Do you fish an alternative bait, change the hook? Add the skirt ?

Here's mine:

8 hours ago, Glenn said:

Here's mine:

This is what got me to ask the question ;)

Black Johnson spoon with a half a white culprit worm as trailer.

Also gold spoon with a yellow skirt.

The black/white was money back in the day.

Fish it through the pads and have a worm rigged up for a follow-up when they short strike it.

12 minutes ago, Bandersnatch said:

This is what got me to ask the question ;)

Glen you can’t change the hook on those right? It’s dipped in?

First, sharpen the hook. There is no changing the hook on this bait. It comes dull because of the gold plating on the whole lure. It's a good hook. You just have to get to the point, so to speak. I have used a 3" white curly tail grub as a trailer and that's all. I would probably use a twin tail if I had some. I think the single tail represents more of a baitfish profile once it comes off the edge of the mat and start swimming. It looks like a minnow getting away.

I use my frog rod, which is a 7-3 XH/XF with 50# PowerPro braid. I see it as a frog/toad alternative. All three do their thing a little differently. I feel the bite before setting the hook. The spoon can sink and they may go after it again if they miss. Keep a check on the weedguard because it will get bent out of shape after you catch a fish or three.

I don't usually wear the fish out with the Silver Minnow, but I've caught some really good fish on it.

4 hours ago, Bandersnatch said:

Glen you can’t change the hook on those right? It’s dipped in?

Correct, it's explained in the video but the TL;DR is you need to sharpen the hook before you use it.

Greetings All,

Yup bait monkey is screaming. Weekend is approaching. Shopping will be done. The objective is to get a few and actually try them out at the urban waters.

I've always used other metal spoons like the Super Dupers, Kastmaster and Z-Rays (originally from Tucson I believe) with reasonably good success. However, these are not designed for weeds.

I look to try them just as they are from the package for the initial go. Given the intense AZ sun, these ought to make good use of the flash factor. Besides with the triple digit temps, the soft plastic may not last long.

Be well, Cheers!

On 6/10/2026 at 9:55 PM, Bandersnatch said:

Do you fish an alternative bait, change the hook? Add the skirt ?

My daughter made it to the school district spelling bee when she was about 12. The word that put her out was "bandersnatch".

Brother and I made the trek to Canada to chase large Pike two years ago...we stocked up on Musky/Pike killers, Dare Devil spoons, chatter baits, etc., etc...but one lure out shined them all. the 1 oz. Johnson Silver / Gold minnow. We added a chartreuse twister tail and absolutely hammered the large Pike!

I have been using the Johnson Silver Minnow for over 60 years and still rely on it on a couple of lakes I frequent. It was one of the first lures my Dad let me use because it will come through heavy cover without hanging up.

For a trailer I use the old school flat rubber spinner bait skirt like Glen shows in the video. My two favorite colors are black with a yellow or black/yellow skirt and gold with a chartreuse skirt. I’ll throw these on a 6’10” heavy action rod with 50 lb. braid.

Be sure to sharpen the hook and set the weed guard about 1/8” above the hook point and it’s ready to go.

I haven’t had the best hookup ratio with the silver minnow. The pond I tested it in is full of 1/2 pounders though.

I assume with bigger fish the hookup is better?

I like it though and I retain one in my box for heavy cover work.