Spinnerbait Trailers

[Fuese54]

what are good trailers for spinnerbaits? I wanted to buy some paddle tail trailers but I'm not sure if they would be effective or not

[ABW]

If you want a larger profile toss a plastic trailer on whether it be a grub or a boot tail swimbait.

 

Havoc Grass Pigs are relatively cheap & they get the job done.

 

You could also use a trailer hook if the fish are swiping at your spinnerbait.

[roadwarrior]

I'm sure some of our guys will have suggestions for you, but I don't use trailers

or fish with anyone else that uses them either.

[Penguino]

I use single tail grubs on my spinnerbaits for trailers.

[bassguytom]

I don't use trailers on spinnerbaits either but always use a trailer hook.

[Senko lover]

I've been trying the Ike's devil spear. Not that impressed. It might have good vibration but it doesn't have that good movement. I like just a swimbait or, more often that not, a naked spinnerbait.

[RB 77]

Paddle tails are what I would reconmend. I use a swimbait (paddletail) for a larger profile.

[ChrisWi]

I only put on a grub I'd the waters really dirty and needs more vibration and profile, Spinnerbaits perform best when it's windy and they already don't cast the best, I'd like to keep the bulk to a minimum

[punch]

I've put various trailers on spinnerbaits over the years and i'm not convinced they increase the bite at all. I get that it makes the bait look bigger and gives it more action.. but I've gotten plenty of bites with just a skirt. I've pretty much given up on plastic trailers and just go with a trailer hook 100% of the time. Trailer hooks absolutely increase your hookup rate, especially with PIke. Nothing worse than that monster pike hitting your spinner skirt and missing. I trailer hook all my good spinners now. 

[A-Jay]

My use of a spinner bait trailer depends on how I'm fishing the spinnerbait.

 

If it's low & slow I'll usually have a trailer, paddle tail or grub.

 

If I'm burning the bait, not trailer.

 

Fishing it at night - always a paddle tail trailer.

 

A-Jay

[Heron]

Pop off your front blade and hang that on the hook, as a trailer. 

[bionicbassfisherman]

personaly i love the zoom swim fluke and jus cut it as long/short as u need it 

[Bankbeater]

I'm another one who does not use a trailer on a spinnerbait.  I don't use a trailer hook in weeds, either.

[corn-on-the-rob]

I dont use trailers on spinners except for in muddy/night water. If I want a big profile thumper I'll use a chatterbait with a trailer instead.

[papajoe222]

I'm sure some of our guys will have suggestions for you, but I don't use trailers

or fish with anyone else that uses them either.

That's because you didn't stick around last year's road trip.

I use them in the spring for extra lift and action, plus they hold scent which I normally don't use on a spinnerbat as it ruins their skirts. I rely strictly on Kalin's Lunker Grubs. Once the bass are into the nest building stage of prespawn, the trailer gets tossed and the spinnerbait goes into storage for a while.

[*Hootie]

While I have used both, I don't like either. I've had too many times that they come back wrapped around the hook or otherwise entangled. I feel they are too much trouble. Could even cause missed strikes.

Hootie

[bucky]

I don't use a trailer all the time but when I do, it is a curl tail grub. I fish some at night and I like a zoom pro frog trailer or, a 10" Berkley power worm.

[Fishes in trees]

I use a trailer on a spinnerbait all the time.  I don't use trailer hooks.   Mostly I think that if you are fishing a spinner bait in a place where you can get away with a trailer hook, there are probably better options out there - JMO

 

Back to the subject of which trailer.    Generally, I think that a spinnerbait without a trailer is half a bait.

Most of the time I'll use some short soft plastic as a trailer.   The BPS Cajun trailers work good.  I'll use the ZOOM swimming chunk quite a bit.  Lucky Strike use to make a 4" twin tail trailer that had a clearish/smoky grey body with lots of different colors of glitter in it and ending with chartreuse tip on the tails of the bait.  Sometimes the chartreuse has faded a little bit and can bit touched up with a chartreuse sharpie or one of the dips available.  Long out of production, I still have a couple of bags left that I scored on a close out.  This is my favorite clearer water trailer.   I think that the point of a trailer is to give the fish something soft to bite down on, and that gives you a second or two longer to set the hook.  There might be a secondary factor as an attractor, but for me the jury is still out on that point.

 

As far as using the trailer as an attractor, I used to use Uncle Josh split tail eels on the spinnerbaits, but these days I switch baits too often for that to work, the pork eel is likely to dry out between uses, and I don't feel like wasting the time to attach/detatch the pork bait every time I choose to switch presentations.

 

New this year, and untried as of yet, a tackle store near me cut their prices on all their Netbait plastics, down to $1.50 per bag, therefore I now own a BUNCH of all the different sizes of Paca chunks.  I'll be trying these out as spinnerbait trailers this spring.  So that's my current thinking on spinner bait trailers.

[*Hootie]

I think that a spinnerbait without a trailer is half a bait.

Trees, I'm gonna have to disagree with you on that. Simply because I don't use trailers, and I've never caught half a bass...lol.

Hootie

[bkohlman]

I use a zoom swimming chunk, I thread it if I want a small profile and hang it on the hook for a bit larger profile.

[Munkin]

3/0 trailer hook.

 

Allen

[doyle8218]

 

When I do use one:

 

Zoom 3" Swimmin Chunk or Kalin's Scrub are my favorites.

 

 

 

 

[Heron]

Never been a fan of spinnerbait trailers.    But only because of my own personal preference - I dont like the way it looks.  Not to say that it wont catch fish, Im sure the fish dont mind either way.

 

But, consider this.  When a spinnerbait goes through the water, the spinning blades create an opposing drag-force, that is off-center from the line.  This drag pulls the top half of the bait backwards, causing the head to go nose-up, and thus pointing the hook down below the skirt.  Well, if you attach a trailer to the hook, what you end up with is the trailer sticking out from the bottom of the skirt, rather than straight out of the back like a jig.   I just think this looks wonky, and is not my preferred presentation.  Besides, the blades by themselves work more than enough just fine by me. 

[shanksmare]

Never been a fan of spinnerbait trailers.    But only because of my own personal preference - I dont like the way it looks.  Not to say that it wont catch fish, Im sure the fish dont mind either way.

 

But, consider this.  When a spinnerbait goes through the water, the spinning blades create an opposing drag-force, that is off-center from the line.  This drag pulls the top half of the bait backwards, causing the head to go nose-up, and thus pointing the hook down below the skirt.  Well, if you attach a trailer to the hook, what you end up with is the trailer sticking out from the bottom of the skirt, rather than straight out of the back like a jig.   I just think this looks wonky, and is not my preferred presentation.  Besides, the blades by themselves work more than enough just fine by me. 

 

If you want the spinnerbait body and hook to run parallel to the line of travel, try the following:

1. Bend the wire where it exits the spinnerbait head straight out (parallel or in line with the hook shank)

2. With a pair of needle nosed pliers grip the wire about 1/4" in front of the nose of the SB body and bend it up at a 45 degree (or thereabouts) angle

3. Align the wire as you would normally do, so everything is in line

4. Test the SB in a swimming pool or clear water. With minimal ajustment your SB should run with the hook parallel with the line of travel.

5. add a trailer and it should exit the center of the skirt and run level rather than at an angle.

[MDBowHunter]

Take off the skirt and put a money minnow on there, this is a killer with a chatterbait also .