3.5� Live Magic Shad

Sometimes(often) you want a little added action/flash without really bulking up the bait with a big swimbait type trailer attached. The �old fashioned� Zoom split-tail trailer is your answer. Tons of action behind a bladed jig, spinner bait...: https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/zo...=t&keyword=005556147&Channel=pla

what ever half beat up plastic is in the bottom of the boat or yak. usually Rage Craw, Structure bug or paddle tail

The thing that makes a bladed jig like the Jackhammer or Thumper so effective is the erratic darting action of the bait. One that simply wiggles back & forth will get bit but may not trigger the larger more wary bass especially if it is a heavily pressured lake like Fork.

I have experimented with a bunch of different trailers on bladed jigs. Since I mainly fish lakes with little or no vegetation I am normally fishing the bait with a reel-stop method. Most bites occur when I pause the retrieve for just a second or two. Some of my biggest fish have been caught this way. Keep in mind the bulkier the plastic you put on the bladed jig, the more it dulls the hunting action of the bait.

If the water is cold I am fishing the bait more like a normal jig with a lift-drop technique. I will throw it out, let it sink all the way to the bottom then lift my rod to about 11 o'clock position. I pause there until I feel the bait hit bottom again. I lower my rod, reel up the slack and repeat. I am not moving the bait with the reel. When I am fishing the bait like this I will put a bigger trailer on back like a creature-style bait.

Otherwise I am mostly fishing it with no trailer at all.

Here's a nice one I caught on a Nasty Thumper last March. Notice lack of trailer.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/bVxhW1zuQBqwec1NA