Swim jig trailer

[10,000 lakes Bassin]

I recently watched a video where the guy was saying that he figured out specific trailers that paired with specific swim jigs to give the most action, and that it had to be that exact combo or it wouldn’t work. Is that bs? Can I not just throw any paddle tail on the back? 

[softwateronly]

30 minutes ago, August said:

I recently watched a video where the guy was saying that he figured out specific trailers that paired with specific swim jigs to give the most action, and that it had to be that exact combo or it wouldn’t work. Is that bs? Can I not just throw any paddle tail on the back? 

Sounds like you're talking about Matt Allen, and when you read the statement it sounds ridiculous.  But I've found his pairings to be the best, D walker and big EZ are my favorites, swammers are really good too.

 

scott

[MediumMouthBass]

Ive tried a few different trailers so far and they have no action at all unless im doing an Alabama shake the whole retrieve.

I buy Rage Swimmers over Keitechs because i can get them really cheap on sale, and they might be great paddle tail swimbaits but as soon as they are put on a swim jig its like fighting a walleye, no action, no movement, just reeling straight in.

 

So for swimming them his advice sounds about right, but those nice swim jig trailers are too expensive for my taste, ive still gotta do some experiments with some stuff from Berkley and a few other companies because there has just gotta be something that works good that is reasonably priced.

[A-Jay]

41 minutes ago, August said:

 Can I not just throw any paddle tail on the back? 

You can do whatever you want. 

Including using no trailer.  Josh Jones special.

I my world, a properly rigged swim jig has a certain 'waggle' to it as it swims and as it falls; on a tight or slack line.  Line size and type, lure speed And trailer size, as well as type ALL PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE. 

Getting this right, for me anyway,  takes some trial and error.

I fish swimjigs often, because they get bites, but I’m not always using a paddletail trailer.

A-Jay 

 

[10,000 lakes Bassin]

25 minutes ago, softwateronly said:

Sounds like you're talking about Matt Allen, and when you read the statement it sounds ridiculous.  But I've found his pairings to be the best, D walker and big EZ are my favorites, swammers are really good too.

 

scott

I was talking about Matt lol

[LrgmouthShad]

Matt Allen is the human incarnation of the bait monkey
 

 

[Hook2Jaw]

He's pretty well correct.  I've tried the River2Sea D-Walker, a tad expensive, and got a great secondary action that consisted of a light roll which made the skirt roll beautifully.  After he recommended the Gambler EZ Swimmer, I began using those instead and they add the roll as well.  The swimjig has been very productive for me this year.  I cut the EZ Swimmer down to about 4” and it makes for a beautiful package coupled with a 6th Sense Divine Swim Jig.

[Functional]

large profile swim jig: Keitech FAT Impact

Small profile swim jig: Rapala Crush City "the mayor" or FAT impact.

 

the Keitech's can be less durable but I started using the 6Th sense divine swim jig (or any jig with a screw bait keeper) and the longevity has increased quite a bit. For my existing swim jigs I just took some copper wire I use to tie skirts and created a "barbed wire" type wrap as a bait keeper and its held the baits great.  The Rapala paddle tail 3" has given me some good action on a 1/4oz bitsy bug I use as a small profile swim jig. I havent tested the 4" against the FAT impact of similar size yet but plan to.

 

I've tried a lot of paddle tails but the FAT impacts are still the best for the most action. 

[casts_by_fly]

FAT imapacts impart a great body roll on lighter/thinner/skinnier swimjigs.  On a full skirted swim jig (that's more like a flipping jig) you need a bigger/more active trailer if you want the same body roll.  But to Ajay's point, that's not the only action for a swim jig.  If you put a double trailer out the back horizontally (like a rage craw) then the two craws do a great up and down motion while the jig itself barely moves.  The action is entirely in the trailer at that point.  

[Pat Brown]

Jig trailers are more about creating a profile than anything else.

 

Sometimes action matters, you just have to play around to see what fish are in the mood for but usually it seems like other stuff matters more.

 

I have caught fish on jigs with no trailer, worms, senkos, spunk shads, chunks, craws, beavers, wedge tails, paddle tails, brush hawgs, lizards, grubs and all other manner of used Texas rig critters 😉😉😉

[Bankc]

There's probably some truth to what he said.  But, consider that more action isn't always what the bass want.  And if you really need a ton of action, perhaps a swim jig isn't the right approach.  So I wouldn't get too hung up on magic pairings. 

[txchaser]

For me the fat impact is awfully soft on a swimjig, and is made to go slower than I'm fishing it anyway. So I go to slightly harder plastic/less wag like the biospawn; trying out the d-walker too, but their GP is a dark brown, and they are a little bigger than I like too... So I'll probably stay with the biospawn. I think the 6th sense divine is probably a little tight of a wiggle, especially in the smaller sizes. 

 

The other 49% of me thinks I could probably jam about anything on there and get bit, it's moving fast. 

 

[Ski]

On 5/27/2024 at 5:51 PM, MediumMouthBass said:

but as soon as they are put on a swim jig its like fighting a walleye, no action, no movement, just reeling straight in.

I use the rage swimmers almost exclusively on swim jigs and pool test them often when I change size. 

The only time the trailer does not swim is on a VERY slow retrieve. Other then that they work fine for me. Good luck.