Daiwa Silver Creek Minnow

The first Japanese minnow lure I ever got was a Daiwa Silver Creek Minnow. I thought it was a wonderful lure, and I caught a quite a few fish with it. Initially, I was reluctant to import it, thinking it might be too expensive to sell well. After all, lots of other minnow lures are available here in the US for lower prices.

Three things together overcame my resistance. First and foremost, it really is a very good lure.  Second, from the very beginning, customers asked me if I would import Japanese lures, and the ones I did import sold well. Third, all the JDM rods, reels, lines, etc. are more expensive that what you can find at the big box stores, yet people who appreciate high quality gear have been quite willing to pay higher prices to get the higher quality.

Angler holding rainbow trout caught with Silver Creek Minnow.Why I stopped using treble hooks. Two points from each treble firmly embedded.

As with nearly all lures designed for stream fishing, the Daiwa Silver Creek Minnow comes from the factory with a pair of treble hooks. I would replace the trebles with single hooks! That stems from my gut reaction to catching the rainbow shown above. Somehow, it managed to get two points from each of the two factory trebles firmly embedded in it's mouth. It was not at all easy to remove four barbed hook points! I released the fish, but I am not sure it survived the ordeal.

Angler holding Silver Creek Minnow with front hook removed and single hook in rear.Daiwa Silver Creek 50S "Yamame" after removing the front treble and replacing the rear treble with a single hook.

I have fished the Dawa Silver Creek Minnow lures after replacing both trebles with single hooks, and also after removing the front treble and replacing the rear one with a single hook. Personally, I prefer just one hook in the rear. Although I have caught fish that were hooked on the front hook, nearly all of the fish I have caught with this and other minnow lures were hooked on the rear hook.

Rainbow trout in net caught by the rear single hook.Daiwa Silver Creek 50S "Yamame" with single rear hook.

I also found that the front single hook often caught the line, which made the lure spin wildly on the retrieve. Eventually, I just removed the front treble hook and now fish the lures with only a rear single hook. There is no way to know how many fish I could have caught if I'd had the front hook. Also, there is no way to know how many fish I could have caught if the lure didn't spin on the retrieve.

Trout in net caught with Silver Creek Minnow.Daiwa Silver Creek 44S Red Gold Yamame

If you replace both trebles with single hooks, whichever hook is not in the fish will be in the net. That complicates the release of the fish. If you replace them with barbless single hooks, the lure will nearly always come out by itself as soon as you get the fish in the net. Release in that case could not be easier. Of course, if you hook a 6 incher (and yes, 6" fish will hit sinking minnow lures) the lure will nearly always come out by itself before you get the fish in the net.

Still Life setting, with rod, net and trout. Leaves cover the water's surface.Daiwa Silver Creek 50S "Black Gold"

Hooks aside (and of course you are free to leave the factory trebles in place) the Daiwa Silver Creek Minnow is a very effective lure. It has flat sides and a low center of gravity, which produces a very enticing wiggle with a steady retrieve. If you pulse the lure on the retrieve, which Japanese stream fishermen generally do, you can produce twitches to make the lure look like an injured minnow.

Some YouTube videos of Japanese anglers show them making rapid, exaggerated pulses during the retrieve. However, the few underwater videos that show those retrieves also show that fish have a very hard time catching the lure - not because the retrieve is too fast but because the lure jerks too wildly from side to side. Personally, I think gentle pulses would yield more actual hook ups, and I've done surprisingly well with just a steady retrieve. Either way, the Daiwa Silver Creek Minnows catch fish!

Daiwa Silver Creek Minnows are made in Japan.

Finesse-Fishing Home > Single Hook Lures > Daiwa Silver Creek Minnow

Header photo: Tenryu Rayz RZ4102B-UL, Shimano Calcutta Conquest BFSHG ('17)

Warning:

The hooks are sharp.
The coffee's hot.
The fish are slippery when wet.

Whatever you do, do it with finesse!