Dear Fishing Friends,

I am dropping you a line to let you know about the two newest additions to the MAL Lure family --- the MAL Mini and the MAL Mini Rig.





ABOVE: The new MAL Mini (lure only version). Available here: MAL Mini





ABOVE: The new MAL Mini Rig. Available here: MAL Mini





ABOVE: The new MAL Mini compared to young-of-the year shad regurgitated by a white bass. That "Sharpie" logo is only 1.125" long

These small lures are designed to fill a niche during that span of time in the summer months when you find white bass and hybrid striped bass feeding on young-of-the-year shad. Here in June, that time is now upon us.

This scenario is typically most evident in topwater situations where you see fish feeding on the surface but DO NOT see the baitfish they are feeding on jumping out of the water trying to escape. This is a sure sign that those gamefish are feeding on this year’s crop of tiny shad which were spawned in April and May.

Although harder to visualize, the same thing takes place underwater, as well. Often, when you’ve found fish on sonar, but can’t get them to bite, it will be because they are “locked on” to this smaller forage size.

The MAL Mini is only 1 5/8 inches long and weighs a mere 7 grams (0.25 ounces) compared to 2.75 to 3.00 inches and 0.60 to 0.88 ounces for the MAL Original, Heavy, and Dense versions. Because of this light weight, it can be difficult to cast very far and takes a while to sink – two issues the larger, heavier versions of the MAL Lure were specifically designed to counter.

To compensate for the lure’s light weight, I have rigged the MAL Mini with a ¾ ounce weight and placed the MAL Mini approximately 20” behind this weight on a 25-pound test fluorocarbon leader terminated with a Power Clip for easy lure changeout and/or removal.

The MAL Mini uses a quality Mepps #2 silver Aglia blade, but couples it with a heavier white body than that which comes “standard” with Mepps catalog products. Unlike the larger MAL Lures, no glow tubing is used on the treble, as we found during product testing last year that this made the overall lure look larger/longer than we desired. We've used a white body and glow-white bead to mimic the side coloration of threadfin shad.

The MAL Mini excels in two particular scenarios – 1) sight-casting to topwater fish feeding on small forage, and 2) fishing horizontally along the bottom using the same “sawtooth method” prescribed for the larger MAL Lure versions.

With a good bit less material involved in manufacturing, the MAL Mini is currently priced lower than the other MAL Lures at $5.40 for the lure, or $6.25 for the entire rig (MAL Mini lure, weight, leader, Power Clip).



ABOVE: The new MAL Mini as packaged when purchased as a lure only (not rigged). Available here: MAL Mini


Currently, the MAL Mini and MAL Mini Rig can be purchased here (only): MAL Mini

I am fully stocked and will fulfill your order and get it in the mail the same day or next day at the latest.

I am hoping to make some technique videos to support this product before long.

Thanks for considering!!

Looks good and I bet it will work right until the irreplaceable hooks wear out.

Nice baits and review.

Notaguide, actually, these hooks are very readily replaced. One simply uses a pair of diagonal cutting pliers to snip off the old hook, then replaces the treble with another treble by way of a split ring.

As we designed the MAL Mini, we could not "let the tail wag the dog" -- by that, I mean we did not want to make the bait any longer, nor more prone to blade strikes, by adding a split ring and thus increase the bait's overall length. This would keep it from being as compact as it is and would keep it from mimicking the young-of-the-year shad we were trying to imitate.

Since the resulting replacement increases the bait's length by roughly the diameter of the split ring, the smart thing to do is use a short-shank treble.

I've been doing this with full sized MAL Lures for the 3 years they've been on the market and the additional year I had them in testing prior to that with no hindrance to performance.

Here are more details:

TIP #12: How to replace a treble hook on your MAL Lure
At some point, you may need to replace the treble hook on you MAL Lure. Here’s how:






CAPTION:
Step 1: Cut off the old treble hook by using a pair of diagonal cutting pliers (dikes) to cut the eye of the old treble hook. DO NOT CUT the wire loop of the MAL Lure’s wire shaft as that will ruin the lure. Wear eye protection, as a piece of the old hook may go a-flyin’!







CAPTION:

Step 2: Using a pair of split ring pliers, spread the split ring open and slide both the spinner’s wire loop and the new treble hook onto the split ring. Continue sliding them in the same direction until the split ring joins the new hook to the spinner’s wire shaft securely.

