Opinions of trailer hooks on spinner baits 2024
pauldconyers reply :
Got in a discussion with a guy today that said he pretty much always uses a trailer hook when throwing a spinner bait. I said I rarely do and if I do it's only early in the year when the water is cold. Just curious where most of you guys come out on this topic?
Sam reply :
Always use a trailer hook on spinnerbaits, Chatterbaits and buzzbaits plus toads.
Even have added a trailer hook to a frog.
Personal preference.
A-Jay reply :
Not in the trailer hook camp.
A-Jay
AggieBassin10 reply :
I'm on the trailer hook train. Not for chatterbaits or frogs just for spinnerbaits and buzzbaits. That being said I fished a buzzbait this morning (with a trailer hook) and all three fish I caught had the main hook in 'em. I missed three more on the buzzbait...
A little food for thought ????
LonnieP reply :
I don’t use trailer hooks. I’ve never really seen the need for them.
keagbassr reply :
For spinnerbait and buzzbaits always and trim skirts back
Ariffy reply :
Honestly, I don't think they help much
CroakHunter reply :
I'd rather put a swimbait trailer on mine and catch em on the normal hook than use a trailer.
Mike L reply :
Always
Mike
thinkingredneck reply :
No. I am afraid they'll get hung up in the weeds and pads.
MassYak85 reply :
I like to fish spinnerbaits around cover, bumping it into submerged branches, stumps, or just over weed beds. A trailer hook is a big no-go in that situation. The only time I might consider using one is if I was burning it back to the boat just below the surface or something.
scaleface reply :
I usually dont on spinnerbaits usually do on buzzbaits .
Log Catcher reply :
I don't use trailer hooks. I would be getting hung up too much with spinnerbaits.
kenmitch reply :
I've got spinnerbaits and buzzbaits along with some trailer hooks....Now if I could only get myself to throw them once in a while I'd be able to decide if I need the trailer hooks or not. Gonna have to make a mental note to at least try them out sometime or another. Not really sure why I don't use them as the largest bass I've ever hooked and sadly lost was on a spinnerbait way back in the late 80's....Don't remember if I had a trailer hook or not as it was many moons ago. I can to this day still visualize it, remember exactly what happened and see the huge bass getting away from me....Dang nammit! Thanks for making me relive the horror of that day!
pauldconyers reply :
I find it EXTREMELY interesting that it is almost 50-50 on this topic. For those that use them what model/make do you like? Are they made in different sizes for different style lures or are they just one generic size?
d-camarena reply :
No trailers here
burrows reply :
I have a few packs I never use them because I don’t want to get hung up in grass and junk you add a trailer it defeats the purpose of a weedles bait.
J.Vincent reply :
Interesting topic, and I've found its better to slow the retrieve speed on my spinnerbaits and tweak the color, instead of adding an insurance hook. However, for my BuzzBaits in dirty water, I almost always rig a trailer hook.
Bluebasser86 reply :
Hate them, but I use them when I'm getting short strikes, and I always use them when I'm targeting smallies or spots that like to ram the bait instead of actually eating it.
It occasionally pays off big to use one though.
Quarry Man reply :
I typically use trailer hooks on all of my chatter baits, spinnerbaits, and buzz baits. In open water i will sometimes use a treble hook on my chatterbaits an a curly tail grub as a trailer. These two do not interfere with each other. In ultra clear water, i don't use a trailer hook because they make the bait look more like a lure. In stained water, especially around cover i throw a spinnerbait with a trailer hook. I am not afraid to go get my lure that is snagged when im in the boat or on shore, so getting snagged isn't a big deal.
I use trailer hooks because when i went to vermont last year, I had never fished spinnerbaits before, but had about 10 of them. Half already had a trailer hook that i put on, and the others didn't. I found myself catching more bass and pike with the trailer hook than the main hook itself. that is what led me to use trailer hooks.
i am also not a huge fan of the "what if" for example "what if i put on a trailer hook, would i have caught that fish.
i typically fish double willow spinnerbaits, in white, bluegill, or chartreuse. Some 1/4 - 1/2 oz baits. I like the KVD Finesse the best so far.
As for trailer hooks, i like a free swinging trailer hook, so the hamamatsu 2/0 trailer hooks with surgical tubing work best for me.
nosdog2 reply :
I am a fan of free swinging trailer hooks as well. Never noticed any difference when around weeds, docks, etc with the extra hook.
Mr Swim Jig reply :
Never use trailer hooks either...
Team9nine reply :
I tend to lean toward not using them in many instances, but that's not the point I want to contend. Instead it is the size of the trailer hooks most commonly used - they're overkill.
Nearly all the manufacturers who provide or sell trailer hooks do so in sizes similar to the main hook, notably sizes 2/0 through 5/0. Big mistake in my opinion that will cost you fish. Same with the rubber sleeve they usually supply as a way to attach and lock the hook in place - again wrong IMO. The absolute best trailer hook I've used, and the only one I'll attach to any of my baits, is a smaller size 1 limerick style hook. I tend to use the Mustad version, models 31010 or 8260D, primarily because I have a lifetime supply of these hooks. These hooks cost $0.08 a piece and come in packages of 100 for $7.99. Compare that to a package of traditional trailer hooks which cost about $3.59 for 5 of them. I use the tin hooks just because that was what I could find in the area at the time, but they do make a bronze version if that is a psychological hangup for you. Being tin, you can also take a black Sharpie and easily color the metal as an option.
