I finally broke down and ordered the Banjo Minnow lures last night over the internet.

I am wondering - has anyone tried these things? Has anyone used them for fishing saltwater flats for reds and trout (especially near the Aransas Pass/Port Aransas area)?

Thanks!
Bruce

I tried them years ago for bass fishing and they caught fish. I did not reorder b/c at least back then they were pretty fragile so you could not catch multiple fish on one lure.
If that is still the case, then it will be even worse for reds and trout.

A buddy of mine basically took the banjo minnow idea and made his own with some soft plastics for salt, he just put the hook through the head of the lure. He has yet to test it, but it seems like a good idea. I don't think that they'd work too well on shy bites though and seems like you'll be losing quite a bit lures due to shy bites tearing up the soft plastics. I'll let you know if it works once he uses it. Good luck

A friend of mine likes to rig gulp jerk shads nose hooked, says the action is wicked and when the fish are feeding well you don't have to worry about losing a lot of baits to short-strikes. Haven't done it myself but I don't see why it wouldn't work - just expect to shred a lot of baits.

the banjo minnows work great, but like others have already said...be prepared to lose a few in the line of duty. Short strikes will start to shred them up pretty quick and with enough abuse they fall apart. That being said, they definitely catch fish.