I’m rarely jumping up and down over reel manufacturers getting into the lure business, that’s usually something reserved for specialized manufacturers, often smaller companies, and often the result of the owner’s experimenting. I do like to see the little guy with a unique idea enter the field. Daiwa is a bit different from other familiar reel manufacturers, and they’ve had some dandy lures for both fresh and saltwater application. Their Salt Pro Minnows have received a lot of attention among our striper fishermen, and heard of some significant success with other species of gamefish, too. I was talking with a client of ours from the East Coast a couple months ago, and he mentioned that he’d had very good success for both bluefin and yellowfin tuna on the SP minnows, basically he said he’d buy all that I could get hold of…so, I got hold of the lures and frankly liked ’em a lot.
There are three versions we’re now stocking, a lipped diving lure in both floating and sinking form, and a non-lipped sinking version. The non-lipped SP Minnow Bullet has a tight S action, really does imitate a real fish swimming quite well. That lure is listed on our SP Minnow page, not here.
While the SP Minnow was originally created with striped bass fishing as a primary target, it’s deadly on yellowtail and tuna too. The SP Minnow in lipped form has a bit wider wobble upon retrieve than the lipless version. These are excellent long distance casting lures, with an internal weight shifting system. The SP’s are dandy with spinning tackle, and a tad light for heavier conventional gear. But, for those working with lighter lines, making use of the newer casting reels, Daiwa Lexa, disengaging drive train reels like Daiwa’s Saltists, these are a go-to bait for sure. Nice lures, excellent values, get some and get bit!
We added a new larger size of the SP’s at the 2016 ICAST show, and those made it into our inventory in November 2016. The new version is lipped, and larger. In 2019 we expanded our offerings to include the floating minnows, with excellent swimming action from the surface down 3 feet.
Salt Pro Minnow 15F – 1.1 oz, 6″ length – LIPPED LURES – Floating
Salt Pro Minnow 15S – 1 1/2 oz, 6″ length – LIPPED LURES – Sinking
Salt Pro Minnow 17F – 1 5/8 oz, 6 3/4″ length – LIPPED LURES – Floating
Salt Pro Minnow 17S – 1 7/8 oz, 6 3/4″ length – LIPPED LURES – Sinking
