Jigs with Trailers vs Jigs without Trailers 2025
Manly Studson reply :
When I throw a jig with a trailer, I catch fewer fish than when I throw a jig without a trailer. I sometimes add a Kalin’s grub or Netbait craw to a SK Hack-Attack or Bitsy Flip. I match the colors of the trailer with the jig. But I consistently do better without a trailer. I’ve read that bass may be less likely to strike trailers that imitate a craw’s pincer. Anyone have a similar experience?
Team9nine reply :
I’m betting you’re in the minority. Jigs without trailers talk is bass fishing blasphemy 
Columbia Craw reply :
Trailers of some kind only enhance the overall action or movement of a jig. Trailers also allow the angler to increase or decrease the fall rate of the jig. I always looked at a jig as a vehicle for the trailer. Fishing a naked jig doesn't give those options. I'm not aware that bass dismember their prey and certainly don't shy away from eating crayfish regardless of pincers or displaying a defensive stance. Crayfish offer calcium and protein for bass and will eat them when ever possible.
A-Jay reply :
I always just assumed that there was some kind of actual law that forbid the use of a trailerless jig. . . .
A-Jay
Manly Studson reply :
I hear you guys. I’m just trying to make sense out of my experience. I’ll work on the presentation with trailers and see what I can do.
As far as what bass think of pincers, this is what I read: “For 60 days, 450 largemouth bass, plucked from the same environment, were tested using a robotic arm and a strike counter. Each group of bass was presented a crawfish bait at the same speed and angle of attack. The bass tested had never seen the bait that was presented (it was a prototype). The test then continued, with one pincer removed, then a second pincer removed, and finally, the legs. The soft bait that had no appendages (no legs or pincers, just a body and tail) had the greatest number of strikes.”
Pure Fishing is behind the study.
papajoe222 reply :
On 4/16/2019 at 10:19 AM, A-Jay said:I always just assumed that there was some kind of actual law that forbid the use of a trailerless jig. . . .
A-Jay
There is. Papa's law #6 reads: Any angler caught fishing a skirted jig without a pork or plastic trailer will be immediately barred from fishing with him.
Gibbs is a copy cat with his Rule #s
Todd2 reply :
On 4/16/2019 at 10:26 AM, Manly Studson said:The soft bait that had no appendages (no legs or pincers, just a body and tail) had the greatest number of strikes.”
I read this in Dr. Jones book. I think he surmised a tube best matched his results....that's why I added tubes to my arsenal.
Columbia Craw reply :
Berkley Lures offers 23 soft plastic lures in some type of crawfish configuration. They are owned by Pure Fishing. The crawfish pincers cleaned out of my live well is enough to convince me i'm on target.
GrumpyOlPhartte reply :
@Manly Studson: Uh, I guess my question is, “Why attempt to fix it if it ain’t broken?” I’m pretty much a hack bass fisherman but if I’m getting bites I stick with it. If the bite drops off I try to figure out why and change presentation, or location. If I was having better results without a trailer, I’d stick with it. Personally I’d be happy with any bite on a jig!!!
Gotta say I really appreciated what @Columbia Craw had to say. And just as a point of interest, I remember back in the ‘60s a local bait shop occasionally offered “soft shell” crawfish which were basically those that had just molted. Couldn’t get many, they cost a lot, and they didn’t stay “soft shell” for long.
A-Jay reply :
On 4/16/2019 at 10:40 AM, papajoe222 said:There is. Papa's law #6 reads: Any angler caught fishing a skirted jig without a pork or plastic trailer will be immediately barred from fishing with him.
I knew it.
????
A-Jay
Dirtyeggroll reply :
I once fished a tournament where I had pre-fished and the water was chocolate milk but on he day of he tournament it was ~6-7 ft visibility. I happened to have one green pumpkin jig that already had a trailer on it (all the others were black and blue).
about an hour into the day both of he pincers had been removed from the trailer. I continued to fish the jig anyway and ended up getting 2nd place with ~18 lbs having caught all but one of my fish on the trailer-lacking jig.
Josh Smith reply :
In the above study, the Pure Fishing folks refused to market a pincer-less crawdad, even if it worked better.
They felt it wouldn't sell.
Most lures are designed to catch the fisherman.
Regards.
Manly Studson reply :
On 4/16/2019 at 10:44 AM, Todd2 said:I read this in Dr. Jones book. I think he surmised a tube best matched his results....that's why I added tubes to my arsenal.
Yes, I believe that was what the study concluded. I wonder that fishing a trailer-less jig is very similar to fishing a tube. Tubes and jigs without trailers have resulted in most strikes for me.
Columbia Craw reply :
Listen guys, it's not my intention to be adversarial or testy. If I came across that way and I very well may have, I'm sorry. I value anyone's view point. Having a study that minimizes the validity of a food source for a bass and then developing an array of baits that's contrary is over the top. I'll tuck my Rage Craws between my legs and walk away.
Manly Studson reply :
On 4/16/2019 at 11:05 AM, Columbia Craw said:Listen guys, it's not my intention to be adversarial or testy. If I came across that way and I very well may have, I'm sorry. I value anyone's view point. Having a study that minimizes the validity of a food source for a bass and then developing an array of baits that's contrary is over the top. I'll tuck my Rage Craws between my legs and walk away.
I guess it’s hard to say what a bass thinks or prefers. They definitely like craws, with pincers and without them. Do they prefer one over the other? Maybe. Maybe not. I bet they would prefer to not be pinched! If there is any merit to the study, it’s probably that animals would rather target wounded prey, like a lion targeting a wounded gazelle. Craws without pincers are probably rare. Therefore bass are probably more likely to target craws with pincers just by the numbers alone.
