my attention span has been some what tunnel visioned as of late. Being on the water often has that affect on me.
To answer yer two questions, I'd certainly have to echo my fellow Yamamoto Pro-Staffer, Marc's comments to a T. I'd also have to add that the cost of a bag of Senkos, is the same price today, as it was 6+ years ago when they first came out. And they are not any more expensive than a bag of grubs, Ikas, lizards or any other worms sold by Yamamoto. Some might complain about the pliability of the plastic, yet those same anglers don't mention how the tails are easily bitten off the grubs when used as jig trailers. Or what about Robo's 5" Zipper worms, two bites, that piece of plastic is done! Yet no one complains, but dang, the Senko complaints go on. One wonders why this is? For me, torn up baits is a positive sign, it means I'm gitting bit and bit OFTEN! I wouldn't trade that fer cheaper clones any day.
It's the nature of the beast. The baits softness, is a major ingrediant to it's effectiveness. The componants of this bait go a lot further than what is leaked out to the angling public. There are ingrediants and processes that are secretely administered to this bait that no other cloning company uses. Hence yes, they are drastically different. You bite into a Senko, then bite into a clone, you'll see. You toss a Senko and clone bait in a pool, side by side with a hook and line attached, you'll see a major difference. I would disagree with anyone who claims they are equal, this simply is not true.
Are they worth the extra money you ask, you bet yer $6.99 they are! If ya want further proof, just go look at the inventory of the Yamamoto baits versus the clones in your local Bass Shop. That will be the vey truest gauge of their effectiveness, short of what your doing, experiementing for yourself.
As for the baits under the Yamamoto Industies label, that indeed is Kinami. The company is owned and run by Derek Yamamoto, Gary's son. They are the same baits, made in the same plant as the GYCB products. Kinami shares a few of the standard bait models and colors as the parent company. Yet Kinami also has a number of proprietary colors, the NoriBug and cranks, which are not in the standard GYCB product line. The packaging is indeed different, fewer baits, lower cost per bag and marketed outside of the typical "Bass Fishermen's" niche. This was done in a marketing effort to hit a much larger angler base, exposing the Yamamoto product line of baits to more than quadruple the anglers through out this country.
That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!
When you buy a pack of $6 Senkos, you get 10 (5" or smaller)or 5 (9 series) baits. I can buy other brands for half the price. Being curious, I bought two packs of Wave Worms (www.wavefishing.com) from Walmart for $2.50 per pack of 10. The length of these worms are 5". I filled my sink up with water and simutaneously dropped a Senko and a Wave worm towards the bottom of the sink. The Senko touched bottom first--telling me that the Wave Worm has a slower fall. I would think the slower fall would have a bigger advantage when targeting those suspended fish because the bait stays in the stike zone longer. Subjectively, I do not yet know how these worms perform compared to my box of Senkos. I will find out this weekend on the Delta. So with all these things considered, are Senkos worth the extra money 
Advertising