Northwest Fishing Reports

Does any body here ever use banjo minnows? I bought a pack yesterday, i read the package and everything on how to fish them, jerk-real-in slack-repeat.
I dont have much confidence in them though, am I doing something wrong? Does any one have any advice on fishing these lures? They look like they would work and everything, but as soon as there in the water, im just not sure about them...
Thanks in advance !

I have been using the Banjo Minnow system for over 15 years. I tweak it a little here and there and have pretty much make my own hardware and source baits elsewhere but the way they are rigged is unique and effective when fished in certain situations.

I especially like using them early in the year for bass skipping them up into shallow cover like overhanging trees, under docks, and around dense brush. Using the rubber band weed guard, these things are very weedless. Its either an immediate reaction strike from active fish as soon as it hits the water and settles in or a very subtle bite similar to deadsticking a senko type worm.

Another way that this works is on a modified Carolina Rig- this really works well for saltwater applications on Rockfish, Lingcod, and Greenling. I have even caught both Silvers and Chinook on these behind a hering dodger out of Westport and Neah Ba

Like I say, they can be very effective for any predator species in certain situations but not all the time. I have caught Largemouth, Smallmouth, Crappie, Bluegill, Pumkinseed Sunfish, Rock Bass, Rainbow Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Squawfish, Black Rockfish, Lingcod, Greenling, Cabezon, Bullhead Sculpins, Flounder (Puget Sound- not sure exactly the species), Dogfish, Chinook Salmon, and Silver Salmon on them. But, again, they are not effective in every situation.

If you got a dvd or link to the company's website with instruction video, watch it and follow the instructions to a tee. Be sure to experiment with various retrieve speeds and be sure to also "Let it Die!" as the deadsticking action sometimes is most effective of all.

It is one of my early season go to baits for shallow bass around docks. It skips like a dream and can be great for sight fishing. And dont let all the naysayers get you down. Use it enough and you will catch fish.

+1 on the above sentiment. They work well in certain situations. I used to use them when I was younger and bass fished a lot (before the river bug bit) and had good success.

They work fine. It is a matter if fishing them in the right conditions and the right time, but ...............

The small ones are pretty light and hard to cast on even light line, but if they would just have some better colors I might still buy them.

Too easy to by the hitch hiker nose rigs from catalogs and make your own.

Fish_Bait111397 wrote:Does any body here ever use banjo minnows? I bought a pack yesterday, i read the package and everything on how to fish them, jerk-real-in slack-repeat.
I dont have much confidence in them though, am I doing something wrong? Does any one have any advice on fishing these lures? They look like they would work and everything, but as soon as there in the water, im just not sure about them...
Thanks in advance !

Although they would catch fish, there are better swimbaits on the market. Like the Basstrix hollow bellies and you can get them at your local tackle shop, not some gimmicky TV infomercial.

Although they would catch fish, there are better swimbaits on the market. Like the Basstrix hollow bellies and you can get them at your local tackle shop, not some gimmicky TV infomercial.[/quote]
I'm with FnF on this one. What a joke. :geek:

I have it on good authority that the Banjo Minnow was the key bait Dez used to qualify for Nationals. Wait, maybe it was the Panic Minnow. Or perhaps he used the Banjo Minnow in a panic, or strummed his fluorocarbon like a banjo to impart action on his Panic Minnow. The details are fuzzy.

That's ok, just looking at Dez and he's fuzzy.

tagwatson360 wrote:I have it on good authority that the Banjo Minnow was the key bait Dez used to qualify for Nationals. Wait, maybe it was the Panic Minnow. Or perhaps he used the Banjo Minnow in a panic, or strummed his fluorocarbon like a banjo to impart action on his Panic Minnow. The details are fuzzy.

Now thats funny.

My take on it is that it might have a time and place. I think what the infomercials tend to do on a fishing product is to portray it (or anything else) as the next best thing or "secret weapon". There simply is no "magic" lure. There's just way too many variables in bass fishing. I'd say save the money and go with proven baits and techniques. Hone your skills on these proven baits and success will come.

Bassdood, Banjo minnow has sold more baits than almost every other lure out there. What is the definition of tried and true? Yes, infomercial marketing takes advantage of the naive but so what.

