The name says a lot. A Rebel Tracdown Minnow “tracks down,” meaning it sinks slowly through the water column. That makes this minnow-imitating lure an excellent choice for getting down in current, and it also allows you to work deeper in still water. That said, because a Tracdown Minnow is a slow sinker, you can keep it shallow when the situation dictates doing so.
Two different versions of a Tracdown Minnow come in a 2 1/2-inch size. A TD50 Tracdown Minnow uses the shape of a classic Rebel Minnow and has moderate wiggle. It comes in five flashy metallic colors, two which imitate trout.
The TD47 Ghost Minnow has a slimmer profile and a tighter wiggle and darts more erratically with twitches and jerks. It has six colors, three of which are trout patterns, are a bit less flashy overall. This minnow also comes standard with barbless hooks, making it safer on the hands, better suited for releasing fish and legal out of the package for fishing barbless-only waters.
Either 2 ½-inch Tracdown Minnow can be swam steadily or worked with series of jerks and pauses, and often the best presentation falls in-between, with mostly steady reeling punctuated with twitches of the rod tip or broken by pauses. Experiment and let the fish decide, and if the water color and depth allow you to do so, watch behind your lure as you work it. If you are getting followers that won’t quite commit, a slight presentation adjustment or color change might convert those followers into eaters.
Also watch your lure to see differences in action, according to what you are doing with the rod and reel. A slow pull, a quick twitch, and a sharp jerk all create different lure movements, and each has its place, according to conditions and the mood of the fish.
Presentation speed and rod angle together dictate depth. If you want to fish fairly deep, let a Tracdown Minnow sink several seconds after you cast it and work it fairly slowly or incorporate pauses, and hold your rod parallel to the surface. For shallow presentations, keep the lure moving and your rod tip high.
Both 2 1/2-inch Tracdown Minnows work extremely well for species ranging from bluegills to bass to trout, and while they can produce in any type of setting, they are especially well suited for streams and for ponds and small lakes.