When did we
first hear about
Daiwa's SP Minnow
in fishing reports?

Not sure.

But I remember that the lure – with the unusual name – was reported  out of the blue, several years ago.

Someone from a tackle shop, I think Dennis Palmatier, owner of Murphy's Hook House in Toms River, N.J., said the lures were tossed for striped bass in the surf.

SP Minnows? I asked.

Salt Pro Minnows, he said.

Funny how the lure took off.

The Daiwa SP Minnow, the common name, has nearly become venerable.

Why the SP?

It caught fish, especially stripers in the surf.

Now the company has introduced a smaller, 5-1/8-inch version.

Daiwa announced the new size last summer, and the plug has been arriving at stores.

The 5-1/8-incher, available in floating and sinking, is the same as the original 6-incher, except for the size.

Daiwa introduced a number of new colors for both sizes then, too.

The SP catches because of the action.

The lure produces an erratic, side-to-side, swimming motion that draws strikes.

The lure is also designed for a fast, ripping-style retrieve.

Surf casters, fishing for stripers, are more likely to use the slower retrieve that the bass jump all over.

The action is the reason the lure became popular.

But the lure also became popular because of casting.

The SP is built to cast surprisingly far for its weight, important in the surf.

It casts far because of the lure’s shape and because of internal ball bearings that slide to the tail on the cast.

On the retrieve, the bearings slide to the head.

As I write this, small baitfish are most common in the local surf.

That’s a coincidence, but the 5-1/8-incher could be the perfect size for the surf's stripers currently.

After I became familiar with the original SP, crew at tackle shops still wanted to explain to me about the lure.

Nobody ever explains anymore.

For details, visit Daiwa’s website.