“In places where we used to throw spinnerbaits, we’re now swimming a Slurpies Rock‐R
Minnow swimbait with mind‐boggling results,” stated Team Northland tournament ace Jeff Gustafson. “Especially in tournaments, we’re catching a lot of really big bass.”
The West coast sensation of pitching supersized swimbaits for hulking largemouths is far from
new, of course. More recently, however, anglers across North America have begun to embrace
a swimbait subcategory: 4 to 6‐inch hollow‐bodied swimmers sporting wide, flat paddletails.
Yet while most of these hollow‐bellied swimbaits yield a distinct side‐to‐side roll that certainly
attracts fish, anglers have also discovered that the baits don’t hook bass particularly well.
Indeed, many of the hollow‐bodied baits have shown a tendency to ball up inside a bass’s
mouth. When this happens, the hook point inevitably buries itself back into the thick‐walled
plastic, rather than the fish’s jaw.
Minnow swimbait with mind‐boggling results,” stated Team Northland tournament ace Jeff Gustafson. “Especially in tournaments, we’re catching a lot of really big bass.”
The West coast sensation of pitching supersized swimbaits for hulking largemouths is far from
new, of course. More recently, however, anglers across North America have begun to embrace
a swimbait subcategory: 4 to 6‐inch hollow‐bodied swimmers sporting wide, flat paddletails.
Yet while most of these hollow‐bellied swimbaits yield a distinct side‐to‐side roll that certainly
attracts fish, anglers have also discovered that the baits don’t hook bass particularly well.
Indeed, many of the hollow‐bodied baits have shown a tendency to ball up inside a bass’s
mouth. When this happens, the hook point inevitably buries itself back into the thick‐walled
plastic, rather than the fish’s jaw.
Slurpies Rock‐RMinnow
Fortunately for anglers, vital design innovations have produced an extraordinary, singular
design, similar to the original hollow‐bodied baits, yet superior in nearly every respect. “Since
we introduced the Slurpies Rock‐R‐Minnow several months ago, my phone’s been ringing off
the hook with anglers demanding more packs of these things,” said Northland Fishing Tackle
Brand Manager and bass pro, John Crane. “These are top‐shelf fishermen, too—some of the
best bass anglers in the Midwest. I don’t think fish have seen anything quite like these Rock‐RMinnows
yet.”
Crane continued: “What we wanted was a bait that was easy for anyone to fish, and simple to
rig, even while traveling fast in a boat. It had to be weedless, too. And we knew we had to make
this bait hook bass much better than the hollow‐bodied versions.”
The solution, according to Crane, was to give the bait a slotted, open belly, including a notched
dorsal opening for allowing the hook to effortlessly slide through and penetrate jaw flesh. At
the same time, Crane said, this special dorsal slot insets the hook point slightly during the
retrieve, yielding a clean, snag‐free presentation.
design, similar to the original hollow‐bodied baits, yet superior in nearly every respect. “Since
we introduced the Slurpies Rock‐R‐Minnow several months ago, my phone’s been ringing off
the hook with anglers demanding more packs of these things,” said Northland Fishing Tackle
Brand Manager and bass pro, John Crane. “These are top‐shelf fishermen, too—some of the
best bass anglers in the Midwest. I don’t think fish have seen anything quite like these Rock‐RMinnows
yet.”
Crane continued: “What we wanted was a bait that was easy for anyone to fish, and simple to
rig, even while traveling fast in a boat. It had to be weedless, too. And we knew we had to make
this bait hook bass much better than the hollow‐bodied versions.”
The solution, according to Crane, was to give the bait a slotted, open belly, including a notched
dorsal opening for allowing the hook to effortlessly slide through and penetrate jaw flesh. At
the same time, Crane said, this special dorsal slot insets the hook point slightly during the
retrieve, yielding a clean, snag‐free presentation.
In addition, the bait features a tough, semi‐rigid head that holds up well with a variety of rigging
options. Married to Northland’s 6/0 screw‐lock Lipstick hook, for example, the Rock‐R becomes
a pretty durable softbait. “We’ve had anglers tell us they’re catching over a dozen bass on a
single bait,” Crane relayed. “For a softbait, that’s pretty impressive.”
Unlike original hollow‐bodied baits, whose portly, tubular shapes aren’t specifically imitative of
anything in nature, these new generation swimbaits feature a lean, baitfish‐mimicking profile,
complete with distended gill covers, supple, rippling fins, and other anatomically‐correct
features. In a lure category renowned for realism, swimbaits like the Slurpies Rock‐R‐Minnow
are apparently proving worthy of the name.
