Spring jig trailers for stained water?

[TriStateBassin106]

What's everyone's jig trailers of choice for the early spring in stained water? i'm conflicted on using something with dead action or with flapping claws. Which one would be better in this event? Would the bass bite more with something like a rage craw or a beaver trailer because the water is still so cold? 

 

Edit: My water clarity is 1ft or less most of the time. 

[TnRiver46]

It can change daily but I’d start with flappy in muddy water. I’ve also seen times where they eat nothing but a weightless senko in muddy water 

[TriStateBassin106]

7 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

It can change daily but I’d start with flappy in muddy water. I’ve also seen times where they eat nothing but a weightless senko in muddy water 

Woudn't the bass still be able to detect a beaver in muddy water? or would it overall have no effect on them?

[Team9nine]

Good old plastic chunk (pork frogs in the good old days) for me. Maybe step it up a size depending, but otherwise, nothing fancier until waters warm regardless of clarity.

[roadwarrior]

Rage Baby Craw, Craw or Lobster.

 

[drew4779]

I agree with Team9nine.

 

In my area, I start with chunks (or pork if you can find it) in early spring and move to trailers with more action as the water warms.

[Deleted account]

N/A. I don't fish a jig in the early spring.

[roadwarrior]

3 minutes ago, BassWhole! said:

N/A. I don't fish a jig in the early spring.

 

Hmm...

 

[Shimano_1]

I fish a chunk or a raptor chunk in spring period.  Move to the more active craws post spawn

[huZZah]

I do chunks and 3-4” grubs with curly tails. Just to cover bases. I usually throw the grubs into cover and drag it through, and chunks right next to it or drag along the edge. 

[BigAngus752]

Well, I'm on the flappy bandwagon.  Jig and chatterbait trailers with lots of action in the spring.  Spring is also the time I use worms with flappy tails.  My best producer in spring has been the Zoom UV Speedworm rigged weightless.  It makes the bass really angry for some reason and they smash it.  So I guess flappy things but moving more slowly (as in weightless)?  FYI my typical water clarity is also less than 18 inches.  

[DitchPanda]

In early spring which means cold water I use either Zoom super chunks or yamamoto double tail grubs.

[TnRiver46]

4 hours ago, TriStateBassin106 said:

Woudn't the bass still be able to detect a beaver in muddy water? or would it overall have no effect on them?

They can detect about anything as far I know. Sometimes subtle is key regardless of water color 

[TriStateBassin106]

2 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

They can detect about anything as far I know. Sometimes subtle is key regardless of water color 

Yeah I always thought the whole subtle thing was a result of cold water. I never thought bass would bite rage craws or other flapping baits in this cold of water, I guess even when cold it still attracts them just gotta fish it slower. 

[papajoe222]

Add me to the chunk group. Zoom Salty Pro Chunk or their black and blue Super Chunk for stained water.

[TriStateBassin106]

6 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

They can detect about anything as far I know. Sometimes subtle is key regardless of water color 

What do you think would be better in my situation? Using a chunk/beaver in the early spring or going with a rage craw? All the different answers are interesting. 

[TnRiver46]

Just now, TriStateBassin106 said:

What do you think would be better in my situation? Using a chunk/beaver in the early spring or going with a rage craw? All the different answers are interesting. 

I would try both and keep experimenting. Low visibility try noisy bait first and then more subtle. Then other times the bass don’t agree and you might need to move areas and try the  complete oppsite presentation 

[BigAngus752]

4 minutes ago, TriStateBassin106 said:

What do you think would be better in my situation? Using a chunk/beaver in the early spring or going with a rage craw? All the different answers are interesting. 

I sometimes fish two different lakes in two days and the fish want completely different things.  I think your situation may just be your situation.  Don't be afraid to experiment.  

[TriStateBassin106]

7 minutes ago, BigAngus752 said:

I sometimes fish two different lakes in two days and the fish want completely different things.  I think your situation may just be your situation.  Don't be afraid to experiment.  

What would be some good beaver style baits I could throw on the jigs? Only one I really use in my arsenal is the sweet beaver by RI, I was thinking about trying some new ones or maybe even getting into chunks. 

[WRB]

You all gotta get over water clarity, bass live and eat prey everyday in all types of water clarity day and night. What looks good to a angler means nothing  Bass.

