New Product: BaitJunkie Minnows
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I’ve always been a big fan of paddle tails for softbaiting & when the development of a Baitjunkie Minnow in the larger 4.2” & 6.2” came across my desk, I was super excited. I like the paddle tail style bait for a few reasons.
- On the descent they have a huge amount of action and vibration as the tail swims, this gets you a lot of hits from actively feeding Snapper on the drop
- The tail slows the descent of the bait meaning more time in the strike zone. This is aided by the Elastomax material that floats.
- The additional action is great in dirty water & the wash
- You can fish them fast when the fish are actively feeding or slower when the fish are lethargic, the swimming action will still create a lot of movement in both situations
- You get a lot of bites on a slow retrieve back to the boat
These feature all of our BaitJunkie tech, Amino-X a scent impregnated into the baits, Elastomax which is super tough, durable and floats. The big difference with the design on these baits is not only the tail moves, but the whole body dips from side to side. This action mimics a baitfish perfectly and is sure to grab the attention of any predatory fish in the nearby area.
With any fishing lure, the proof is always in the pudding. While the weather here in Auckland hasn’t been conducive to getting out on the water, I found a small window in mid-August and shot out to the Kawau Bay area with long time fishing buddy, Steve Morgan. Bait and fishermen were stacked where the latest reports of good fishing had been, the Snapper on the other hand were notably absent.
With a quick shift to behind one of the local islands we found a huge workup that was obscured from the masses and what unfolded was an unforgettable soft bait session on the 4.2” Minnows, the hot colours were Pink Glow & Nomad Glow. We managed some solid winter Snapper up to 72cm, I gave good mate Dan de Jong the heads up where the fish were, 99% of the time it’s normally the other way around!
Dan had a killer session on the 7” Jerk Shads and off memory had 3 fish over 70cm, with the biggest being 78cm. It was an all-time session for the middle of winter in the Hauraki Gulf. It was fair to say we were super impressed with the Minnows, both baits lasted all morning and caught a stack of fish. Now we find ourselves patiently waiting for the lockdown restrictions to end so we can get back out in the water!