Munkin reply :
The only jigs I fish without a trailer are hair jigs in cold water (34-39 degrees).
Allen
Glaucus reply :
What I'm seeing is that you need to down size your jig and trailer, not necessarily throw a jig without a trailer.
Gorris317 reply :
Not to jack that thread, but what trailers do you guys prefer for your jigs?
A-Jay reply :
On 4/16/2019 at 12:12 PM, Gorris317 said:Not to jack that thread, but what trailers do you guys prefer for your jigs?
The options here are infinite and endless; I think that means there's a lot.
If you simply stuck to a SK Rage Craw, a Rage Bug and a "Chunk" or some type of less action deal, you'd have your bases covered. Don't tell the bait monkey I said that though.
A-Jay
scaleface reply :
I've often wondered if a trailer-less jig would work just as well . I've never tried it because it is just unheard of . Thanks Manly for your report . I might just try it .
Todd2 reply :
Yeah, if it works, keep doing it. I've never thrown a jig without something attached but I have put on some very unconventional trailers. Back ends of used up curly tails, brush hogs, and long before I ever heard of the Ned, I was using stickbaits(either whole or partial). I've caught fish on all of them.
the reel ess reply :
On 4/16/2019 at 10:26 AM, Manly Studson said:I hear you guys. I’m just trying to make sense out of my experience. I’ll work on the presentation with trailers and see what I can do.
As far as what bass think of pincers, this is what I read: “For 60 days, 450 largemouth bass, plucked from the same environment, were tested using a robotic arm and a strike counter. Each group of bass was presented a crawfish bait at the same speed and angle of attack. The bass tested had never seen the bait that was presented (it was a prototype). The test then continued, with one pincer removed, then a second pincer removed, and finally, the legs. The soft bait that had no appendages (no legs or pincers, just a body and tail) had the greatest number of strikes.”
Pure Fishing is behind the study.
Funny because every time I lose a pincer off my trailer, I replace it. I'll have to rethink the kind of trailer I use and if I should replace as often. I have a feeling bigger bass are less concerned about pincers.
When I was young, I didn't know that jig required trailers so I threw one without a trailer with no results. I just stopped using them for a decade.
FryDog62 reply :
I think I’ll go to using curly tail trailers now... hopefully the fish aren’t afraid of a swimming worm..
fishballer06 reply :
On 4/16/2019 at 12:12 PM, Gorris317 said:Not to jack that thread, but what trailers do you guys prefer for your jigs?
Zoom Z Craw Jr
Fishin Dad reply :
This has me thinking now, what trailer would/should I try without something that a craw type of look to it? I thought curly tail grub (I have used these on a swim jig). I always just assumed when jig fishing on the bottom, I was imitating a craw, but I may give this a try for the fun of it. What ideas could a guy use to try this??
Bass_Fishing_Socal reply :
I have a few of rage craw and others with one craw or the rip part missing. I normally replace trailer, I might have to give crawless a try.
J Francho reply :
I had @Siebert Outdoors make me a pink puffball jig from living rubber and a compact Owner hook. We called it the bed bug and it is meant to be fished trailer-less specifically for bed fishing. I still have them. That and hair or marabou jigs are the only other jigs I can think of that would be fished trailer-less.
Pickle_Power reply :
On 4/16/2019 at 9:51 PM, Fishin Dad said:This has me thinking now, what trailer would/should I try without something that a craw type of look to it? I thought curly tail grub (I have used these on a swim jig). I always just assumed when jig fishing on the bottom, I was imitating a craw, but I may give this a try for the fun of it. What ideas could a guy use to try this??
I have had success fishing a jig with a Yum ribbed tube for a trailer. It wasn't my first choice, but I didn't have any "appropriate" jig trailers with me.
Boomstick reply :
On 4/16/2019 at 10:19 AM, A-Jay said:I always just assumed that there was some kind of actual law that forbid the use of a trailerless jig. . . .
A-Jay
You mean there isn't? I'm going to try this the next time I'm out. All the money I spent on jig trailers better not have been money wasted.
Hopalong7 reply :
Hey guys, I know I'm a newbie here, but I go back 'bout 55 years or more jig fishing. for at least 45 of those 55 years I would NEVER consider putting anything plastic on the back of my jig. Nothing but an Uncle Josh #11 pork chunk would do. I treated my pork with glycerin to make the pork like an old worn out dish rag. When I came to the scales with a decent sack of Bass everyone assumed the jig bite was on. I know it was just something between my ears, but I was totally convinced I could not catch fish with a plastic trailer of any sort. It took me forever to overcome this, and I doubt if I'd have ever tried, if pork didn't get hard to come by. I even made my own at times from butchered pig scraps. Oops...I think I just caught myself in a lie...I did put plastic on my jigs. I'd cut a 3/4- 1" piece out of the body of a ring worm and thread it on the hook shank and then hook the pork chunk in the bend of the hook. It would give the bait more body and slow the rate of fall...Sorry. I well know that it was only physiological but it was still there and very prevalent in my mind. Given the choice today, I'd still go for the pork, but wouldn't have and don't have a problem fishing plastic on my jig. You gotta do what you know in YOUR mind will work. Good Fishin' Guys, Walt
Columbia Craw reply :
I can relate Walt. We had few options in the 70's. I used to take a worm and use a razor blade and cut down the length to make a split tail. I recall finding out UJ added dual colors. I was so excited to have black blue or brown orange in #11 frogs. I attached a few plastic trailer options. Each does something different to a jig but it always seems to fall into, profile, vibration, rate of fall and action. I'm healing from a surgery so took a minute to photo some examples that I know you will be familiar with.
related Fishing Tackle topic
previous topic
next topic
© 2025 - fishing.qciss.net. All Rights Reserved.