Trailer Hook VS Just Using Longer Hook

[LrgmouthShad]

Dobyns Beast and Zorro Bango Blade also come with very long hooks if that is your thing. 
 

As I already discussed here, it’s just not ‘my jam’

[Carolina Pines]

I make my own spinnerbaits with single Colorado blades, free swinging jig heads, 3/0 and 4/0 hooks with no skirts.  I like to match the hook size to the size of the trailer, too small of a hook and you won't have enough gap to get consistent hook sets. 

 

I like a big 4.5" or 5" trailer on my spinnerbaits.  I never use trailer hooks, I throw them in shallow cover a lot.  I've never had a problem with short strikes or hook sets, and I've landed some big fish on them including my 9-10 PB.  

 

Sometimes I'll use a trailer hook on a buzzbait, but it's rare for me and only in open water. 

 

 

 

 

[Captain Phil]

If you fish a spinnerbait without a trailer hook, you never know how many fish you miss.  I learned this years ago fishing tournaments.  Watch the video Big Mouth Forever on YouTube. There you will see all the proof you need.  Is using a trailer hook a hassle?  Yes.  Does it get more fish in the boat?  Absolutely.   Personally, I would prefer using a trailer hook over a longer main hook.   I believe two hooking points are better than one. 

 

 

[Carolina Pines]

@Captain Phil That looks like a good open water spinnerbait, but the trailer seems a bit small to me IMO.  Maybe a bigger trailer would help them zero in on it and get more hook ups? 

 

If I tried to throw that up shallow where I usually fish them, I'd get hung up every other cast.  I know it because I've tried it. 

 

Last trip I was catching them in 8-10 fow close to the bottom, a trailer hook would have probably worked then.  I'll try one next time I'm getting SB bites in open water and see if I like it.  

[Captain Phil]

This is my favorite Florida spinnerbait. The trailer you see in my photo is a Zoom split tail trailer.  I like it because of it's slim profile. A larger trailer would change the balance of this bait and it's perfect the way it is. The gold blades mimic a golden shiner, which is our most desirable bass forage.  This spinnerbait is a Hildebrandt Okeechobee Special with a downsized willow blade which allows it to be fished deeper and slower.  The trailer hook I use is actually larger than the front hook. Where I fish, no spinnerbait works better for me. Fishing a spinnerbait with a trailer hook requires heavy line, precise casting and patience.  I never fish spinnerbaits in open water. I prefer pads because that's where our big fish live and other anglers don't because of what you described. 

[Carolina Pines]

I don't doubt that it works well for you.  I also fish spinnerbaits in pads (very thick ones) and I haven't found a trailer hook yet that will make it through... but I like experimenting and I'll keep trying different options.  Maybe I need to try a bigger trailer hook.  

 

I do prefer bigger trailers, it made a significant difference for me.  Gizzard shad are what I'm attempting to imitate.  Ever since I started making my own I prefer a large single Colorado blade for slow rolling.  I also use Hildebrandt blades on mine w/ ball bearing swivels.  I throw mine on 30lb braid w/ 20lb fc leader around cover.

 

[LrgmouthShad]

Well obviously we all are set in our own separate ways and we aren't going to change each other's mind

[WRB]

I used Nichols spinnerbait without a stinger hook.

Tom 

[Captain Phil]

2 hours ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Well obviously we all are set in our own separate ways and we aren't going to change each other's mind

 

 

I am not trying to change anyone's mind.  I am giving you information gained from years of experience.  The question that was asked was one that I asked myself many years ago, "Should I use a trailer hook on a spinnerbait?"  My answer is "Only if you want to catch more fish."   There was a time when I would not give information freely for fear it would be used against me.  Those days are over for me.  ☺️

[Carolina Pines]

2 hours ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Well obviously we all are set in our own separate ways and we aren't going to change each other's mind

 

I'm confident in my spinnerbait setups... but hopefully I'm not set in my ways so much that I can't take advice from an experienced angler such as @Captain Phil.  If he can get his trailer hook spinnerbaits through Florida pads then I need to listen to any tips he's willing to offer.  I'm sure the lily pads in FL get pretty thick. 

