Plastic trailers on spinnerbaits...need your help!

I have been fishing spinnerbaits as my go-to lure for about as long as I can remember... I love the darn things. Now, however, I realize that there is one area of spinnerbait fishing about which I am totally ignorant: The use of plastic (or pork) trailers. I never really used them in my own fishing, but now I am exposed to customers who are true believers in them. My brain is now awake, and I have gotta know more! I am sitting here in the middle of one of the most diverse and knowledgeable group of bass anglers that I know of, so I am going to brain-suck (i.e. - ask questions of) you as follows, and your answers will benefit all of us, including me. BTW, I would like to hear from you novices as well as you experts. Your answers may be used to become part of an article on our website, or maybe even as a basis for our own F.A.Q.'s. My questions are as follows:

~ Do you use trailers when you fish spinnerbaits? ___

~ Do you use them a little, or a lot? ___

~ Do you favor particular conditions or situations for their use? ___

~ Do you prefer soft plastic or pork? ___

~ Do you have a favorite kind or type, and if so, please tell us about it? ___

~ What are your favorite colors? ___

~ Do you mix colors, or match colors, or what? ___

~ What other trailer information can you share with us? ___


Many thanks,
--
Bob Rickard
(AKA Dr. Spinnerbait)
www.secretweaponlures.com
--------------------------=x O')))

See response in bold
~ Do you use trailers when you fish spinnerbaits? YES

~ Do you use them a little, or a lot? Always

~ Do you favor particular conditions or situations for their use? Nope

~ Do you prefer soft plastic or pork? SP

~ Do you have a favorite kind or type, and if so, please tell us about it? Kinami grubs and zoom ultravibe grubs

~ What are your favorite colors? Red and Chartreuse

~ Do you mix colors, or match colors, or what? I always match colors

~ What other trailer information can you share with us? Don't fish without one, especially good when dragging your spinnerbait over pads and casting towards shorline structure/sticks/stumps


"Bob Rickard" wrote in message ...
I have been fishing spinnerbaits as my go-to lure for about as long as I can remember... I love the darn things. Now, however, I realize that there is one area of spinnerbait fishing about which I am totally ignorant: The use of plastic (or pork) trailers. I never really used them in my own fishing, but now I am exposed to customers who are true believers in them. My brain is now awake, and I have gotta know more! I am sitting here in the middle of one of the most diverse and knowledgeable group of bass anglers that I know of, so I am going to brain-suck (i.e. - ask questions of) you as follows, and your answers will benefit all of us, including me. BTW, I would like to hear from you novices as well as you experts. Your answers may be used to become part of an article on our website, or maybe even as a basis for our own F.A.Q.'s. My questions are as follows:

~ Do you use trailers when you fish spinnerbaits? ___

~ Do you use them a little, or a lot? ___

~ Do you favor particular conditions or situations for their use? ___

~ Do you prefer soft plastic or pork? ___

~ Do you have a favorite kind or type, and if so, please tell us about it? ___

~ What are your favorite colors? ___

~ Do you mix colors, or match colors, or what? ___

~ What other trailer information can you share with us? ___


Many thanks,
--
Bob Rickard
(AKA Dr. Spinnerbait)
www.secretweaponlures.com
--------------------------=x O')))

On Fri, 18 Jun 2004 17:31:12 GMT, "Bob Rickard"
wrote:


~ Do you use trailers when you fish spinnerbaits? ___

Nope. But I would be interested in the answers as well...

~ Do you use trailers when you fish spinnerbaits? Yes

~ Do you use them a little, or a lot? A lot

~ Do you favor particular conditions or situations for their use? All

~ Do you prefer soft plastic or pork? Plastic

~ Do you have a favorite kind or type, and if so, please tell us about it? 4 inch drop shot type worms, the ribbon part of a ribbon tail worm

~ What are your favorite colors? Red, Chartruse

~ Do you mix colors, or match colors, or what? Mix

~ What other trailer information can you share with us? I use them when ever I'm not using a trailer hook


Doc

~ Do you use trailers when you fish spinnerbaits? ___

Sure, sometimes.

