far. I'll be using the BPS more though I'm sure, because I have a ton laying around. Great tip about cutting off the head area, and re rigging into fresh plastic. I do that with senko's all the time, you have to for the price ;)

use a little bit of soft plastic glue and you will increase the life of your senkos. the stick-os sink alot slower than senkos. there is a slight difference between all the stickbaits, i for one will probably always throw yamamoto senko. my buddy was tossing alluring baits all weekend i was tossing senkos. i got bit more than him. but he did land one more fish than i did. (totally my fault) so they are pretty close.

Luckily the bass, at least where I usually fish, don't have a senko nearby for comparison. I think it all comes down to confidence. Also, there are several different generations of the stick-o baits. The earlier ones were more rubbery and covered in external salt.

NO other stick bait compares to The Senko period .. the only time i switch is when im using one of Yums stick bait for a certain color that isn't offered by Yamomato .. im lucky in the fact that i get one color not offered to the public yet and it produces very well, "friends in high places"..i have tried other stic baits and they just cant duplicate that Senko Fall like "nik" said earlier ... Im awaiting for this guy to design a "Swimbait" that will top the market soon ..as far as the price for these senkos , i feel like he can ask for it because they will produce period ... if there was one jig on the market that offered the same results how much would you pay for one ? $10.00 each? lol ... BBD

day after day, i throw plastics, all makes and models. they are my go to bait, and its what i use most often. as most people, i only use what works for me. everything stated below has worked for me. they have all caught fish, and big fish for that matter.

my buddy and i have used, and tested each bait out. with the same setup, and on the same day. all baits sink at the same rate, as we tested them with the exact same setup, with 2 identical rods, hooks and lines. if you want them to sink at a faster rate, and fish them weightless, i suggest you put a nail in them. the nail works wonders sometimes.

we have used them in many different sizes and colors. from 3 inches all the way up to 8 inches. after a full season of testing, we have narrowed our selection down to 4 - 6 inch baits.

i started out using strike king, as it was the only ones available during the times i tested them out. after the first few trials, i had days of non stop action. cast after cast, i caught 2 - 3 pound largemouth and smallmouth all day. after that i was hooked.

i stick to what works, and hate change. the amount of bait you get per package, which is 4, it rediculous. which is the main reason why i looked for a bulk package. strike king didnt have anything, so i had to look for something new. the good thing was that they were so durable that one package would last me a whole day. though the more fish i caught, the more baits i would go through. this would cause more of a problem, as i rarely fish by myself, and often share baits.

i found that yum offered a similar product, with more baits per package. as i found more ways to fish them, the yum baits often got beat up, and were often unusable after one cast. they caught just as many fish as strike king, and had more baits per package, the only downfall was you went through more baits during the day. sometimes i would change so many baits i would go through 3 - 4 packages in a day. therefore i had to find a bait which was sold in bulk, but also durable.

this is what lead me to basspro. they come in bulk, and are very durable, as i often slam my baits into docks, stumps, lily pads and heavy brush. all my big fish have come off basspro lures.

all the times i have changed baits, my buddy has used yamamoto baits while fishing in the same boat. all times, we have caught fish, and no one has really outfished the other.

as stated above, all of the baits do catch fish, and fall at the same rate. below are some of their advantages. we didnt just test them in one lake, but many. we also didnt just test them for 1 day, or 1 hour, this was over a whole fishing season.

most would pose the question, which one do you prefer now. well, if you took a look at my tackle box, everything out of their normal packaging and in ziplock bags. so you couldnt tell what i was using. truth be told, my whole box is full of basspro stuff. they only time i stray now is if they dont have the color im using.

my buddy who in the past used yamamoto, now strictly uses basspro. my results proved my buddy as a true believer, as he made the complete switch. more so, that he only carries one specific color.



dont get me wrong, others may use different products with the similar results. test a few out, and see what you like.

BASSPRO: - www.basspro.com
- cost effective

STRIKE KING: - www.strikeking.com
- very durable

YAMAMOTO: - www.baits.com
- readily available at most stores

YUM: - www.yumbaits.com
- very soft

Dingers, Senkos, Stik-os are all great baits. I have also come across a very durable and very supple bait the tiki-stick, yes another stick bait. I will simply echo what has been said, "Use it if it works for you." I keep a good stock of all of these baits in my tournament box.

im a grub guy myself, but, my friends swear by the senko's. what is the technique used and how do you rig them? not trying to butt into someone else's thread, i just would like to finally know. thanks.

There are many ways that senkos can be rigged. The most popular is texas rigged without a weight. There is also wacky rigged where you simply hook it though the middle of the bait. They are fished a variety of ways as well. Just letting them fall is very effective, or using them as a jerk bait, and on and on and on...... Pick up a pack, experiment. They are a good plastic.

thanks quickfish, im going to try it this week-end!

lots of other ways to rig them as well. drop shot, split shot, nose hook, you can wacky hook it anywhere on the bait each spot will give it a different affect. my favorite is to texas rig it with a wide gap hook.