Cubby Mini-Mite jigs,work or not ????

[crappie_hunter]

I have been trying to use mini-mites for the past few years with little success.Does anyone else use these,and if so what is your success ratio?

[Bobb-o]

I have had great success with them but with only one color, the pink head with a silk chartreuse tail.

[CALVINIST]

Crappie Hunter,

Welcome to FM...lots of good info at this site! I have never used Mini Mites, but I am a huge fan of soft plastics, Culprit Paddletails, the ones that measure 1.75" are one of my favorites to use on pannies. I have been in the boat with Cyberfish while he caught one after another on those Mini Mites, so they are a good bait. I believe it comes down to technique much of the time. Let me tell you what has worked for me while using any minnow profile soft plastic. It is always good to vary retrieves, to see what the fish like. But one technique I have always had luck on is to twitch the rod tip with your wrists while reeling in. Short little jerks at about a rate of 1-3 per second. Mix every retrieve up, so for a few seconds you are doing one rate, and then later, another rate. Make sure you pause your jig every now and then and let it drop. All this, I believe, more accurately imitates a minnow, and the sudden darts really gets their attention and provokes strikes. Get a rod that ist't too soft in the tip; this will help you have greater control while twitching. This technique probably won't work at ice out, but later on when the fish get more aggressive.

Have fun,

[Tyler Holm]

Welcome to FishingMinnesota and HotSpotOutdoors.com -

Mini-Mites are an awesome bait. I love the size of the jig head and little paddle tail. Glow colors can be deadly during low lights. If the fish are tenative, try tipping with a waxie.

[Matt Johnson]

Mini-mites definitely have their place and time. They are similar to other plastics and can be fished the same as well. And like Tyler mentioned, other brands offer a very similar product but cost much less.

Mr.Twister-Exude, Culprit, Southern Pro, Berkley, etc, all have panfish plastics that work wonders on both crappies and sunfish.

Paddletail style plastics are very productive and versatile. They provide a lot of action and triggering appeal. They are an excellent option for the early parts of open water.

Northland Tackle has a new product out called Slurpies, and the panfish tubes look very nice. I got the chance to check these out at the sport show this past weekend and I think I'll give them a try this upcoming spring on the crappies.

My better producers for paddle tail style plastics have been the Micro Shad from Exude, the Stub Grub from JR's Tackle, the Culprit Paddie Tail, and the Tiny Worm from Southern Pro (similar to the Mini-mite).

Another plastics definitely worth mentioning for a variety of conditions is the 2-inch Power Minnow from Berkley (Corey Bechtold's favorite ). I'm sure Corey will jump in and explain a little on this one

The plastic options for panfish anglers is virtually endless now, and we have an option to match just about any situation. No longer do we need live-bait when targeting open water panfish, and using plastics will make things much more efficient.

[Scenic]

Also keep in mind that the sponsor products from Custom Jigs and Spins such as the Rat-so and the Shrimpo work just as well in the summer as they do through the ice in the winter. These are a couple of items that always get transferred to my summer box. Try them under a bobber and you will like the results.