~ Do you use them a little, or a lot? ___

I use them when the situation dictates,

~ Do you favor particular conditions or situations for their use? ___

Not conditions Bobby, SITUATIONS. Trailers serve to "beef up" a spinnerbait, just the same as they do on a jig. Do spinnerbaits catch bass w/o trailers? Of course. Do jigs? Sure. The bottom line is that I add a trailer to a spinnerbait for several reasons:

1) To enhance the bait's profile in dingy water. A bass can't eat a spinnerbait he cant see, at least not very well.
2) To add buoyancy to the bait. If I think the bass may be suspended just beneath the pad leaves in, say, four feet of water for instance, I will add a trailer to aid me in keeping the bait up in the water column. That way I could usea slow retreive without the bait running below the fish.
3) To better "match the hatch". If I feel the natural forage in the area are bigger than those that my spinnerbait are impersonating, I may add a trailer just to make the business end of the bait more attractive to the bass.

There is nothing complicated about trailers Bob, they're just another tool. Much like you'd add a rattle to a plastic lure...

~ Do you prefer soft plastic or pork? ___

Do the bass? Whatever you believe in here. I don't throw pork anymore at all...

~ Do you have a favorite kind or type, and if so, please tell us about it? ___

Strike ing makes as good a trailer as any, but I think the spinnerbait is far more important than the trailer...

~ What are your favorite colors? ___

My trailers don't constrast with my baits, they blend with my skirts.

~ Do you mix colors, or match colors, or what? ___

See above

~ What other trailer information can you share with us? ___

None, it's all cut & dried - just make sure the trailer is centered & straight on the hook so that it doesn'r ruin the action/balance of the spinnerbait. And whenever possible insert a trailer hook in the trailer.

Many thanks,

You're o-so-welcome Dr...

~ Do you use trailers when you fish spinnerbaits? Yes ___

~ Do you use them a little, or a lot? _Not always, I try w/o first__

~ Do you favor particular conditions or situations for their use? __Yes, the trailer provides more bulk/buoyancy. I find that they help keep the spinnerbait up higher in the water. When I want to slow roll shallow over weeds this is my best means for getting bit._

~ Do you prefer soft plastic or pork? ___SP

~ Do you have a favorite kind or type, and if so, please tell us about it? _Snatrix...out of business n can't find them anymore __

~ What are your favorite colors? ___White or chartreuse

~ Do you mix colors, or match colors, or what? __mix

~ What other trailer information can you share with us? _Look for tails that curl, snatrix had it down to a "t", 4" is my preferred length if they are skinny enough.__


Suthern

On Fri, 18 Jun 2004 16:45:41 -0400, "go-bassn"
wrote:
snip
And whenever possible insert a trailer hook in the trailer.

Many thanks,

You're o-so-welcome Dr...

Nice piece of advice there that I would have never thought of myself.
Thanks dude...

Harry J aka Thundercat
Brooklyn Bill's Tackle Shop Fishing Team
http://www.geocities.com/brooklynbill2003/products.html
Share the knowledge, compete on execution.

Bob wrote:
~ Do you use trailers when you fish spinnerbaits? __

yes


~ Do you use them a little, or a lot? __

60 to 75% of the time



~ Do you favor particular conditions or situations for their use? __

Yes. When the fish are biting better with them.


~ Do you prefer soft plastic or pork? __

Plastic.


~ Do you have a favorite kind or type, and if so, please tell us about it? __

Not too soft. Spinnerbait fishing is abusive on soft plastics. If you use too
soft a hunk of plastic, you're always fixing it. And it doesn't really have any
more action than a tougher piece. I like straight twin tails. My favorite for
years was the old Burke split tail trailer. They got softer after they werre
taken over by bass buster then Johnson Fishing. I use the Lunker City trailer
bait most of the time. Sufficient body diameter to hold up well on the hook,
nice, thin, flat sided tails that really ripple from the bounce the blade vibed
impart to it. I also like a looooong thin trailer at times. Like a skinny, 7 or
8 inch worm. Not sure why, but that's been a killer for me at times -- usually
in really clear water. Also, a vibrator style paddle tail worm (EG, zoom
speedworm, but don't tell randy) The one thing I DON'T use as a trailer is any
kind of curl tail plastic. I don't want the action of the tail to compete with
the action of the bait, I want it to accentuate the action of the bait.



