I’m going to return to Senko worms this year. I will be fishing areas in central Minnesota, the Mississippi and Rum rivers, and the BWCA. I spent the winter getting some new gear. I’m going to try using the o-ring in the middle unweighted method and the Neko rigged way with nail weights. I also have some tiny blades on swivels that screw into the plastic to add to the other end of the Neko rig. I used to like watermelon or pumpkin colors, but there might be better colors now. Are they still the hot colors? What colors do you people like for Smallies? Any help will be appreciated, thanks.

Watermelon red magic and the watermelon/green pumpkin colors with chartreuse tip. 'nuff said.

I use these a lot, on the Mississippi and in the BW. My formula is to throw black on overcast days or murky water. Watermelon/white in clear water and sunny conditions.

Not sure how much color matters because but this pretty much always works.

I rig them wacky unweighted (4” version) the vast majority of the time and have never bothered with the O ring.

The Neko rig is intriguing, sometimes it’s nice to get down there faster. In those situations I have used them on a drop shot rig and that worked well.

My go to color has always been Watermelon/Black Flake. Fished this color from Massachusetts to California,Canada to Texas. It has never failed to catch fish.

Avid user of senkos for bass since 2010. While pumpkin and white will work under certain conditions, in BWCA I always make sure I have: watermelon/black fleck, green with a touch of blue fleck, watermelon with a touch of red fleck, and blue/black mix. Watermelon with half white great for LMB as well. Always use O rings, superglued on with hook buried just a touch into the worm (prevents yank offs by small bass, who sometimes kill themselves swallowing a loose worm). 5 to 6 inch best for shallow bass to 8 ft, 4 inch on jig or neko great for deeper and will catch walleyes quite efficiently. Always use hi-vis line with a fluoro leader tied on.

I have only used white...will have to try some different colors now.

T

Cinnamon yamasenko is my favorite

Blue with yellow tip. I buy a bag of 100 at Christopherson's in Alexandria MN. They make them right on site.

I also like the watermelon or any of them with the flecks in them. Pink, which looks ridiculous, can also work well.

Why do you prefer a flouro leader?

Savage Voyageur: "I’m going to return to Senko worms this year. I will be fishing areas in central Minnesota, the Mississippi and Rum rivers, and the BWCA. I spent the winter getting some new gear. I’m going to try using the o-ring in the middle unweighted method and the Neko rigged way with nail weights. I also have some tiny blades on swivels that screw into the plastic to add to the other end of the Neko rig. I used to like watermelon or pumpkin colors, but there might be better colors now. Are they still the hot colors? What colors do you people like for Smallies? Any help will be appreciated, thanks. "

Only thing I will say is always use the o ring! It helps keep the bait on and together .. saves you senkos !!!

Update on the opener. My biggest one today was a 19” but many in the 16” size. I caught them on a #1 wide gap hook with a saddle type double o-ring on three colors that I tried. The colors were watermelon fleck, pumpkin fleck. What really surprised me was my biggest was on a watermelon green/chartreuse laminate. The water was crystal clear but it still hit on that color worm. Nothing in nature is bright chartreuse yet it hit on it. I tried it thinking why on earth did I buy this color? But it turned out being just the color.

I’ve found that the saddle double o-ring gives me a better hook set because it is sideways to the worm, as opposed to just an o ring that the hook is pointed with the worm. When the fish bites it’s usually midway on the worn when it attacks it. The extra wide gap hook just naturally sets itself.

Twenty9inarow: "Why do you prefer a flouro leader?"

He probably uses a high visible line so he can see the general area of the worm. Then uses the fluorocarbon line so it sinks faster and is nearly invisible to the fish. Fluorocarbon is also more abrasion resistant from around docks and piling, rocks and fish teeth. Fluorocarbon also has zero stretch and will get better hook set deeper in the fishes jaw.

Green Pumpkin has delivered me nearly every trophy bass. Black with blue/purple flake is another great one for the iron waters of BWCA. Have thrown the pumpkin with chartreuse tips but never had luck on them.

The great mystery of fishing.
Is it the best color because you use it the most?
Or is it the best color because it catches the most?