The reason that the Banjo Minnow actually works is that it takes advantage of the bass' nature, that it is a predator and an opportunistic predator at that. The bass is most successful feeding on dying prey since that prey is not as likely to be able to get away from it. It is no different than using any other soft stickbait, jerkbait, or even the illustrious Senko. All these very good lures elicit the same response in the fish.

Don't knock it until you try it yourself. The banjo minnow kits offer someone without a lot of bass fisning experience a lot in terms of having a very attractive and useful bait with all the necessary rigging accessories in the kit AND a very good instrutional DVD to teach the angler how to use it. Yes, a seasoned angler may actually be more successful long term using a Senko in many different situations and conditions, but for a novice angler who wants to learn, the Banjo Minnow system is a great turn key system to utilize to learn how to fish for bass.

By the way, how many packs of worms, jigs, grubs, tubes, etc, did you purchase on your quest to become a knowledgable and proficient bass fisherman? I am sure that you are just like me, having spent hundreds of dollars on lures and baits that may have produced some success and only after years of trying and learning have settled on some tried and true favorites that produce more consistently.

It just seems kind of haughty when someone badmouths any lure or technique because they think it is beneath them, especially when they have never really used it themselves.

I would much rather read constructive comments on any lure or technique than all the reasons why it wont work or why it is stupid or just a sham or marketing ploy. Can you imagine the comments that the pioneers of wacky rigging heard?

I tried to tell the people on another fishing web site how to use a lure in a way that isn't 'normal'. All I got was harrasment, and being told I'm stupid. Even by one of the best bass fishermen in the state. He even was so stupid himself that he couldn't figure it out, then asked me, then turned his back on me and said I wasn't a real bass fisherman because I use spinning tackle. Talk about being stuck up. And I told him he was stuck up and don't go to that site anymore, they just aren't worth it. And ANYONE worth their salt in bass fishing would KNOW there is a DIRECT relation to fishing this piticular lure the way I use it sometimes, and what the acual subject of that thread was. Just shows that all those people aren't as smart or knowlegable as they THINK they are.

Now I joke around with Tag, and others, here about my using spinning tackle. Tag was one of only 2 people that were supportive of my idea/use of that lure.

Bottom line, there are more ways and lures to use than just the 'normal' way and lures. Don't restrict yourself. Keep an open mind.

I use the larger ones for muskie ,again like everyone in certain situations but i always have one ready and if you nail weight the head put the hook 1/3 up from the head you can make it look like its feeding on the bottom

Valid points rockjiggr. I didn't mean to come across as bashing the lure, but after reading my post again, it looks that way. I never said it doesn't work. By all means a person should try whatever they feel might work, and stick with what they are successful with. My intent was that there is no magic bait, nothing more. I still stand by what I said about honing skills and techniques..just makes for a well rounded and versatile angler. Good input tho, thanks.

BassDood wrote:My take on it is that it might have a time and place. I think what the infomercials tend to do on a fishing product is to portray it (or anything else) as the next best thing or "secret weapon". There simply is no "magic" lure. There's just way too many variables in bass fishing. I'd say save the money and go with proven baits and techniques. Hone your skills on these proven baits and success will come.

I tend to agree with ya' Jer but your wrong when it comes to a magic lure,the key is technique of how to use the magic lure and your all in luck because I'm spilling the beans S95NJy99kLw&feature=related
Its endorsed by Roland Martin and he wouldn't sell his soul to satan:-"

LOL Damn you Kevin

Wow, it can launch up to 30 feet, AMAZING!

Seriously though, if we can do anything to get a kid hooked on catching fish we have done a good thing. Better for kids than video games!

On a side note, now I am thinking of applications where launching a stick bait under a dock or overhanging tree might be a good thing.


Lastly, I appreciate the positive responses to my post. Open mindedness is a good thing. Criticism of things we really dont have direct experience with is not a good thing. I am glad that this site remains civil.

OOPS I DIDNT MEAN TO POST IN HERE I HAD TO EDIT

Sorry rockjiggr, but when my novice bass buddy pulled one out and tied one on in my boat about 15 years ago (gift from mother in-law) I thought it was a joke. My experience is it caught a fish. We both laughed. In fact it's still a joke to this day.

"On a side note, now I am thinking of applications where launching a stick bait under a dock or overhanging tree might be a good thing." Now your talking.