The lure has a tight darting action that was irresistible to both schoolie and straggling stripers. Hits were explosive, many were visual, and after plenty of fish the lures remained in great shape. This says a great deal about the lures hooks, which handled all the torque the stripers could dish out, never showcasing a bent or broken point.  

The translucent perch pattern

Color/pattern is quite important when fishing these baits and when we were fishing in water populated by both stripers and largemouth we honed into patterns with both. On one particular day we were picking up nothing but bass on the “yellow spot” pattern. We switched out to the “Translucent minnow” and suddenly was picking up nothing but stripers. We were testing the same mid speed retrieve rate.

A close up of the translucent lure, notice the lifelike scale pattern still exists on this lure too

Apparently we honed in on patterns that were desirable to the different species. So don’t be afraid to change up your patterns, and it is good to know that Daiwa supplies 10 different patterns, each of which mimics a different baitfish.

The lure features a thin lip design for better action and balance

When it comes to finish the SP is excellent. The detail in design rivals Lucky Craft and Megabass on these lures. The lures feature a very detailed scale pattern, and the head design is exceptional, all the way down to the protruding 3D-eyes. I especially like the convincing gill design. When it comes to looking and mimicking a genuine baitfish Daiwa has done right by the new SP.

Check out that protruding 3D eye

the underbelly of this lure features a multi color paint process for more flash

Price & Availability: The TD Minnow SP lures retail for 14.95 a piece, which is right there with the competition, but here’s where things get really hairy. While the original TD Minnow enjoys strong distribution throughout the US in both stores and on e-tailer pages the TD Minnow SP version is extremely hard to find.

Yes...stripers like it too

Some local stores may have them but most of the e-tailers have felt somewhat saturated when it comes to stop and go jerkbaits, and Lucky Craft dominates real estate on both the web and retail store shelves. The Pointer is one of my favorite baits of all time, but it is shame that the TD Minnow SP is not more widely distributed, as the lure not only is quite well designed, but also delivered exceptional performance in our tests.

A look at the transition paint on the top pf the translucent lure

While we understand how difficult it is to peg new lures onto already jam-packed retail store shelves we hope that more e-tailers will help make this lure more readily available to jerkbait enthusiasts.

It is a pity not more e-tailers have the TD Minnow SP in stock...this is one jerkbait that should be added to your arsenal

Pluses and Minuses:

Conclusion: Easy to fish, hard to find…that’s pretty much the story here. I was surprised just how much I liked the TD Minnow SP, considering my loyalty to both the Lucky Craft Pointer and the Megabass Vision, both of which have been at the apex of my jerkbait arsenal. Well, it is time to reload, and while the SP will not replace the Pointer or the Vision it has earned a spot right up there with both of them. The fixed weighting system delivers an exceedingly realistic hover, and looks just like a baitfish hanging below the surface. In situations where a slower retrieve, and stop and go pauses are necessary to incite strikes from bass the SP is just as good, if not better than the other jerkbaits. While finding one may be a challenge we can only hope that these lures will become more available in the coming months. So effective was this new bait that we are awarding the TD Minnow SP an Editors Choice Award, and for anglers that enjoy twitching and ripping a good jerkbait, the list of “must have” baits has just grown by one.