The old candy bar jingle many anglers likely recall sums it up best – “sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t.” That same line of thinking can be used to apply for crappie and minnows. There are many times when a soft plastic crappie bait is the deadliest enticer for catching slabs thanks to a variety of flashy colors and dancing actions; sometimes tipping the bait with a live minnow makes the difference between a good trip and a great trip.
With Garland’s new Minnow Mind’R, crappie anglers get the best of both worlds. The 2 1/4-inch Minnow Mind’R is similar in design to the brand’s popular Slab Slay’R series, but it’s an in-between size AND has a split tail.
The tail configuration allows two things. First, it provides unbelievable dancing action when this bait is fished as a standalone jig. The tails, which feature a cupped design, catch lots of water during the descent or retrieve, are always moving. Even with the angler is not moving the line, the Minnow Mind’R is quivering below.
Second, the split tail design works to keep, or “mind,” a minnow in place when tipping a jig with the real thing. Tipping jigs with minnows is an old and well-known practice by crappie and walleye anglers, and certainly has its time and place. Often though, the minnow ends up on parts of the hook or jig where you don’t want it, resulting in a lost minnow or a missed bite.
With the Minnow Mind’R, the minnow fits perfectly between the split tail to hold it in place, but still gets its wiggle room, too. Plus, with enough of a plastic “hook” for the hook to go through after the minnow is rigged, the minnow is held in place so it can’t ride up on the shank of the hook. The concept for the Minnow Mind’R came from the field, especially from noted pro crappie expert Whitey Outlaw of South Carolina.
The two techniques Outlaw mentions are popular crappie “trolling” methods in which a boat has multiple rods and lines in the water while the bait moves slowly along. Both are effective ways to find and catch fish, especially across the southern states where multiple rods are allowed.
The Minnow Mind’R comes with its own series of brand new colors to the Garland line. In all, there are 10 colors, representing many combinations of blue, purple and chartreuse, and sporting names like Beetlejuice, Black Widow, Lady Bug, Silverfish and Firefly.
The Minnow Mind’R is also made to work with another new Garland product, the Scent Wiggl’R, when scent is desired but a live minnow is not an option. The Scent Wiggl’R has scent cooked in during the manufacturing process, and also comes in colors that add to the Minnow Mind’R’s enticement.
Retail: $3.59
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