Moreover, they’re among the only paddletail swimbaits available whose shape closely mimics
the soft‐rayed preyfish preferred by predators: shiners, ciscoes, alewives, shad, blueback
herring, and gobies. Even the bait’s material is softer and more pliable, relative to hollowbodied
baits, whose plastic often feels slightly rigid to the touch. Of course, the real difference
lies in underwater action, performance, and ultimately, fish appeal. “The Rock‐R‐Minnow’s
naturally soft texture yields a fluid yet seductive wobble that really appeals to big bass,” offered
Gustafson, who won the highly‐competitive 2008 Kenora Bass International (KBI) event on Lake
of the Woods, Ontario.
options. Married to Northland’s 6/0 screw‐lock Lipstick hook, for example, the Rock‐R becomes
a pretty durable softbait. “We’ve had anglers tell us they’re catching over a dozen bass on a
single bait,” Crane relayed. “For a softbait, that’s pretty impressive.”
Unlike original hollow‐bodied baits, whose portly, tubular shapes aren’t specifically imitative of
anything in nature, these new generation swimbaits feature a lean, baitfish‐mimicking profile,
complete with distended gill covers, supple, rippling fins, and other anatomically‐correct
features. In a lure category renowned for realism, swimbaits like the Slurpies Rock‐R‐Minnow
are apparently proving worthy of the name.
Moreover, they’re among the only paddletail swimbaits available whose shape closely mimics
the soft‐rayed preyfish preferred by predators: shiners, ciscoes, alewives, shad, blueback
herring, and gobies. Even the bait’s material is softer and more pliable, relative to hollowbodied
baits, whose plastic often feels slightly rigid to the touch. Of course, the real difference
lies in underwater action, performance, and ultimately, fish appeal. “The Rock‐R‐Minnow’s
naturally soft texture yields a fluid yet seductive wobble that really appeals to big bass,” offered
Gustafson, who won the highly‐competitive 2008 Kenora Bass International (KBI) event on Lake
of the Woods, Ontario.
“We discovered during development that the slotted body of the Rock‐R‐Minnow produced a
much more dynamic swimming action than the hollow‐body versions. Not only that, but the
bait held up to many more strikes and fish catches. That’s critical in North Country waters
where all kinds of toothy predators swim—walleye, pike, muskies, plus smallmouths and
largemouths. They all love these swimbaits.”
For working the bait faster over shallow cover‐laden flats—places you’d normally throw a
spinnerbait—most anglers prefer a 3/16‐ounce weighted swimbait hook, as opposed to a
lighter 1/8‐ounce. “With the added weight, it’s possible to rocket out some pretty long casts,
Gustafson offered. “Still, to fish these baits effectively, you have to use the right equipment. I
like a 7’2” medium‐heavy Shimano Cumara casting rod teamed with a Shimano Curado reel,
which has a 7:1 gear ratio, and 20‐pound fluorocarbon. Lighter 15‐pound test works for
openwater and smallmouths.”
Cast and simply begin reeling at a steady rate, pausing to “kill” the bait near high spots on the
flat, or close to cover objects such as stumps or weed clusters. “When bass strike these baits,”
Crane said, “they usually engulf them entirely. Just drop your rod back toward the fish, reel up,
and sweep the hookset until your rod loads into a deep bend. Lots of times, these are really big
fish.”
much more dynamic swimming action than the hollow‐body versions. Not only that, but the
bait held up to many more strikes and fish catches. That’s critical in North Country waters
where all kinds of toothy predators swim—walleye, pike, muskies, plus smallmouths and
largemouths. They all love these swimbaits.”
For working the bait faster over shallow cover‐laden flats—places you’d normally throw a
spinnerbait—most anglers prefer a 3/16‐ounce weighted swimbait hook, as opposed to a
lighter 1/8‐ounce. “With the added weight, it’s possible to rocket out some pretty long casts,
Gustafson offered. “Still, to fish these baits effectively, you have to use the right equipment. I
like a 7’2” medium‐heavy Shimano Cumara casting rod teamed with a Shimano Curado reel,
which has a 7:1 gear ratio, and 20‐pound fluorocarbon. Lighter 15‐pound test works for
openwater and smallmouths.”
Cast and simply begin reeling at a steady rate, pausing to “kill” the bait near high spots on the
flat, or close to cover objects such as stumps or weed clusters. “When bass strike these baits,”
Crane said, “they usually engulf them entirely. Just drop your rod back toward the fish, reel up,
and sweep the hookset until your rod loads into a deep bend. Lots of times, these are really big
fish.”
“Some of the region’s top anglers are using Slurpies Rock‐R‐Minnows in competition, but they
haven’t been telling anyone. Well, other than us, that is,” Northland’s Crane recalled with a grin. “And they’re only telling us because they need more baits.”
haven’t been telling anyone. Well, other than us, that is,” Northland’s Crane recalled with a grin. “And they’re only telling us because they need more baits.”
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