If you like your hardbaits to look like a real baitfish rather than a toy, this 11.5cm plastic minnow crankbait for pike is going to feel very at home in your box. It is sold as a bionic fishing bait with 3D eyes, a slim minnow body and three treble hooks spaced along the frame, which means one thing: anything that swings at it is probably getting stuck.
The listing keeps it simple: bionic minnow-style crankbait, 11.5cm long, 14g, one piece per pack, category MINNOW, and positioned as “Ocean Beach Fishing” – so it is as happy in salty stuff as it is in your local bass or pike water. Colours cover Blue, Burgundy, Green, Light Green, Light Grey, Light Yellow, Purple, Red, White, Yellow and Clear, so you can build a little line-up from natural baitfish to full-on “oi, look at me” patterns.
Why This Lure Works
On paper, the recipe is basic. In the water, that is exactly why this minnow crankbait for pike works so well:
- Proper meal size: 11.5cm is not a snack. For pike, big perch and better bass, it looks like a decent mouthful of roach, shad or stocky baitfish.
- 14g casting weight: enough lead in the belly to send it a long way on normal medium or medium-heavy tackle, even in a breeze.
- Three treble hooks: one near the head, one mid-body, one at the tail. Slashes, swipes and half-committed nips all have metal waiting for them.
- 3D eyes and bionic body: the profile and detailing tap into that classic “real fish, having a bad day” look that keeps showing up in minnow-style plug designs.
- Hardbait wobble: as a minnow crankbait for pike, it gives you that tight, flicking body roll that predators recognise instantly as “wounded baitfish”.
Crankbait guides from places like Bassmaster keep coming back to the same idea: a lure that looks like a swimming baitfish and wobbles consistently will always catch fish if you put it in the right place. This one leans right into that; no gimmicks, just a convincing minnow plug you can throw around pretty much anything.
On the pike side of things, Outdoor Life’s best pike lures rundown points out that classic minnow plugs – think Rapala Original Floater and Rebel jointed minnows – have been fooling pike for decades. This minnow crankbait for pike borrows that same long, slim silhouette and wraps it in modern finishes and hardware.
How To Fish It
The nice bit? You do not need to overthink this lure. It is a minnow crankbait for pike and other predators – cast it where fish live, make it wobble like an injured baitfish and let them do the rest.
1. Straight crank along edges
- Cast along weedlines, drop-offs, rip-rap banks or the edges of reedbeds.
- Point the rod at the lure and crank at a steady, medium pace.
- Bump the odd bit of cover, pause half a second, then carry on.
This is pure “plug fishing 101”. Crankbait pieces on Wired2Fish talk about that simple, confidence retrieve being deadly in cold and cool water; you are basically letting the tight wobble do the work while you just steer.
2. Stop–go for the following fish
With three trebles, you want swipes to turn into proper eats. A stop–go retrieve is perfect:
- Crank three or four handle turns to get the lure wobbling.
- Kill the retrieve for a second or two so it stalls and wobbles down or hangs.
- Start again with a little pop of the rod tip.
That little “stutter” is often what makes a pike or big perch finally commit. Jerkbait and minnow plug articles on Wired2Fish and Field & Stream both hammer home how powerful that pause is when fish are tracking but not yet biting.
3. Fan-cast and search
When you are not quite sure where they are sitting, treat this minnow crankbait for pike like a search bait:
- Stand on a point, jetty or boat and fan casts around you like slices of a clock face.
- Vary the retrieve speed: slow and lazy on one cast, a bit faster on the next.
- Once you get a knock or follow, hammer that angle again until you crack the pattern.
It is the same logic Bassmaster use in their seasonal crankbait pieces – cover water efficiently until you intersect fish that are ready to bite, then milk that zone hard.
When To Use It
You can catch fish on a minnow crankbait for pike basically all year, but some situations suit it perfectly:
- Spring edges: pike, bass and perch sliding up from winter haunts onto flats and creek arms, sitting around the first drop.
- Summer weedlines: run it along the outside edge where clear water meets cabbage, milfoil or pondweed.
- Autumn baitfish carnage: when bait is balled up in creeks or bays, a big minnow crankbait looks exactly like the “one that didn’t make it”.
- Windy banks: squarely in crankbait territory – a bit of chop and current pushing bait up against rock or grass.
Crankbait how-tos on sites like Bassmaster’s fall transition guides constantly repeat the same message: there is no better way to cover water around rock, wood and grass than with a diving plug. This minnow crankbait for pike just does that job with a slightly bigger, more obvious profile.
Does It Actually Catch Fish?
