To trim or not to trim ... and trailers 2025
HeyCoach reply :
I mainly fish Senkos and Trick Worms, but I’m wanting to get into jigs. With that, I’ve bought some 3/8th ounce jigs in green/brown, brown, and black/blue.
Do y’all trim your skirts and weedguards? Do you take them out of the packaging, thread a trailer on, and have at it?
What are your favorite trailers? I have some creatures, Yamamoto craws, Net Bait paca craws, and a few Zoom craws.
Troy85 reply :
I don't trim mine. I know a lot of guys who do though.
As far as trailers, for a swim jig I usually just use a grub or something similar with a single tail, for a football jig I use brushhogs for the trailer.
DINK WHISPERER reply :
I buy multiples of the same kinds and keep some trimmed and some long. If I'm getting short strikes with either I'll change to the other or change color as well.
Jar11591 reply :
I usually trim the skirt, never trim the brush guard. A longer brush guard makes it a little more malleable.
As for trailers, NetBait Paca Craws and Chunks are my favorite.
Ktho reply :
I like trimming the front skirt strands on football jigs to make it like a finesse skirt when fishing clear water. I keep it bulky for dirty water. I don’t mess with the weed guards.
For trailers I like beaver style or just less action trailers for football jigs and I like more active trailers like a paca craw or rage craw for pitching/casting jigs.
WRB reply :
Regarding weed gaurds I like light to medium strands or no weed gaurd unless fishing heavy cover. I protect the jig hook using a spring and piece of worm most of the time.
Silicone or living rubber jig skirts I usually trim about 1/2" past the hook bend.
Hair jigs I don't trim.
To me the most import component a jig has is the hook, strong enough not to bend and as sharp as posible, 3/0 to 5/0 for 3/8 to 1 oz jigs.
Tom
Dens228 reply :
I don't trim the skirts. Weedguards I trim a little bit. I push the weedguard down until it's touching the hook point, that's where I trim it. Swim jigs I tend to use paddletail swimbaits, other jigs I use various crawfish style trailers.
NHBull reply :
On 6/9/2018 at 4:31 AM, WRB said:Regarding weed gaurds I like light to medium strands or no weed gaurd unless fishing heavy cover. I protect the jig hook using a spring and piece of worm most of the time.
Silicone or living rubber jig skirts I usually trim about 1/2" past the hook bend.
Hair jigs I don't trim.
To me the most import component a jig has is the hook, strong enough not to bend and as sharp as posible, 3/0 to 5/0 for 3/8 to 1 oz jigs.
Tom
Tom, can you describe the spring and worm weed guard....Thanks
WRB reply :
On 6/9/2018 at 5:43 AM, NHBull said:Tom, can you describe the spring and worm weed guard....Thanks
Cut a straight tail finesse worm 2 1/2" from the tail end, then split the tail end 1" down the center. Screw in a hitchhiker spring into the flat cut end and clip onto the jig eye, insert the hook point into the crouch of the split tail to cover the hook point.
I make a few worms in advance and clip them on my jigs as needed.
Tom
Log Catcher reply :
I usually don't do any trimming on mine. As for trailers I use either a twin tail grub or an ultra vibe speed craw.
Bankbeater reply :
I trim the weedguard down and then bend it out and spread it out. I don’t shorten the skirt, but I do even it out so that the skirt is all the same length.
keagbassr reply :
I trim both, skirts to the hook weedguards a little past/above the hook. A shorter weed guard will be stiffer which will be better when around heavy cover. When fishing more around weeds i thin out by about half
staycold66 reply :
I trim the skirt on my swim jig almost to the end of the hook if I'm doing a more compact presentation. If it's a bigger jig and trailer I'll usually leave the skirt alone.
FishDewd reply :
I trim the skirt on things with skirts just enough so that I don't think it will impede the action of the trailer. Usually just a bit past the hook bend is ideal I think. I do like to shorten the top strands of the skirt a little more so that it kind of flairs out a touch when in the water. Gives it a little more secondary motion (by theory). The weed guards I only trim if they stick up a lot when pushed down onto the hook, and normally cutting them at a little bit of an angle makes them lay right.