The picture below has the hook I use on top, and a traditional 2/0 trailer that comes packaged with many lures below. I wish I had a 3/0 or 4/0 size hook to compare against to show the differences more dramatically. Regardless, the advantages include a smaller diameter wire and smaller barb for better hook penetration. It still has a nearly 1.25" length though which is all the extra length you need in a trailer hook. Smaller size also means easier to hide on the bait, plus less weight to offset any possible running issues and more room for a plastic trailer if desired. Finally, smaller profile means it comes through heavier cover better which is a primary reason people tend to shy away from adding trailer hooks to many of their baits in the first place.
As for installation, forget the rubber or plastic rings that get supplied. Simply take a pliers and slightly offset the wire hook eye where it meets the main shaft and slip over the baits primary hook, then clamp to close the circular gap just small enough so that it can't slide back over the large main hook barb. Trust me, it won't go anywhere once you have it installed correctly. This will allow the hook to move around and swing as needed, plus the fish won't have any extra leverage to possibly throw the trailer should that be the only hook that sticks him.
Way north bass guy reply :
I pretty much only throw spinnerbaits in open water burning fast for big smallies, so I always use a trailer hook. Sometimes I’ll even use a Mustad kvd triple grip treble on the back if they’re just swiping at it, but usually just a free swinging single hook.
MIbassyaker reply :
I've gone back and forth on this, but have decided that I probably lose more fish with a trailer hook because of the casts I don't make while I'm spending time getting un-snagged, or removing the extra weeds, sticks, debris that I haul in on the trailer hook.
jtharris3 reply :
No trailer hooks for me. If I start seeing short strikes, I’ll adjust the bait or adjust the way that I’m fishing it.
Boomstick reply :
I rarely use a trailer hook. If I find I am getting a ton of bites and not landing the fish, if I am getting a lot of short strikes, that is telling me they like the presentation but are probably getting a look at it, so I will either switch my bait or add a trailer. In cases where the water is clear, I may use a trailer hook because that's cheaper and a little quicker, but the downside is the bait it now not nearly as weedless.
Alternatively, I will switch to a crankbait or a paddletail swimbait with a spinner added to it in these cases.
I largely figured this out from the tacticalbassin Youtube channel, and I can say that it been solid advice for me to date so I thought I'd pass it along.
thinkingredneck reply :
I posted earlier that I don't use trailers and do fine, yesterday I had nothing but short strikes. Gonna rethink my stance. Fishing!
pauldconyers reply :
Anyone have more recommendations as to specifics trailer hooks to buy if I wanted to try them out?
Mike L reply :
Any brand will work but the way they connect if different.
Some hooks ride at any angle you connect them too and stay put, while others will float
Just depends on what you want for the waters you fish.
Mike
keagbassr reply :
Strike king trailers are good in a pinch but the eye is a little small. What I really prefer are siwash hooks as they have shorter shank and a wider gap. 2 or 3/0 are good although I do like 4/0 but some may find this to big.
J Francho reply :
I never go without a trailer hook.
detroit1 reply :
What surprises me is the number of anglers that are afraid they will get snagged with a trailer hook (free swinging) but will bounce a crank with 2 trebles and think nothing of it. Don't be afraid. I use whatever brand is available (cheap) and slide a disc (hole- punched innertube) above the hook in the middle of the main hooks' bend. Keeping my skirts long hides the hook. I do not use any soft plastics on my spinbaits. Whatever works for you...
the reel ess reply :
To those who think there's no use for a trailer hook, try one. Every fish you catch on the trailer you would not have caught without it and I've caught a lot on the trailer. Needless to say, I always use one on SB's and buzzbaits.
J Francho reply :
On 6/20/2018 at 1:29 AM, the reel ess said:To those who think there's no use for a trailer hook, try one. Every fish you catch on the trailer you would not have caught without one. I've caught a lot on the trailer. Needless to say, I always use one on SB's and buzzbaits.
When they're hooked in the chin, like this, it's because they're crashing the blades. Without a trailer hook, you don't get them.
flatcreek reply :
Always camp
jwwoodjr reply :
I rarely put a trailer hook but always have some kind of trailer. In my mind the bigger bait gives me an advantage.
junyer357 reply :
Most always i use one. I even make my skirts for them with a few long tabs that look like a trailer to help mask the trailerhook. If i am flipping one into thick nasty cover i will undo it some, but otherwise its always on. I let mine freeswing, putting hook on then tubing, rather than tubing over hook eye.
DanielG reply :
Old thread but I'll put in my 2 cents. I just got through a day giving my first chatter bait a whirl to make an honest assessment. I always do that with a new bait. I give it a fair chance. A bunch of strikes but none nailed down. I had the same issue with my spinnerbaits awhile back and put trailer hooks on them to get a much better hooking result. Granted, I'm using mono so setting isn't what it would be with a non-stretch line (but I like mono). So, trailers on my chatter bait will go on next. At least I found out that fish in my lake like the bait. BTW... not news to anyone else but new to me, but don't chatters (with added trailer) look and feel like they have a nice fish attractive action.
Arlo Smithereen reply :
I've never used them and never felt a need to. I recently bought a KVD spinnerbait and I didn't realize it came with a trailer hook. I caught fish with it, but I notice that I don't throw it right into the grass like I do with a spinnerbait with no trailer hook. So while I might catch a few fish with the trailer hook that I wouldn't otherwise, I feel like I don't have the confidence to fish it like I want to for fear of getting hung up. Maybe it's just a mental thing, but mental things matter.
detroit1 reply :
Don't be afraid Arlo...weeds will gather at the line tie before they get to the trailer hook...and free - swinging is kind of a misnomer. It really doesn't, it basically stays in - line with the main hook anyways.
papajoe222 reply :
I do and I don't, but I prefer not to as I've had the trailer hook catch up in the gills with the main hook in the mouth.
I actually don't have a combo dedicated to spinnerbaits. If I tie one on with braid, I'm sure to add a trailer hook. With mono, I rarely do.
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