October 15, 2014
By Ned Kehde
Whenever Van Dam lauds a soft-plastic bait, it garners the attention of scores of Midwest finesse anglers. The reason for that is that Van Dam introduced us to Strike King's Zero and four-inch Super Finesse Worm in 2006, and since then, those two baits have had a significant influence on our abilities to catch largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and spotted bass.
As for the Blade Minnow, it is a 4 1/2-inch minnow-shaped swimbait. Its bullet-shaped head is relatively smooth and endowed with a pair of eyes and three branchiostegal membranes or rays on each side of its head. Its thin torso is adorned with tiny scales, and its belly is smooth. The back or rear third of its torso is segmented into three short sections and one long one. The long section is connected to a forked tail. The plastic that Strike King uses is exceedingly soft and flexible. According to Van Dam, the Blade Minnow's jointed body allows it to undulate alluring when an angler retrieves it at a snail's pace. And when it is retrieved at a rapid pace, it runs true and beguilingly.
It is also infused with salt and a coffee scent.
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Van Dam says it was designed to be affixed to Strike King's Tour Grade Naked Rage Blade, which is somewhat similar to the Scrounger that Aaron Martens has wielded for a number of years. But it can be rigged a variety of ways, including to a small mushroom-style jig that Midwest finesse anglers traditionally utilize when they are using either a grub or a small swimbait.
It is manufactured in 11 colors: Black Blue Flake, Bluegill, Blue Gizzard, Ghost Shad, Green Pumpkin, Green Pumpkin Chartreuse Belly, Green Pumpkin Pearl Belly, Key Lime Pie, KVD Magic, Red Bug, and Watermelon Red Flake.
A package of eight can be purchased for $4.99 from one online retailer, $5.19 at another online venue, and $5.99 at another one.
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