~ What are your favorite colors? __


Mostly match the primary skirt color, but in dingy water, I go with tomato red
on a charteuse bait, and in tannic water, I like red on a blue & white bait.


~ Do you mix colors, or match colors, or what? __

See above.


~ What other trailer information can you share with us? __

I may be the last angler on the planet (other than my kid) who virtually never
uses a trailer hook on a spinnerbait. I like to stick spinnerbaits into places
and situations where an extra hook just increases the possibilities of hanging
it up.

At night, I like a bulky, opaque trailer, to increase the bait's visible
silhouette from below. (EG, a chunk style jig trailer, or a black stingray
grub).



RichZ©
www.richz.com/fishing

~ Do you use trailers when you fish spinnerbaits? Yes

~ Do you use them a little, or a lot? YEs

~ Do you favor particular conditions or situations for their use? No

~ Do you prefer soft plastic or pork? Plastic

~ Do you have a favorite kind or type, and if so, please tell us about it? Kanami Grubs

~ What are your favorite colors? Watermelon or White

~ Do you mix colors, or match colors, or what? Match

~ What other trailer information can you share with us? I also use a trailer hook
"Bob Rickard" wrote in message ...
I have been fishing spinnerbaits as my go-to lure for about as long as I can remember... I love the darn things. Now, however, I realize that there is one area of spinnerbait fishing about which I am totally ignorant: The use of plastic (or pork) trailers. I never really used them in my own fishing, but now I am exposed to customers who are true believers in them. My brain is now awake, and I have gotta know more! I am sitting here in the middle of one of the most diverse and knowledgeable group of bass anglers that I know of, so I am going to brain-suck (i.e. - ask questions of) you as follows, and your answers will benefit all of us, including me. BTW, I would like to hear from you novices as well as you experts. Your answers may be used to become part of an article on our website, or maybe even as a basis for our own F.A.Q.'s. My questions are as follows:

~ Do you use trailers when you fish spinnerbaits? ___

~ Do you use them a little, or a lot? ___

~ Do you favor particular conditions or situations for their use? ___

~ Do you prefer soft plastic or pork? ___

~ Do you have a favorite kind or type, and if so, please tell us about it? ___

~ What are your favorite colors? ___

~ Do you mix colors, or match colors, or what? ___

~ What other trailer information can you share with us? ___


Many thanks,
--
Bob Rickard
(AKA Dr. Spinnerbait)
www.secretweaponlures.com
--------------------------=x O')))

On Fri, 18 Jun 2004 17:31:12 GMT, "Bob Rickard"
sent into the ether:

I have been fishing spinnerbaits as my go-to lure for about as long as I can remember... I love the darn things. Now, however, I realize that there is one area of spinnerbait fishing about which I am totally ignorant: The use of plastic (or pork) trailers. I never really used them in my own fishing, but now I am exposed to customers who are true believers in them. My brain is now awake, and I have gotta know more! I am sitting here in the middle of one of the most diverse and knowledgeable group of bass anglers that I know of, so I am going to brain-suck (i.e. - ask questions of) you as follows, and your answers will benefit all of us, including me. BTW, I would like to hear from you novices as well as you experts. Your answers may be used to become part of an article on our website, or maybe even as a basis for our own F.A.Q.'s. My questions are as follows:

~ Do you use trailers when you fish spinnerbaits? ___
Sometimes, plus I somtimes use a trailer hook with the point stuck
into the end of the trailer body

~ Do you use them a little, or a lot? ___
Medium

~ Do you favor particular conditions or situations for their use? ___
No, try them to trugger on different colors.

~ Do you prefer soft plastic or pork? ___
Plastic

~ Do you have a favorite kind or type, and if so, please tell us about it? ___
A 2 to 4" double tail.

~ What are your favorite colors? ___
Yellow, white and black for nitefishing.

~ Do you mix colors, or match colors, or what? ___
Sometimes. I will mix yellow and white and green.

~ What other trailer information can you share with us? ___
Use a trailer hook!


Many thanks,


Remove the x for e-mail reply
www.outdoorfrontiers.com