Suggestions on replacement parts:

Split ring: VMC Stainless Steel Split Ring: Part #SR1 (here's a link: Split ring link for MAL Mini)

Treble Hook: #6 VMC Short Shank Treble: Part #9651 in black nickel color (here's a link: Hook for MAL Mini)

Important Note: The replacement treble hook is a short shank treble with a shorter shank than the original hook. This is intentional. If you use a hook identical to the old hook, the overall length of the repaired MAL will be longer than the original AND you WILL get more misses due to blade strikes at the front end of the lure because you now have the treble hook farther behind that blade.

The new MAL Mini has been out for about 3 weeks now. I've had a few folks express hesitation about trying one due to concern about the potential for tangling the "rigged" version of this lure while casting.

Below is a photo of the note I have included with each MAL Mini Rig I've shipped out in an attempt to proactively address that concern.

This really only arises if using spinning gear. If you are using a baitcaster, the braking action of your thumb slowing the spool's acceleration causes the lighter MAL Mini to whip out beyond the weight, thus eliminating any problem before it arises.

The note says:

IF USED AS A WEIGHTED RIG:
• Use a slow, lobbing casting motion to avoid tangling the MAL Mini with the weight.
• As the lure is about to enter the water, slowly cup your hand over the spinning reel’s spool to cause a braking effect, slowing the lure and allowing the lightweight lure to “whip” out beyond the weight to prevent tangling.





I appreciate both positive and negative input as both help to guide future improvements to this line of white bass lures.

--Bob

I wanted to add a few notes for you DIYers out there. I experimented with this lure for a full summer in 2022 before making it available to the public in 2023. I learned some lessons during that time about the use of this rig.

Here are a few things to consider if you try to rig these up yourself...

1. Leader material - as sold, the rigged version of the MAL Mini has a 20" length of 25-pound-test fluorocarbon. I found that shorter leaders reduced strikes and longer leaders increased the frequency of tangles. I also found that line lighter than 25-pound-test also increased the frequency of tangles, and line heavier than 25-pound-test didn't knot well in the small opening of the MAL Mini (when tied on directly to the leader), nor the Power Clip.

2. Power Clip - the Power Clip was used to allow for quick bait changeout if you break a hook, and for quick lure removal for storage and for untangling. You can certainly eliminate the clip and just tie the MAL Mini directly to the leader if you wish.

3. Slab Color - I intentionally left the slab used as a weight for the MAL Mini rig unpainted. I did not want this slab to be the "center of attention", and I found that when I used painted slabs or slabs with decals, fish would strike at the slab on occasion.

4. Hookless Slab - as I experimented with this rig, I attempted using a hook on the slab in addition to the MAL Mini. I found this hook scuffed the leader too consistently such that line breakage was a concern, especially when dealing with hybrid and full-blood stripers.

5. Knots - I use a 2-wrap Improved Clinch Knot (with 9 twists) to attach the leader to the slab, and a single wrap Improved Clinch Knot (with 6 twists) to attach the leader to the Power Clip. This is in an attempt to make sure that the lure breaks off before the slab does, thus preserving at least part of the rig.


6. Slab Size - I felt the standard 3/4 oz. slab size was the best all-around for getting distance and sink rate with equipment people typically use, some of which is more appropriate for bass fishing than for white bass fishing (things like baitcasting reels, heavy braid or mono, short and/or stiff rods, etc.). The 3/4 oz. slab will get the lure out and down quickly even with tackle which is a bit heavy.

Remember, to avoid tangling the leader, make slower, lobbing casts and (on spinning gear) gently "brake" the lure to a stop by cupping your palm over the spinning reel's spool toward the end of your cast.

I hope this helps!!

--Bob

I used these last weekend and can attest they produced more catches than MAL regular spinners, slabs, spoons, and sassy.

I'm resurrecting this post which I originally put up on 08 June.

If you are on one of the reservoirs where summertime white bass are showing a preference for young-of-the year shad, this bait is for you. It takes a #2 Mepps blade and matches it to a #3 Mepps body for additional weight when used by itself. Because the young shad do not yet have any yellow coloration on the tail, we stuck with white/silver only.

It can also be rigged with a weight and leader for longer cast and faster sink rate. Using the sawtooth method works like a charm.

Find 'em here: MAL Minis

Good luck!

--Bob

Thanks for the resurrection, good tips for sure!