 

If I can find a way fish a spinnerbait that has a big trailer, with a trailer hook, through the gnarliest of lily pads without getting hung up then consider my mind changed. 

[LrgmouthShad]

@Carolina Pines oh yeah, @Captain Phil is the man. He's a wealth of knowledge on spinnerbait fishing and fishing in general. When I started fishing spinnerbaits, I started reading everything he had to say about spinnerbait fishing on here and a lot of my own spinnerbait style I tried to model against what he writes up here. I'm just not changing my preference of what I like in spinnerbait hooks. It works for me. It's all good. This is a forum. We're allowed to disagree.

[1984isNOW]

2 hours ago, LrgmouthShad said:

This is a forum. We're allowed to disagree.

But I'm gonna search through some captain Phil spinnerbait wisdom... unless @Captain Phil you care to spare me the labor of searching through thousands of threads over decades sifting through tens of thousands of posts and hit me with the bullet points.

 

I appreciate you being willing to share your treasure with the next generation - "treasure found is a great gain for a man, treasure passed down is a great gain for mankind"

[Captain Phil]

I don't pretend to know everything there is about bass fishing.   When you fish for your own enjoyment, you don't know if what you are doing is the best you can do.   Is the guy or girl in the other boat catching more fish?  Everyone catches bass when they get back to the ramp to tell about it.  This is where tournament fishing is different because you can't weigh a story about the one that got away.  When I fished my first bass tournament in the late sixties, I was shocked to learn how many more fish some people caught than I did. I caught bass, but I wanted to catch more.  I thought about how much more fun those other people were having.  It wasn't about the money or the award, it was the fish that I wanted to catch.  Back then, there was no way anyone was going to tell you how to beat them.  After 50 some odd years of trying, I have been able to pry out some of their secrets. Most of the guys I learned from weren't on TV.   They were mostly country boys who learned from their father and their father's father.  Today's successful TV anglers use modern electronics to find schools of fish.  If you don't have that advantage, you may as well stay home.  It wasn't that way when I was fishing competitively.   Getting fish to the boat meant the difference between winning and losing.  I'm on this forum because I love bass fishing and want others to love it too.   If you learn something from me, remember someone else taught me first. ☺️

[Catt]

I seldom use a trailer hook or a trailer (plastic) on spinnerbaits. Throwing spinnerbaits around grass with a trailer hook isn't a problem, try that around Buck Brush & you won't be getting that spinnerbait back. 

 

As for hookup ratio, some days I stick em all, some days I don't!

 

In my opinion it's like pegging your weight...personal preference.

 

I don't peg weights 😉

[1984isNOW]

5 hours ago, Captain Phil said:

They were mostly country boys who learned from their father and their father's father

My dad didn't have a dad and I've taught him more about fishing than he can actually remember, but I'm grateful he introduced it to me. You, and others here, are the grandad I never had that can share fishing wisdom with me, and I appreciate it.

[Boomstick]

As a general rule of thumb, if the eye of the spinnerbait starts on or after the second blade, generally those are the spinnerbaits you want to use a trailer hook. If the eye starts before the hook, you probably won't need one.

 

So using a longer hook may very well reduce or remove your need for a trailer hook depending on the layout of your spinnerbait.

[LrgmouthShad]

@Boomstick out of curiosity by “eye” are you referring to the loop that holds the swivel?

[Boomstick]

36 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

@Boomstick out of curiosity by “eye” are you referring to the loop that holds the swivel?

I did a bang up job explaining that. First, I meant the second blade not the hook. In general, if half or more of the first blade extends past the hook, a trailer hook is usually beneficial. But the eye on the head will also be a marker where it lines up on the second blade as well - if it's about even, you should probably be alright without a trailer hook.

 

Of course there are exceptions, but that's my general rule. Usually I find I don't need a trailer hook when the hook and blades are about even.

[Captain Phil]

There is a way to 

2 hours ago, Boomstick said:

I did a bang up job explaining that. First, I meant the second blade not the hook. In general, if half or more of the first blade extends past the hook, a trailer hook is usually beneficial. But the eye on the head will also be a marker where it lines up on the second blade as well - if it's about even, you should probably be alright without a trailer hook.