Tom

[MIbassyaker]

This is interesting. There are actually two questions here, that, as far as I can tell, the standard received wisdom gives conflicting answers :

 

1) What trailers for Spring?  Standard answer is something with less action, presumably because something that gives off a lot of movement suggests prey that is difficult to capture, and bass are reluctant to expend energy on difficult, active prey when it is still cold.

 

2) What trailers for stained/low-visibility water? Standard answer is something with more action that aids detection from bass, who can still detect movement well in low-vis conditions, or by moving more water, creating vibrations that can be heard or picked up with the lateral line.  More action also slows the fall, which may help bass find the bait in low-vis conditions

 

So which is it?  My own suspicion is... it doesn't matter most of the time, and when it does, it's not possible to know without some trial and error.  I'm not convinced there is a clear generalization here.

[A-Jay]

56 minutes ago, MIbassyaker said:

This is interesting. There are actually two questions here, that, as far as I can tell, the standard received wisdom gives conflicting answers :

 

1) What trailers for Spring?  Standard answer is something with less action, presumably because something that gives off a lot of movement suggests prey that is difficult to capture, and bass are reluctant to expend energy on difficult, active prey when it is still cold.

 

2) What trailers for stained/low-visibility water? Standard answer is something with more action that aids detection from bass, who can still detect movement well in low-vis conditions, or by moving more water, creating vibrations that can be heard or picked up with the lateral line.  More action also slows the fall, which may help bass find the bait in low-vis conditions

 

So which is it?  My own suspicion is... it doesn't matter most of the time, and when it does, it's not possible to know without some trial and error.  I'm not convinced there is a clear generalization here.

I can get with this as well.

and while I don't do much in the way of truly 'stained' water,

I do fish water in the below 50 zone both early & late season. 

The common denominator regarding succeeds for me here,

regardless of bait the turbidity, is presentations generally need to be 'slow'.

Slow on the fall if it's a jig and any movement (forward) also needs to be slow 

with plenty of pauses built in.  Also a splash of color on otherwise natural patterns can be a trigger for bites.  Spike-it worm 'n' chunk paint in orange & chartreuse on a Rage Bug has been secretly killing it for me for the past several seasons.   Jig Trailers and swimbaits often get a dab or two of both.

Stole it from Zona.  

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Spike_It_Worm__Chunk_Paint/descpage-SIWC.html

Don't tell anyone.

A-Jay

 

 

[throttleplate]

21 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Also a splash of color on otherwise natural patterns can be a trigger for bites.  Spike-it worm 'n' chunk paint in orange & chartreuse on a Rage Bug has bee secretly killing it for me for the past several seasons.   Jig Trailers and swimbaits often get a dab or two of both.

Stole it from Zona.  

i stole my wifes fingernail polish and she ended up helping me paint gills and eyes on my swimbaits and trailers.

 unpainted berkley grass pigs caught me 5 pounders on a ewg keel weighted #5/0. Now painted up will see what happens.

[Bluebasser86]

1 hour ago, WRB said:

You all gotta get over water clarity, bass live and eat prey everyday in all types of water clarity day and night. What looks good to a angler means nothing  Bass.

Tom

Agreed, a lot of overthinking going on here.

 

I use 2 trailers for a vast majority of my jig fishing. I use 2 colors of jigs well over 50% of the time. Of those 2 trailers, I use 2 colors almost without fail. The 2 colors are black and blue flake, and green pumpkin in either a YUM Christie Craw or Craw Papi.

 

Jigs are my favorite bait to fish and I'm sure there's times that color matters a lot, but putting it in front of them is way more important most days.

[TriStateBassin106]

1 hour ago, MIbassyaker said:

This is interesting. There are actually two questions here, that, as far as I can tell, the standard received wisdom gives conflicting answers :

 

1) What trailers for Spring?  Standard answer is something with less action, presumably because something that gives off a lot of movement suggests prey that is difficult to capture, and bass are reluctant to expend energy on difficult, active prey when it is still cold.

 

2) What trailers for stained/low-visibility water? Standard answer is something with more action that aids detection from bass, who can still detect movement well in low-vis conditions, or by moving more water, creating vibrations that can be heard or picked up with the lateral line.  More action also slows the fall, which may help bass find the bait in low-vis conditions

 

So which is it?  My own suspicion is... it doesn't matter most of the time, and when it does, it's not possible to know without some trial and error.  I'm not convinced there is a clear generalization here.

This is pretty much the question I'm trying to ask. There's definitely two conflicting answers that don't have a very standard approach.