I think the series 9 watermelon Senko is the best bed bait I have ever used. What I do is let the Senkos sit in the sun for a day. This fades the watermelon out the tips. Both ends of the Senko become a lighter brown color. Those faded tips quiver like Jello.
Fish see that color quivering, and it's all over.
I used to use larger hooks in the Senko. I ran down a long stretch of banks filled with beds and small fish. I passed by two 2.5 pounders, looking for the four pounder I would need to win. Not finding any four pounders, I circled back to get those two. I hooked them both right away on a Senko, played them, but both came undone right at the boat.