 

Of course there are exceptions, but that's my general rule. Usually I find I don't need a trailer hook when the hook and blades are about even.

 

All bass do not strike a spinnerbait the same way.  It may seem that way as you only know about the bass you can feel.  A trailer hook is there to hook bass you can't feel.  Aggressive bass engulf the bait. For those bass, you don't need a trailer hook.  Some bass strike the blades, other bass may strike the body or miss the lure entirely.  I have had bass engulf the bait and swim along with it undetected until I saw them in the water next to the boat. 

 

Here is an easy test you can do yourself.  Try fishing a spinnerbait with a trailer hook and observe if any bass are caught on the trailer hook.  If so, you most likely would not have caught that bass without the trailer.  There is a good chance you may not have even felt the strike. At least 20% of the bass I catch on my spinnerbait are hooked on the trailer hook.  If you never catch a bass on the trailer hook, you don't need one. 

[Boomstick]

34 minutes ago, Captain Phil said:

All bass do not strike a spinnerbait the same way.  It may seem that way as you only know about the bass you can feel.  A trailer hook is there to hook bass you can't feel.  Aggressive bass engulf the bait. For those bass, you don't need a trailer hook.  Some bass strike the blades, other bass may strike the body or miss the lure entirely.  I have had bass engulf the bait and swim along with it undetected until I saw them in the water next to the boat.

This is true as well. But my point is if I have a blade that extends past the hook, I'll start out with the trailer hook. If they're roughly even, chances are I'll be okay without one, although there are always times you may find they're not getting hooked and you want to add one.

[Captain Phil]

Undetected strikes are not limited to spinnerbaits.  One of the most significant differences between a good bass fisherman and a great bass fisherman is in the ability to detect a strike.  This is especially true when fishing soft plastic baits. A bass can engulf and eject a lure faster than you can feel it.  When you are fishing for five bites a day, this can make a huge difference.  It is not as big of a problem today as it was when all we had were fiberglass rods and stretchy line, but it is still an issue. 

[Catt]

One should be able to feel the change in vibration before the bass actually makes contact with the spinnerbait, the same thing holds true with crankbaits. 

 

The key is to keep cranking & resist the urge to set hook. 

[1984isNOW]

@Catt I'm not sure I understand what you mean, what would be changing if the bass hasn't actually hit it yet?

 

For all of you who use a trailer hook, do you ever fish a swim jig? Just seems like a concern about short strikes would carry over to swim jigs where I've never heard of a trailer hook being used.

[Captain Phil]

16 minutes ago, Kites R4 Skyfishing said:

For all of you who use a trailer hook, do you ever fish a swim jig? Just seems like a concern about short strikes would carry over to swim jigs where I've never heard of a trailer hook being used.

 

For some reason totally unknown to me, Florida bass do not seem to like traditional jigs.  I have bought boxes of them and have never had much success.  I see Pro anglers catch bass on TV with them in tournaments, but I can't. Our bass seem to prefer soft plastics over hard jigs.   We don't use trailer hooks on those baits as bass hang  on to them longer.  One thing I have learned is to always check my lure after it hits bottom before I move it.  This is especially true when flipping and pitching.  

 

If you are asking about blade jigs, I have never used a trailer hook on one of those as they are normally more compact than a spinnerbait.  I honestly don't think bass know what a spinnerbait is when they strike it.  They see the flash and feel the vibrations.  Perhaps that's why they short strike them on occasion? 

[Catt]

24 minutes ago, Kites R4 Skyfishing said:

I'm not sure I understand what you mean, what would be changing if the bass hasn't actually hit it yet?

 

When your spinnerbait or crankbait is finely tuned you can't tell when it's off?

 

Question is why is it off?

Did I tick grass?

Did I hit a twig?

Sometimes you get bit almost Immediately.

 

You.never caught a bass on a Texas Rig or Jig-n-Craw when you wasn't moving anything, saw no line movement, felt nothing?