Minnowbaits

Photo of a minnowbait

Minnowbaits have a tempting rocking action often triggering gamefish to strike even when not feeding. The body of a minnowbait are slim and long, resembling the body of a shiner baitfish. This lure is also similar to the crankbait with the main difference being slimmer and longer.

The lip of the minnowbait is small and narrow giving the plug a tight rocking action rather than the side-to-side wobble of a crankbait. This action can be compared to the swimming actions of other baitfish.

Minnowbait Depth and Action

Minnowbaits typically have a shallow depth because of the smaller lip. The slimmer body also produces a less stable action making the retrieve slower and more controlled. Many of these lures are made of balsa wood making it a highly responsive with more action at slower speeds but are light and difficult to cast. The plastic varieties are more durable and heavier, making it easier to cast but are less responsive than its balsa based plug.

Some minnowbaits are weighted to sink making them easy to set to a desired depth by counting. Most minnowbaits are buoyant and can be retrieved faster than weighted types.
There are also some minnobaits that are neutrally-buoyant and will stay at the same depth during a paused retrieve. This can be tempting to some fish that aren’t striking baits that float during a retrieve pause.

The allure of a minnowbait to gamefish is not only due to its realistic look and action but also because most gamefish prefer a slim bodied fish over a deep bodied fish. Slimmer bodies lessen the chance of food lodging in the predator’s throat. This lure is the optimum choice for clear water angling as the fish can get a good look at the bait. Crankbaits would be the preferred choice in murkier water as the wide wobbling action is better detected then the tight rocking action of the minnowbait.

Fishing with Minnowbaits

Floating minnowbaits have a highly realistic action making this bait popular with competitive anglers. These floating varieties are light and difficult to cast making them very suitable with light tackle. Medium power spinning rod has enough flex at the tip to loft the light lure that extra bit. A stiffer rod makes casting this light lure more of a throwing exercise. 6 to 8 pound mono is optimum and higher for heavier cover. Most anglers have a slow to moderate speed for retrieve. Because of their buoyancy, paused retrieve can be difficult as the bait floats up rapidly.

Many anglers use minnowbaits for trolling in shallow water and let out as much as two hundred feet behind the boat. This is far enough that the fish are not spooked by the boat and you can cruise the shallows.

Lead weights can be added to a minnowbait to make them less likely to float up and make them neutrally buoyant. This is a great technique for catching negative gamefish. For sinking minnowbaits, count the time it takes to reach a depth your fishing at. If you get a strike, use the same count to drop your bait to the same depth. You can also use floating minnowbaits as a surface lure by twitching it with your rod. Let it float back up to the surface and repeat the action.