Short answer: yes – if you give it a fair swim. Lure lists from Outdoor Life and Wired2Fish’s jerkbait and minnow plug roundups all highlight the same thing: long, slim hardbaits that look like baitfish are staples for a reason. They just work.
Even on Reddit’s r/bassfishing crankbait threads, the common advice is “keep it simple – a few shad, chartreuse and red patterns will do most of your damage”. This lure’s colour line-up fits that thinking nicely: you have naturals for clear water, brighter options for peat-stained stuff and a couple of loud choices for proper filthy rivers.
Between the realistic body, 3D eyes and three trebles, the whole setup is built around turning half-hearted swipes into hookups. Fish it around cover, over depth changes and through baitfish, and sooner or later something with teeth will make a bad call.
Gear Pairing
You do not need a specialist rod for this minnow crankbait for pike, but a sensible combo makes it a lot more fun.
- Rod: a 6’6″–7′ medium or medium-heavy rod with a reasonably soft tip is ideal. Articles like Bassmaster’s piece on crankbait line and rod choices point out that a bit of give keeps trebles pinned.
- Reel: mid-speed baitcaster (around 6.3:1–7.1:1) or a 2500–3000 size spinning reel. Anything smooth with a sensible drag will do.
- Line: 10–14 lb mono or fluoro is a nice middle ground. Braid-to-fluoro leader also works if you like feeling every wobble.
Inside the BassFishingTips.US line-up, it plays nicely with a couple of other hardbaits:
- For shallow, cover-bashing duty, pair it with the Plastic Float Crank Bait – 10cm 14g Biomimetic Crank when you want a more buoyant squarebill-style option over wood and rock.
- For deeper, “heavy metal” sessions, a blade like the Walk Fish VIB Lure covers bottom-hugging fish, while this minnow crankbait for pike works the mid-depth bait schooling above them.
- When you want a bigger, jointed profile, a multi-section swimbait such as the 13.4cm Multi Jointed Swimbait – 18g Sinking Wobbler gives you a bulkier “one big bite” option.
Specs
- Product name: Plastic Simulation Lure Minnow Crankbait Wobblers 3D Eyes Perch Artificial Bait Minnow Hard Bait With 3 Treble Hooks For Pike
- Lure type: MINNOW hardbait / crankbait-style plug
- Length: 11.5cm
- Weight: 14g
- Body: plastic bionic minnow with 3D eyes
- Hooks: three treble hooks along the body (as per product title)
- Colours: Blue, Burgundy, Green, Light Green, Light Grey, Light Yellow, Purple, Red, White, Yellow, Clear
- Quantity: 1 piece per pack
- Category: Hardbaits > Fishing Lures > Crankbaits
- Position: listed as Ocean Beach Fishing – suitable for saltwater and freshwater predator work
- Origin: Mainland China
FAQ
Is this minnow crankbait for pike only, or will it catch bass and perch too?
It is absolutely not pike-only. The size and profile are spot-on for largemouth and smallmouth bass, big perch and any other predator that regularly eats 10–12cm baitfish. Treat it as a general-purpose big-fish plug.
What line should I throw it on?
10–14 lb mono or fluoro is a sweet spot for most situations. As Bassmaster’s crankbait line tips explain, slightly lighter line lets lures run better and cast farther, but you still want enough strength to handle pike and snags.
Which colours should I start with?
If you want to keep it simple, go for something natural (Blue, Light Grey, or White) for clear water, and something brighter (Yellow, Light Green, or Red) for stained water. That mirrors the shad, chartreuse and red craw logic you see anglers talk about on r/bassfishing.
Can I use this from the bank, or is it a boat lure?
Both. At 14g it casts well from the bank, and the long minnow profile is ideal for running parallel to banks, along canals, across points and down rip-rap walls.
Will the three trebles snag all the time?
Any treble-hooked crankbait can find trouble if you just drag it through heavy timber, but sensible angles and a steady retrieve keep you out of the worst of it. Use the Plastic Float Crank Bait shallow in gnarly stuff, and save this minnow crankbait for pike for slightly cleaner edges and open-water bait balls.
Final Verdict
If you want a hardbait that genuinely looks like a wounded baitfish and gives bigger predators a proper mouthful, this 11.5cm minnow crankbait for pike is a no-brainer. The 14g body casts well, the 3D eyes and bionic finish tick the “looks alive” box, and three trebles make sure swipes turn into solid hookups.
Pair it with a sensible medium or medium-heavy rod, a mid-speed reel and line you trust. Run it along weedlines, crank it around points, pull it past bait balls and glide it along wind-blown rock. Somewhere out there, a pike, bass or big perch is going to see it wobbling past and decide that today is the day to start a fight.
Tie this minnow crankbait on, aim at something gnarly and expect violence.
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