River Gold: Mann’s Baby 1 Minus and Substitutes
The Mann’s Baby 1 Minus is a stalwart on the Potomac River. It actually first came to national attention when Paul Elias used it to win a Bassmaster event on Okeechobee, but my awareness really set in when Dan Morehead partially relied on one to win here on the Nation’s River – just a little bit after I bought my first bass boat.
Here’s a video of Morehead’s victory:
In the ensuing 30 years, I’m not sure I’ve ever launched on the Potomac without having at least one tied on. It’s guaranteed not to dive any deeper than a foot, which is great for super-shallow water or fishing over the top of emerging vegetation.
Unfortunately, as with many things in fishing, Mann’s stopped making the “good ones” (the double-stamped and single-stamped bodies) decades ago, replaced by textured ones that didn’t run nearly as well. Accordingly, I’m babying the ones I have. That’s why the lone tackle purchase I made ding my truncated visit to the 2026 Bassmaster Classic was at Fulks Custom Crankbaits. I got some Babies plus a couple of Mid 1 Minus crankbaits.
Fulks still has some in stock. Check out his website or look for him at upcoming tackle shows. Here he is describing a recent haul of old stock:
Sometimes you can also find them at out-of the-way tackle shops:
I’m not willing to give up on the original, but if those options don’t work out, and ebay prices are too high for your budget, consider some of the following options:
One other that I’m eager to try out is the Megabass Over Rev Crankbait (“ORC”)
