Product Review: The Banjo Minnow

No, they aren't fish that play the banjo. Although, that would be awesome. The Banjo Minnow is a unique fishing lure system designed to catch more and bigger fish. The idea behind the Banjo Minnow is that it looked like a real minnow, swam like a real minnow, and died with the spastic action of a real minnow. I bought the 006 Minnow in the 110 piece kit. The action of the lure is created by the unique design. The hook is totally outside of the body of the minnow. The eyes have a loop that protrudes from the minnow's mouth and the hook attaches there. This frees the entire soft plastic body of the minnow to move. The eyes determine the weight of the lure.

The Good
1. There are several models, sizes, and colors to choose from. This, in addition to options for different  weight and color eyes, makes the Banjo Minnow totally customizable. If you want a pink and purple (cotton candy) minnow with red eyes, you can get it.
2. It works. I did indeed catch a large mouth bass on the banjo minnow. I caught him on the "black back shiner" in the three inch size.
3. You can get replacement pieces (eyes, hooks, weed guards, and minnows) online.
4. There are tips and tricks posted online to make you a better angler with the Banjo Minnow.

The in Between
1. The 110 piece kit is indeed a good deal but I have never used over half of the sizes and colors, So I over paid. This is just my experience. Maybe, where you are the 5 inch red or neon yellow minnow will be the perfect thing.  The Banjo Minnow website does offer a smaller kit for less.

The Bad
1. Even though you can buy replacement parts, the prices are a bit high. The 3 inch minnow above can be bought in a 7 pack for under $5, so not terrible but I would expect 10 maybe 12  for that price. That is just my opinion, and I am known to be terribly cheap.
2. A hook is a hook, unless it's a Banjo Minnow hook. The hooks are proprietary. Nitpicking? Maybe, but, personally, I like using the same hooks on all my soft plastics. That way I can leave the same size 5 worm hook on and switch from lizard to worm to creature at will.
3. The Banjo Minnow requires a special technique. It is not difficult, but it is different. So you won't be able to tie on one and get casting without practice. Some angler's may lack the patience to learn a new way to fish. The 110 piece kit does include an instructional DVD.
4. The endless options may make it difficult to find the right size and color that produces fish in your area. It took me several, and I mean more than 10 or so, days of using the Banjo Minnow before I found the color and size the fish wanted.
5. The tiny rubber bands that make the lure weedless are at times difficult to get on.

Overall
The uniqueness of the motion makes the Banjo Minnow productive. If one can look past having to learn a new way to fish and the price or the proprietary hooks,minnows, and eyes, it is a good product. The customization capability is both a good and bad thing. My advice would be, if you are going to buy the Banjo Minnow,  to start with the less expensive kit, conveniently called the starter kit. This will get your feet wet in learning the special technique and also avoid the possibly overwhelming array of options.

You can learn more about the Banjo Minnow here.