A Bass Jig’s Best Wingman

Posted: November 12th, 2014 by Bill Dance

You know those old Westerns, where somebody “rode shotgun” with the stage coach driver? The guy riding shotgun was basically, back up…insurance of sorts for the perils of the road, that, and well, something that offered added punch. If you think about it, jig trailers do the same thing…they ride shotgun with the jig, to give added insurance, that the job is gonna get done.

A bass jig’s ultimate wingman has to be a trailer. It not only has the jig covered, but it also helps it get the job done.

There’s no doubt, bass jigs are among the most versatile of baits. You can swim, pitch, cast or jig them. They catch fish from a variety of locales and in just as varied conditions. The big bonus of fishing a jig with a trailer is that it makes a good thing better. Jig trailers give jigs even more bass-catching power or appeal.

Can jigs catch bass if not fully-dressed with a trailer? You bet they can, but for one to really do its stuff, you need to dress it for even more success by adding a trailer.

Developments in plastics really helped anglers fishing a trailer on a jig. For years anglers were limited to the old, standard pork chunk. We had to keep them in jars to keep them from drying out, and colors were limited. The early plastic trailers, likewise did not give the action of those today. But today there’s a wider selection of plastic trailers designed for fantastic performance. And these all work to slow the fall rate and keep your lure in the strike zone longer.

There’s no doubt the various colors available today also add eye appeal to your jigs and help them more easily grab a bass’s attention. For example, in stained water you might try a brighter-colored trailer, so has to stand out. It’s a quick fix to help increase your strike-catch ratio, and that’s just one example of how we are not as limited as we once were.

I’m not saying the old pork chunks won’t still catch fish, but these new trailers are better designed, have tremendous action, are less messy, cheaper and certainly add a more tremendous amount of buoyancy than the old pork chunks.

OK, so what about the selecting the size of a trailer? Well, it’s true, bigger trailers provide more disturbance, and draw more attention, while also making for a slower fall. Now, if you are fishing a lake with a lot of small bass, you might want to use a smaller trailer, but if you are in a known big-fish lake, go with the larger trailer. As I said, this one is 3 \0xBD inches, but you can easily trim it down to the size you desire for your jig.

Another tip is that in warmer water, you will tend to want more action. After all, fish are typically more active in warmer temps. So you want to use a trailer with a lot of lifelike action during the times when prey naturally displays a higher level of movement.

That’s all for today, see ya next time.