Posted By: SenkoSam
Jig and spinnerbait trailers - opinions vary - 02/20/18 08:42 PM
Many of you may never have used Uncle Josh pork rind trailers and baits, but when I first caught bass on a jig & #11 frog trailer, all kinds of thoughts raced through my mind. I figured maybe the fish attacked it because it had a light green back with black spots and a white belly and fish thought it was a real frog. (At least that was what the pros said on different fishing shows.)
For the heck of it I bought different pork frog colors (brown/orange belly, all black. black/blue belly and all white). They all worked with skirted jigs in two sizes: #11 smaller, #1 larger (strange numbers per size). Another Uncle Josh product I used with hair jigs was a porkeel.
For regular spinnerbaits, I've experiment with different trailer designs. The two that stand out are straight thin double tails and snake-action tail plastic worms, the reason being the same as for a skirted jig (which is nothing more than a spinnerbait minus the spinning blade). The three action parts come into play: fluttering skirt, a throbbing spinning blade
It has been suggested for many years that the jig-and-pig the pig being an Uncle Josh pork frog, attached to a skirted bass jig is supposed to make it resemble a crayfish - something bass feed on other than other fish. I guess the eel was supposed to represent a slug or blood sucker to a bass. In any case not until a decided bass, like any fish that strike lures, respond to lure action, bulk, size and sometimes the color of a certain lure.
Pork was a pain to use and if left on the hook would dry out and shrink - useless. Taking a piece of leather (the skin) off a hook was also a challenge and inevitably led to making the whole too large. But more important, plastic jig trailers came out in the shape of the pork frog, were much cheaper (you only got 4 frogs per jar) and did as well. What's more, different leg designs had more action, if desired, than the flappers of the frog. Different tail actions reacted on a jig's vibration and fall rate. Here are a few I make for myself:
You may ask why would I use one over the others. Beats me! No really, when I want the trailer tails to have the most subtle action, I duplicate the old pork frog; if I want the most action, I use the curved flapper tails. I never use a craw trailer that looks even close to the real thing such as:
..the reason being that the solid round claws don't have the action I prefer. I would never say it can't work because many swear by it, but that for my skirted jigs I like the other designs better.
I'm not suggesting that one trailer works better or when, but I believe that when a bass is on the edge of striking a jig & trailer, flailing flapping legs do great when the jig is first dropped and than on the first or second hop off the bottom. Do any of you swim a skirted jig like you would a spinnerbait? I do and like those flapper flapping. Some have even used swimbaits as trailers and done very well.
Another use for plastic trailers is when I use a short-arm spinnerbait with a small Colorado blade. The blade and skirt color I prefer is black, same as the trailer which is usually shaped like the old #11 pork frog. It always comes down to how much action and vibration as well as lure bulk do I want. When trailers are considered for a regular long arm spinnerbait, I figure there are three actions given off at the same time: the throbbing thump of the blade, the pulsation of the skirt and the trailers action. I've used different spinnerbait trailer designs and have settled on two:
a snake like plastic worm or a split tail trailer. Again trailer preference varies and many will work, but for myself, I rarely vertically drop a spinnerbait and usually swim it along weed lines, over humps and points.
What do spinnerbaits represent to a fish? Your guess (or belief) is as good as mine, but for myself it comes down to action, vibration, bulk size (skirt and trailer) and maybe color.
For the heck of it I bought different pork frog colors (brown/orange belly, all black. black/blue belly and all white). They all worked with skirted jigs in two sizes: #11 smaller, #1 larger (strange numbers per size). Another Uncle Josh product I used with hair jigs was a porkeel.
For regular spinnerbaits, I've experiment with different trailer designs. The two that stand out are straight thin double tails and snake-action tail plastic worms, the reason being the same as for a skirted jig (which is nothing more than a spinnerbait minus the spinning blade). The three action parts come into play: fluttering skirt, a throbbing spinning blade
It has been suggested for many years that the jig-and-pig the pig being an Uncle Josh pork frog, attached to a skirted bass jig is supposed to make it resemble a crayfish - something bass feed on other than other fish. I guess the eel was supposed to represent a slug or blood sucker to a bass. In any case not until a decided bass, like any fish that strike lures, respond to lure action, bulk, size and sometimes the color of a certain lure.
Pork was a pain to use and if left on the hook would dry out and shrink - useless. Taking a piece of leather (the skin) off a hook was also a challenge and inevitably led to making the whole too large. But more important, plastic jig trailers came out in the shape of the pork frog, were much cheaper (you only got 4 frogs per jar) and did as well. What's more, different leg designs had more action, if desired, than the flappers of the frog. Different tail actions reacted on a jig's vibration and fall rate. Here are a few I make for myself:
You may ask why would I use one over the others. Beats me! No really, when I want the trailer tails to have the most subtle action, I duplicate the old pork frog; if I want the most action, I use the curved flapper tails. I never use a craw trailer that looks even close to the real thing such as:
..the reason being that the solid round claws don't have the action I prefer. I would never say it can't work because many swear by it, but that for my skirted jigs I like the other designs better.
I'm not suggesting that one trailer works better or when, but I believe that when a bass is on the edge of striking a jig & trailer, flailing flapping legs do great when the jig is first dropped and than on the first or second hop off the bottom. Do any of you swim a skirted jig like you would a spinnerbait? I do and like those flapper flapping. Some have even used swimbaits as trailers and done very well.
Another use for plastic trailers is when I use a short-arm spinnerbait with a small Colorado blade. The blade and skirt color I prefer is black, same as the trailer which is usually shaped like the old #11 pork frog. It always comes down to how much action and vibration as well as lure bulk do I want. When trailers are considered for a regular long arm spinnerbait, I figure there are three actions given off at the same time: the throbbing thump of the blade, the pulsation of the skirt and the trailers action. I've used different spinnerbait trailer designs and have settled on two:
a snake like plastic worm or a split tail trailer. Again trailer preference varies and many will work, but for myself, I rarely vertically drop a spinnerbait and usually swim it along weed lines, over humps and points.
What do spinnerbaits represent to a fish? Your guess (or belief) is as good as mine, but for myself it comes down to action, vibration, bulk size (skirt and trailer) and maybe color.