MAGIC MINNOW - AN OUTSTANDING LURE FOR SEA BASS
Written by: Daniel Van Der Post
With the Magic Minnow Jig, Westin-Fishing created an outstanding lure for Seabass fishermen. The concept with the hidden hook (weedless) is in many conditions a crucial detail when you’re targeting those mighty salty silver bars.
Seabass can often be found around and in between heavily structured areas such as big boulders, breakers, oyster beds or other rough like rock formations. Especially when there’s a strong tidal influence around these structures.
Why? Because that is the location where prey fish gets in trouble due to the tidal movements. The structure offers Seabass two things, an opportunity to ambush passing prey fish and at the same time it’s a place where Seabass finds shelter for the strong tidal flow. The possibility of saving energy and chasing prey fish make those kind of structures to an area that’s attracting Seabass.
Magic Minnow Jig
The Magic Minnow Jig is thanks to the incorporated jig head a life-like lure with a natural swimming motion. It perfectly imitates a natural prey fish swimming by and therefore it is irresistible for saltwater predators like Seabass or Pollack. The soft body has been optimized to create a super soft flexibility but is still durable enough to survive multiple attacks.
An ultra-sharp wide gap custom-made weedless single hook hidden in the hook slots in belly and back. This is a crucial detail and the Magic Minnow is therefor also a perfect alternative to lures like the Sandy Andy when fishing heavy structured areas.
You will still lose lures to the bottom as it is - whether you like it or not - a part of Seabass fishing. But you can reduce your loss by using the Magic Minnow Jig.
Ultra-sharp widegap custom-made single hook hidden in the hook slots will result in less lost lures when fishing heavy structured areas!
How I use the Magic Minnow Jig from the kayak
The Magic Minnow can be fished super slow but also super-fast and that creates a bunch of opportunities for us fisherman. Personally, I’m targeting Seabass in the South West part of the Netherlands from my kayak with the W4 Kayak fishing rod. Fishing from the kayak gives me opportunities to target Seabass in a variety of situations that can’t be reached from shore or from a larger boat. The basic technique is the same as fishing from the shoreline; I cast my Magic Minnow against the tide in structured areas, Let it sink in shallow areas 1 - 5 meter on a tight line to the bottom. In deeper areas up to 15 meter I let it sink on a loose line till it almost reaches the bottom and the last couple of meters on a tight line. By letting it sink on slack line in the beginning you will reach the bottom further away and therefore you will fish more efficient as you present the lure for a longer time in the striking zone.
Once you have reached the bottom you can retrieve it very slowly just above the bottom with the current to imitate a natural passing prey fish. Or after reaching the bottom you lift the rod in such a way that the Magic Minnow is shooting upwards for 50 to 100 cm and then let it fall on a tight line to the bottom again.
The tidal influence and structured area make both techniques work very well for targeting Seabass. Quite often most strikes occur in the hoovering stage, when the Magic Minnow is presented just above the bottom. It is not the easiest species to target as you are fishing in fast flowing waters with a lot of rough structure. Depths are changing very rapidly and you need to know or get a feeling for when to retrieve and when to let the lure sink. If you do it incorrectly you are either fishing way too high in the water Colum or you get stuck at the bottom all the time. It’s a very narrow window to present the lure in such a way that Seabass will attack it. But once you do get strikes you will immediately fall in love! Those strikes can be rock-hard!
Magic Minnow size table
Packages consists of one complete lure -jig head, hook and body, and one spare body. At the time of writing there is nine different colours available that suits all conditions from clear to murky water and even fishing during the night-time.
Some colours are U.V. active others have a luminescent belly and of course there are also very lifelike colours with a natural flashy shine in it.
You can click here to see all the Magic Minnows and read more
Hopefully this article will help you a little when targeting Seabass and choosing the right size Magic Minnow that suits your fishing.
Good luck and most of all enjoy your time at the water!