Ok fastrac experts, more questions from the rookie over here.
Picked up a spoonbill minnow recently and it looked an awful lot like a fastrac but with the big bill. Are you guys doing any good on these things? Or is the fastrac the one?

Rob,

Two of the Rebel lures look like fastracs and they both work. The Rebel Minnow looks just like it but only dives just below the surface (great for halibut/seabass in 2-3 feet of water). In fact I have had halibut slam this thing while I'm just twitching it on the surface (watch out for the birds though!). I haven't given the spoonbill minnow too much time on the water. It dives about 8-9 feet on a cast but when I'm fishing that deep I'm usually fishing the swimbaits. I have caught a couple seabass on the spoonbill so it does work.

Pete

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You can't catch tomorrow what you kill today - please practice catch and release.

LAST EDITED ON Aug-14-01 AT 04:33 PM (PST)

I got a few spoonbill and regular minnows when I ordered the fastracs, but I haven't spent much time with either one. I tried to troll the spoonbill from my kayak, but it dove too deep and dragged in the sand. It did have a nice wobble though. I think it was going deeper than 8-9ft while trolling. I don't know why crankbait companys rarely put the diving depth of the lure on the package, they make you guess. Now for the regular minnow. To be honest I think that thing looks better in the water than the fastrac. I think it has better action and more flash, but like pete said it'll only go 2-3ft deep. With the fastrac being between the two, it has worked better for me inside morro bay. I guess it just goes back to letting the conditions/depth dictate which one works best. -Phil

Spoonbill - I used my depth finder and kept going deeper around the wharf until I wasn't hitting bottom. It was around 10 ft. when I wasn't hitting bottom anymore.

Minnow - you are right - these things have great action. A very wide wobble.

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You can't catch tomorrow what you kill today - please practice catch and release.

10ft huh, I guess I was fishing shallower than I thought. I'd bring my portable depth finder on my kayak if it wasn't such a hassle. -Phil

What size line are you fishing it with?
I've hit bottom in 15' with 6# line, but can't hit 10' with 15#
It's something to think about, and the main reason no one puts the depth a lure dives to on the box.

Tight lines,
Wade

I was using 12 when I was testing it.

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You can't catch tomorrow what you kill today - please practice catch and release.

Yeah 12lb, thats what I was using. I checked out lurenet( where I ordered the fastracs) And noticed that they put the diving depth of the fastrac (5-7ft on 10#) but nothing about the spoonbill. One thing I did find was that they make a jointed spoonbill minnow. Might be something to check out. -Phil

All the Rebel minnows I've used (minnow, fastrac, spoonbill) were jointed and silver/black.

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You can't catch tomorrow what you kill today - please practice catch and release.