Fast-Sinking vs Slow-Sinking Senko Style Worms (Stickworms)

The wildly popular and productive category of soft bait called stickworms all began with the Yamamoto Senko. In fact, this category of worm is often called Senko, regardless of brand. This is much like the brand Kleenex has become a general term for all tissues no matter who the maker. Anyways, do not assume that all brand stick worms are created equal to the Yamamoto Senko, because they are not. 

Worm Sink Rate

The main difference centers on the sink rate of the worm. This is a key factor when fishing these worms without added weight, whether rigged wacky or Texas-style. The Yamamoto Senko sink rate is faster than many of the knockoffs because it is simply more dense. I'm not exactly sure why they are, but it certainly involves plastic formulation. Perhaps it is the high concentration of salt, and/or maybe it has something to do with the plastic composition itself. I'm unsure, but I know they sink faster than the knockoffs.

The faster sink rate has advantages when rigged weightless. First and most important, as the Yamamoto Senko falls horizontally, the tips begin to wobble due to its faster sink rate coupled with the unique composition of the plastic. This wobble fools bass into thinking the worm is a real living thing. The knock-offs do not wobble nearly as well. 

Second, the Yamamoto Senko takes less time to reach the targeted depth when rigged weightless. Therefore, an individual cast will take less time, which translates to an angler having the ability to make more casts over the course of a day's fishing. I estimate that I choose a Yamamoto Senko 95% of the time when rigging weightless as compared to other brands that sink more slowly.

When You Want a Slow Sink Rate

Given the last statement, that means I prefer the slower sinking stickworms 5% of the time. There are two very niche circumstances where I'll make this preference change to slow-sinking stickworms.

The first niche involves situations where I must present a slow presentation above clingy weeds just under the surface. I prefer the slower sink rate because I want the worm to hover above the weeds as long as possible, giving a lethargic bass ample time to swim to the worm and eat it. The Yamamoto Senko's faster sink-rate doesn't allow enough time for a slower bass. It will sink down into the clingy weeds, ending the effectiveness of the presentation as the worm is enveloped by weeds. Oftentimes I can just use a topwater lure in this situation.  But when I am skipping under docks and over-hanging trees in the presence of such weeds, I can skip a stickworm better than any topwater plug. Also, there are times when the worm is simply preferred to a topwater.

The second niche for choosing a slower-sinking stickworm is when bass are suspended right under floating boat docks that are common in many southern reservoirs. Many of these docks will have more than 10 feet of water near the ends of them. I'll often observe such bass behavior right around the spawn, especially from females that have just completed spawning and have moved away from a nest. These bass are often very lethargic, so I want a presentation that remains up in the water column for a longer period of time. I feel the Yamamoto Senko sinks too fast for some of these lethargic bass, so they leave it alone and just watch it disappear into the depths.

Adding Weight to the Worm

Once an angler starts adding weight to a stickworm, other factors come into play when deciding which brand to choose . Rigging them on Neko rigs and traditional Texas-rigs has become very popular and effective. However, the wobble of a Yamamoto Senko no longer occurs with these rigging methods, so that advantage over the knockoff brands is nullified. In fact, two factors that come into play may actually tip the scales towards choosing a knock-off. First, knock-offs usually cost less. And second, knock-offs are usually more durable.

So indeed, in my boat I do carry fast-sinking stickworms (Yamamoto Senkos) and the slower-sinking knock-offs. There are situations when one style is preferrable over the other. But if I had to pick just one, without hesitation I would choose the Yamamoto Senko.