Anyone still fishing the 1-minus?

[HawnSalt]

Hey guys I finally got my hands on a Mann's baby 1-minus a few weeks ago after finding one in the bargain bin at DSG. I think they stopped carrying Mann's last year so I was pretty psyched to find one. Unfortunately, I haven't caught anything with it given that the fishing has been pretty slow over the past month and a half.

 

I thought this lure would be good for when there would be thick sub-surface weeds that would clog up by spinnerbaits and crankbaits. It seems to be working as advertised and runs a lot shallower than my KVD 1.0s and 1.5s. I took it out to give it a try and was surprised by how far I could chuck it with my baitcaster given that it's only a 1/4 oz and I was using 12 lb. Big Game mono for my line.

 

It runs just below the surface by about a foot and appears to throw off a decent amount of vibration given its erradic movement. Seems like a good compromise between a topwater, a spinnerbait and a crankbait given that it runs higher in the water column and moves/looks like a crankbait. Is there anyone using the 1-minus as a searchbait?

[Big Swimbait]

I do, but not without changing the hooks and split rings.

[Ratherbfishing]

I use one periodically-usually above submerged vegetation. It has a lot of "wobble" and whereas sometimes I just reel it in, a lot of times I fish it with hard jerks.  It's a good bait.

[fishballer06]

Absolutely. And just like 1201 said, replacing those factory hooks is a must. The one's they use now-a-days foul up almost every cast. 

[Deleted account]

Yes. You can get it to wake or go down a little over a foot depending on the line and how you hold your rod. I like it best from after the spawn to about now.

[Bankbeater]

I have had the best luck fishing them around beds of coontail.  I bring the bait right between the big weed clumps on the surface.

[ww2farmer]

Once apon a time I did. But no longer. Anything made by Mann's Bait Co. I have owned the last 10 years has been pretty poor.....their stock hooks make Strike Kings seem like premium stuff.

[DINK WHISPERER]

I use the bigger ones with triple grip hooks. Killer big bass lure. 

[Munkin]

During the summer over top of grass.

 

Allen 

[MIbassyaker]

Stiil fishing the 1-minus?  Heck yeah.

[Logan S]

Won't find me without one tied on with all the tidal water around here....Will catch em just about year round.  

[HawnSalt]

Guys, thanks for all of the responses. I'm a bit bummed that I missed the best time of the year for them. 

 

I think I'm going to give them a try in the Fall and see how it goes. I thought it might work pretty decent during the Fall during a Topwater or Jerkbait bite, but I guess we'll see. I never thought about waking or ripping it, I can't wait to try.

 

Thanks for the tip on the Hooks and split rings. I thought they looked a bit suspect and did seem to foul frequently. Anyway, thanks again for the responses.

[everythingthatswims]

I do throw one, they were the ticket over hydrilla in farm ponds I fished growing up.

 

However, Duel Hardcore makes a wakebait that I am a much bigger fan of, the manns is hard to keep on top.

[wbeaudean1@verizon.net]

Still my fav. crank.Its a tidal water terror.Besides triple grip hooks and a snap in its nose I only buy the old ones .Manns new lures are trash .What a shame what they have become.The old baby 1-  has better rattles ,paint  thicker plastic and a different size lip.It is the perfect tidal river / pond bait almost year round.. BTR

[burrows]

I remember buying one ten years ago for like three dollars. 

 I was throwing the baby minus in a farm pond for like ten minutes I told myself this peice of junk crankbait! I was reeling in to tie on a squarebill and I got smashed on the retrieve. I have almost every color now but that root beer chart is my favorite! Every time I go bass pro I pick one up, geez I really love that little bait it just works!!!

[TOXIC]

New ones have the scales in the mold.  Older ones are smooth sided.  I throw the older versions because I get them custom painted and the new versions won't hold paint well.  They are a staple bait on the Potomac in the pre-emergent grass.  

[Maxximus Redneckus]

All i use in wakebaits ...bone and firetiger

[ChrisD46]

I only see the Baby -Minus One , not the larger -Minus One ... A good bait back in the day when they were smooth sided as previous poster stated - perhaps today there are better wake / shallow cranks like the Bandit Footloose or the KVD HC 1.5 Shallow Square Bill .

[Munkin]

4 hours ago, ChrisD46 said:

I only see the Baby -Minus One , not the larger -Minus One ... A good bait back in the day when they were smooth sided as previous poster stated - perhaps today there are better wake / shallow cranks like the Bandit Footloose or the KVD HC 1.5 Shallow Square Bill .

 

My other favorites are the Jackal Zero Footer and TD Scouter Crank.

 

Allen

[HawnSalt]

Thanks again for all of the great responses, guys!

Seems like a lot of people prefer the old 1-minus to the new one.

Has anyone ever tried sanding down the body and/or repainting?

 

I noticed the texture on the body. I wonder if that little bit of detail is somehow affecting how the water flows over the body and thereby affecting the action.

 

The Bandit Footloose and KVD HC 1.5 seem good alternatives to the 1-minus.

I'll have to check them out at some point.

The Jackal and Team Daiwa JDM stuff looks a bit expensive.

 

The Duel wakebait may be worth checking out down the line.

 

[Harold Scoggins]

On ‎10‎/‎8‎/‎2018 at 1:31 PM, 1201vilbig said:

I do, but not without changing the hooks and split rings.

X2 on the hooks.

[FishTank]

I still use them but like everyone else has said, I like the old ones.  I change out the hooks for Owners.  I also like the Lucky Craft Moonsault CB50.  Both have produced a lot of fish over the years and both are hard to find in store these days. 

[The Bassman]

I've caught a bunch on my 1-Minuses. Played around with different hook combinations but have fits keeping them apart. 

[burrows]

The older ones are probably better ? I don’t really know ?but the present ones are very productive and the paint jobs are pretty decent some really nice, for the price their hard to beat.

[wbeaudean1@verizon.net]

Many people compair baby 1- to wake baits like bandit fo otloose,try it again. It dives 1 foot give or take a couple inches.Most wake baits run only inches under the surface.Rod angle of course changes the running depth of all cranks but there is a huge differance between baby 1-  and  footloose or any squarebill.Baby1- is my favorite crank from 0 to 4 feet almost year round. BTR