QUESTION: What species of fish will the Banjo Minnow catch?

ANSWER: Any species that eats other fish, and that is almost all. It doesn't matter, salt or fresh water, California, Florida to Maine. The Banjo Minnow has been sold with success all over the world on every developed continent.

QUESTION: How do I know what size minnow to use?
 
ANSWER: The first consideration is what size line are you using. You must have enough weight to cast the lure. The heavier the pound test, the more weight is necessary. We suggest the following: The three inch minnow is ideal for 6 pound or 4 pound test. You can get away with 8 pound test, but your casts will be a little short. The four inch minnow is ideal for 8 pound test or less. ( Using over eight pound monofilament line begins to restrict the movement of the bait). Many people use 10 or even 12 pound test, but you sacrifice casting distance and reduce action because the thicker size of the line creates drag. The five inch minnow can handle any monofilament line up to 10 pound test, but eight pound is preferred. Most bait casters prefer the five inch minnow. The seven or nine inch minnows are recommended with 12 pound test or bigger and are generally not fished with monofilament  line. (The new braided lines work best when you must use over 8lb test line.)

The second consideration is the size of fish you are going after. When we developed the Banjo Minnow our first prototype was the four inch minnow because we believed this was the ideal bass size. We saw the three inch minnow as more of a smaller fish lure. We thought the five inch was an excellent bass size as well as for bigger fish. Much to our surprise the 3 inch size has been extremely popular(even though it can not wiggle as well as the three and four inch sizes). We are still not sure exactly why the three inch size is so popular. Is it because it catches a lot of smaller bass that might pass up the bigger size, or is it because it catches a lot of pan fish as well as bass? We still think that the four or five inch is the most effective at catching legal size fish, but half of our customers love the 3 inch size.

QUESTION: Why don't you ever hear of Pro's winning tournaments with the Banjo minnow?

ANSWER: Because we have never paid a professional fisherman to say he won a tournament with our lure. The going price for crediting a win at a national tournament to a particular lure is from $10,000.00 to $20,000.00. Almost every recognized pro has his own sponsors and is on that sponsors payroll. It is understood that they will promote their sponsors lures and that they will be paid very large bonuses for getting up on the podium and saying they won the tournament on a "blessedthingamigjig".

Once you get away from National tournaments everyone tries to keep what brought them success a secret. The fact is, we get orders from both Pro's and regional and club fishermen all the time. The Banjo Minnow wins a lot of tournaments, but until we decide to pay, you will not hear about it. The truth is, that the day you hear the Banjo Minnow won a big tournament, you will know that we decided to pay.

QUESTION: Can I buy the Banjo Minnow wholesale?

ANSWER: Yes, like any product it can be bought in quantity by legitimate stores or distributors.

QUESTION: How do I know what colors or sizes to buy if I have never used it before?

ANSWER: We have a special test kit that gives you four different colors and three sizes. It also includes the instructional video "Catch the Big One".

QUESTION: If the Banjo Minnow is so good, why do you have to sell Banjo Frogs?

ANSWER: The Banjo Frog is primarily used for dragging over lily pads or grass matts with the large #1 hook. It is unnatural to have a minnow crawl on top of vegetation. The frog is also used on different types of jigs for pitching or flipping into heavy cover. In open water the frog will not produce the number of fish as the Banjo minnow, but different situations require different methods. The Banjo Frog is a great design for the purposes it was designed for.

QUESTION: Sometimes the minnow flies off the corkscrew. Why?

ANSWER: First make sure that you are using the right size corkscrew with the right size minnow. You can use the large size corkscrew with the 3, 4, or 5 inch minnow, but you can not use the small corkscrew with the 4 or 5 inch minnow.

In very warm water the plastic becomes very soft and even if you use the large corkscrew it can eventually tear loose. In cold water there is not a problem. Our solution to fishing in very warm water is to heat the corkscrew until it is hot enough to melt the plastic and then push it into the minnow, when it cools it will harden around the corkscrew. Yes, it is tricky and possible to burn your fingers....no lawsuits, please!

I have also been told that the nose of the Banjo minnow(tip only)can be dipped in vegetable oil and it will harden the nose. No, we will not replace ruined minnows if something goes wrong.

Final answer is not to snap the tip of the rod too hard when casting.

QUESTION: Sometimes the Minnows are bent or defective in the package, what can I do?

ANSWER: Place in a microwave and heat for a few seconds. ( ONLY UNTIL THEY GET WARM!) DO NOT MELT THEM! Let them cool, they  will straighten out. DO NOT TOUCH UNTIL THEY'RE COOLED!!!

(I would not put foil minnows in microwave oven)

QUESTION: Is it possible to repair the front of the Banjo minnow if the corkscrews tear them up?

ANSWER: Yes, catalog companies sell little heating tools that can be inserted into tears and fuse them back together.

QUESTION: Is the no crimp better than the open crimp?

ANSWER: Yes, it is much better, much quicker to rig, but a lot of people still like the crimp type.

QUESTION: Sometimes the line gets caught in the attachment part of the corkscrew or the hook impales itself in the minnow, what can I do to prevent this?

ANSWER: First make sure the minnow is screwed up tight against the hook. This restricts the ability of the lure to flop up around near the hook. The line slipping into the groove of the corkscrew can be greatly lessened by applying super glue or fisherman glue on the coils or crack in the corkscrew and sealing the opening.

QUESTION: Which is the biggest hook size?

ANSWER:  Hook size is as follows: The smallest sizes are to the left and get bigger as you move to the right.
Smallest #12 #10 #8 #6 #4 #2 #1 #1/0 #2/0 #3/0 #4/0 #5/0 #6/0 Largest

QUESTION: Do I need to use the Banjo weedguard in open water?

ANSWER: No, you just use the weedguard when necessary. You can use any Kahle style hook on the market. Simply attach the corkscrew to the size hook of your choice. The disadvantage is you can not make it weedless if the situation changes.

The #1 hook is the minimum size hook to use when fishing over the top of grass mats, in pads or around docks, etc..

QUESTION: Is there an easy way to attach the weedguard without the weedguard loader?

ANSWER: YES!!! Simply place your index and middle finger inside the middle of the rubber band. It is now very easy to hook it behind either the barb or in the eye. Once it is attached in the eyelet simply pull it to the back of the barb and attach it, attach. WOW!! Don't feel like an idiot, it took Wayne Hockmeyer a year to figure it out and it was his invention.