Bluebasser86 reply :
I make my own so they're ready to fish by the time they go in the box. Never did much trimming on my jigs when I was buying them though.
Montanaro reply :
Trim the skirt to bend of hook. Long skirts will impede action of trailer. Trimming weedguard has drawbacks so what I do is fan mine out which improves snag resistance and makes easier hooksets.
Catt reply :
I'll only trim the skirt during winter when I want a smaller profile jig.
I never trim a weedguard ????
MassYak85 reply :
Sometimes a jig will come with a really long skirt and will actually interfere with the action of the trailer, in that case I trim it. As for the weedgaurd, remember the shorter it is the more force it takes to compress so just be careful if you do trim it to make sure you are using stout gear. I rarely ever trim a weedgaurd. What you can do is if it's too stiff you can trim off individual strands at the head of the jig.
HeyCoach reply :
I believe I’ll leave the weedguard alone.
Ive been watching YouTube videos on this subject and there have been many of the pro anglers either trimming the skirt straight just below the hook bend or at an angle in a V shape so the skirt flares out better.
WRB reply :
I make most of my jigs so trim them by holding the jig head up and cut of strands that hang below about 1/2" below the hook bend as stated earlier. You ever heard of a mop jig? the skirts about 1 1/2" below the hook bend. Skirts don't adversely affect trailers and provide movement to attract the bass, the trailer and skirt combination is usually what creates a strike.
Trailers come in slow moving to fast vibrating with single to multiple appendages and tails. As a general rule, if there such a thing with bass lures, faster movements work for agressive bass activity and slower for less active bass. What I have learned is trial and error is the only way to know what the bass want, so try both. Experiment with color combinations. If all you use blue-black or green pumpkin that is what you catch on, but might not be what the majority of bass want and you will never know without trying.
Tom
papajoe222 reply :
I'll use a jig with a trimmed skirt (to the back of the hook bend) and a small trailer under cold front conditions as I prefer a smaller profile then. I'll trim the weed guard on an angle when fishing timber. The shorter fibers in front are stiffer than the longer ones close to the hook point and reduce the possibility of the jig rolling over a limb and the entire guard flexing and exposing the hook to the limb. Never had a problem with hook-ups.
Angry John reply :
Jig is so diverse. I never touch the weed guard on any type. Swim jigs get a trim to about 1/4 below the hook bend same as chatterbaits. Bottom contact jigs only get a little trim in the winter to make a smaller presentation. This also comes into play with smaller trailers, like chunks.
MIbassyaker reply :
I will often thin and fan the weedguard, but I will only shorten it if it's really long, as shorter fibers take more force to compress than longer fibers. Skirts I will cut to 1/4-1/2 inch below the hook shank. Sometimes I'll thin the skirt too by cutting off the number of strands, or cut some strands a little shorter to give it a more ragged look.
HeyCoach reply :
Ok, so I’m not going to throw anything else except a jig for my next dozen largemouth.
I’m really not good at jig fishing. My trailer was torn a little after fishing tonight, I got skunked in a half hour bank fishing.
I don’t know if I’m feeling grass snags or fish.
bhoff reply :
Trimming the jig skirt will do a few things. One it will make the presentation of the bait looks smaller and secondly it will make the skirt flair a bit more when being worked. It's something I tend to do when I feel I need something a little more finesse-like. As far as the weed guard goes, I pretty much always trim it to the point that the strands reach a tad past the tip of the hook point when bent. I really don't feel I need much more than that unless you are really in some heavy cover.
HeyCoach reply :
What’s the best retrieval method to use? I think I was hopping it too much last time out. Do you keep your rod tip up at 1-2 o’clock or down around 4 o’clock and drag it?
related Fishing Tackle topic
© 2025 - fishing.qciss.net. All Rights Reserved.