History is replete with discoveries. Newton watched an apple fall and discovered gravity. Many fishing lures owe their creation to similar, if not quite so profound, observations. In 1830, Julio Buel was eating lunch when he dropped a spoon over the side of the boat and watched it flutter into a fish’s mouth. Eureka! The fishing spoon was born.

The motivation for Heddon’s Zara Spook and its walk-the-dog action was attributed to the way the ladies of the night strutted down Pensacola, Florida’s infamous Zarragossa Street. But a Bic ballpoint pen? That’s what Gary Yamamoto was holding when he envisioned the Senko. This plain-looking but deadly lure leads a parade of new-wave soft plastic baits—seductive lures not from traditional molds. Many are noteworthy for the noise and gyrations they don’t produce rather than the action they impart. And therein lies the secret to their fish-attracting powers.

Super Salty Senko

The Senko may be the ultimate do-nothing lure of all time. According to Gary Yamamoto Custom Bait’s Russ “Bassdozer” Comeau, when you Texas-rig or Wacky-rig a weightless Senko, it falls like no other bait. “A Senko has the consistency to produce lifelike action on the drop,” Comeau says. “This occurs without the angler’s imparting any action and without any unnatural appendages, diving bills, propellers, frilly skirts, or chicken feathers. Senko has a slender baitfish profile, tapered at the head and tail.”

Gary Yamamoto fishes a Senko in a subtle deliberate manner, maximizing the drop and glide portions of the retrieve. If bass are near cover, he pitches the bait beyond and glides it past by slowly raising his rod tip. On deeper structure, he lets the Senko fall on controlled slack before employing the same technique.

The lift is like waving a flag for bass to see. Then they eat the bait as it falls. Watch a Senko carefully and you’ll see it throb subtly from head to tail as it falls horizontally.

Yamamoto uses a 7-foot heavy-action baitcasting rod and matching reel, a 3/0 Gamakatsu EWG hook, and 16-pound-test clear Sugoi fluorocarbon line. A passionate tournament angler, the Texas-based lure maker wondered why many anglers sought to first catch a limit of small bass before hunting for big ones. Why not start where you want to finish? That’s why he tested the original prototypes on the huge Mexican bass of Lake Baccarac.

A 5-inch Senko weighs 3/8 ounce so it sinks quickly. Most anglers think fishing it weightless is the only way to go. Yamamoto says not always. “I often use a screw-in sinker, 4/0 or 5/0 straight-shank wide-gap hook, and I Florida-rig the Senko,” he explains, “especially when I’m fishing in 10 to 20 feet of water. With a little weight, I can get it down to the fish. It’s especially effective when postspawn bass are slipping into mid-depth haunts.”

Others are discovering the Senko’s subtle magic when they rig the soft plastic wacky-style, fish it on a Charlie Brewer slider head, or as part of a Carolina or split-shot rig. The more anglers experiment with the bait, the more options they discover. Not surprisingly, the Senko family is growing quickly. There are now nine sizes encompassing five lengths and a total of 172 size, model, and color combinations. Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits, Inc. 800/645-2248; www.yamamoto. baits.com.