Swim Jig Trailers – When and Where

If you’ve fished swim jigs, you might have been overwhelmed by the numerous trailer options that are now available. Besides the jig, trailers make up the other half of the package. In my opinion, this tends to become more technical than jig selection itself.

From early spring through first ice, there’s never a bad time to fish a swim jig, especially if you’re after big bass. When you’ve found the right swim jig with trailer, the package incorporates the best features of everything bass want to kill.

Today, the vast array of trailers enhances the versatility of swim jigs, as they can be used to bulk a presentation to resemble larger prey, improve its streamlined swimming, or to slow the fall rate.

A Trailer’s Purpose

Trailers are the business end of a swim jig, and play a more important role than the jig itself. Trailers are what ultimately trigger strikes. It’s always important to mix and match between the different variables of tail action, size, color combination, and how it triggers fish. There are so many potential trailer styles to consider, but I always fish with baits that have previously worked for me as standalone lures (a rig of its own, by itself). From there, odds are excellent that it will work great, and potentially better, when paired with a jig.

Often, the biggest largemouths I catch fall for swim jigs accompanied by larger bulkier trailers. I always want my trailer to be of similar length as the jig. Even if it’s an inch too small, they won’t key on it, unfortunately.

Trailers are what ultimately trigger strikes, and choosing which to use tends to become more technical than jig selection itself. For simplicity, and with focus on horizontal moving baits, color coordinate the trailer to your jig and narrow it down to the following: Grubs; Craws; Creatures; Paddletails.

Grub Tails

When bass are on a predominant baitfish bite in early spring and again in autumn, grub tail trailers help deliver the bites that are needed. The grub trailer creates a streamlined, stealthy profile, that also performs well under cold fronts and clear skies, and in skinny water. 

In my opinion, not much is available out there in my preferred lengths, shapes, and styles. Kalin’s 5-inch Lunker Grubs are suitable, but are too subtle and not overpowering. You can check out Dan Elsner’s grubs from Get Bit Baits Grubs as well.

My favorite grub tails are those that are not mainstream or readily available. My all-time favorite is a monstrous 5-inch hand-pour and injection plastic once made by Stanx Bait Co. that I stockpiled from long ago. This grub features an oversize serpentine-like tail that just kicks and slithers, and is a cant-miss to largemouths. Since these are no longer to be found, I’ve been continuing with the custom-pour route and have found a suitable alternative in Larry Zepeda’s Big Beast Baits 5-inch Grub.

While smallmouth bass prefer natural, realistic and translucent finishes and colors, largemouths on the other hand have shown preference to darks, greens, blues and blacks within the grub trailer category.

Craws

These are my top producers to rig on a swim jig for early season use. Crayfish trailers are crawfish imitating plastics that includes plastic craws, chunks, twin tail grubs, and creature baits.

Bizz Baits Killer Craws and Cutter Craws – These two versatile jig trailers mimic both crayfish and fleeing baitfish. The long arms of both kick and undulate underwater with minimal effort. Its compact size and streamlined shape makes it a great choice for the faster pace of swim jigs. Color options run plenty, with contrasting darks favored. For additional bulk, I turn to the Bizz Baits Bizz Bug. This 4-inch craw packs a lot of power, and performs well for lift-drop retrieve methods.

Others for rigging consideration are 5” Chompers Skirted Twin Tail Grubs (hula grub), 4” YUM Craw Papi, 3.75” YUM Craw Chunk, Berkley 4” Chigger Craw, and the original StankxBait SideKick jig trailer that’s no longer manufactured.

Craw options abound, so it’s always possible match your trailer to the specific color of the crayfish forage.

Creatures

In murky water clarities and weedy jungles, baits that move too fast may avoid a bass’s strike zone before it could see it and strike. In these situations, I like to slow my retrieve speed with lifts and drops, and tip the jigs with creatures. Creature baits encompass crayfish variations, and often don’t resemble anything living in the wild. What makes them work is their appendages and tails, and bulkiness that helps add size and greater profile to the swim jig.

Creatures perform best with erratic lift and drop retrieves. In these situations, I’ll pair the swim jig with a Bizz Baits Bizz Bug and Cutter Craw, or Missile Baits D-Bomb. Additionally, I attempt a few others that include 4” YUM Wooly Bugs and Wooly Hawgs, and Gene Larew’s Biffle Bug. 

Use dark colors, always.

Paddletails

My best fish have been caught with this style trailer. 

If favoring steady retrieves, I use larger 4-to-5-inch paddletails that generate a wide wobble and tail kick. I have caught my largest bass to date on baits with a paddletail trailer. For straight and steady retrieving, my assortment of tails consists of Bass Assassin Boss Shad, GrandeBass Kickback Shad, Gambler EZ Swimmer, and my custom-order air-brushed paddletails from Big Beast Baits. Some favorites are the 4.75 Grandebass Kickback Shad in ballistic gill and magic gill swirl, 4.8 Bass Assassin Boss Shiner in bluegill flash and sungill. The 5” Z-Man Diezel Minnow is durable and lively.

Downsizing works also. When smallmouths are on a perch bite, a Strike King’s 3.8” Rage Swimmer, XZone Lures Swammer 3.8, Big Hammer Swimbaits, and a slew of other subtle tails outshine the bulky ones.

I am a proponent for commissioning custom bait makers. Larry Zepeda of Big Beast Baits in California produces the nicest airbrushed bluegill patterns and has the capability of several more custom requests.

Be mindful to adapt and adjust your swim jig package accordingly to fish feedback. What I often do with swim jigs is if one particular trailer or style hasn’t triggered or generated strikes within the first 10-15 minutes, I quickly swap trailers to a new variation or one entirely different. I’ve previously changed trailers and gone from barely any bites to catching several big ones the rest of the day. Bass fishing can be stupid simple at times, in ways that fish will often respond and strike immediately following the switch.

Swim jigs score huge numbers of fish because when perfectly rigged, with correct color combination paired with trailer, it can be utilized as a power and finesse presentation. Cone shaped heads will empower you to rip and power the jig through dense cover, with thin brush guard maintaining a weedless package.

While on the water, adapt and adjust your swim jig package accordingly. The fish will ultimately choose the right trailer for you.