Today we’re going to look at the Basstrix Fat Minnow. This lure is 4 inches in length with a hollow body and split tail design. Some folks may not recall, but Basstrix was responsible for the whole hollow-body, paddle-tail swimbait craze. In fact, I still know a few folks who simply will not try any other bait in this class.
I remember when they were first introduced and it seems as though they were virtually impossible to get. Outlets would sell out seemingly the same day they got them in. Man was that frustrating!
This offering is not meant to displace the original but rather to used in different applications while providing some of the same benefits as those first swimbaits. The Fat Minnow is designed to be employed as a drop-shot bait or texas-rigged and fished along the bottom. Basstrix has several color patterns available and all come with big 3-D eyes. These baits are soft and can be damaged fairly easily so if you want them to last longer, bring along the mend it glue and be prepared to do some on-the-water surgery.
Fat Minnow Rigging And Action
In our testing we used the Fat Minnow in both rivers and lakes but honestly just couldn’t seem to get the fish very interested in them. As a drop-shot bait, the nose of the Basstrix where you will hook it is larger than a lot of the more traditional drop-shot baits. You can address this by going to a larger hook but I am not overly fond of this particular approach. It simply makes your presentation less natural in my opinion.
You can choose to use a modified jigging type retrieve with this bait that will add some movement to the Fat Minnow while drop-shotting that seems to add to its appeal. We found that you can drag your weight while shaking your line gently and this is what make the fish strike. We didn’t get a single hit without employing this technique and had to be careful to shake just the right way or we simply couldn’t get a bite.
Here again, for us it’s a matter of tackle boxes have a finite amount of space and at this point, ours are pretty full. When we test a new lure, we have to decide whether or not it will earn a more permanent place in the box or be a bench warmer, only pulled out for specific circumstances.
The Basstrix Fat Minnow is one of those lures that we really were looking forward to obtaining but in the end, just didn’t live up to our expectations as an all around, go-to bait.
| Basstrix Fat Minnow | |
|---|---|
| Overall Rating |    |
| This one is really a bit of a foul ball | |
See ya’ on the water …