Spinnerbaits

What is your preference? Trailer, trailer hook, both, or neither. I always have a spinnerbait tied on and most of the time with a trailer. Never used a trailer hook.

I use an extended shank hook on my customs. NO trailer hook needed.
The discontinued Stanley Pro Trailers have always finished off the bait; giving it the tail action that big Bass like. Now they are not available; but I have found another source that is working just as well from Lurepartsonline which is the same concept.
All my customs carry the largest 3D eye that can be put on a spinner bait.
I like the Twisted Line Tie which will double the life of the bait when catching big fish.
Living Rubber skirting gives the bait a different look, action and flair to the spinner bait. They also hold scent longer.
Silicone has some beautiful colors and I get lots of request, especially when mimicking the Shad population. This material runs much flatter on retrieve with less action and will not hold scent very long.

I ALWAYS use a trailer hook!! Which of course does affect what soft plastic trailers I can then use. But yeah can't tell you how many fish I have caught on that back hook. Has won me a decent amount of $$$ so worth the occasional hangup in cover due to that extra hook being back there.

No trailer hook but always a trailer. I rarely if ever get bit on a spinner bait that I don't catch the fish. I fish smaller baits though and fish them fairly slow in thick cover so that may be why.

Never use a trailer hook, but I am also throwing it them in junk or any type of debris I can find.

Even if open water, No Trailer hook nor trailer.

Always use a trailer.
Trailer hook during a tournament, no trailer hook fun fishing.

by far , my favorite way to catch bass , The best spinnerbait out of the package is the Strike King Premier Plus , well balanced , durable skirt , lots of colors . I tend to throw them without a trailer but with stinger hook . I also trim the skirts to go smaller in presentation or keep it bigger as they come .
The burner version is also really good if you want a faster retrieve or deeper water .
My only complaint on the Premier Plus version ---- if you getting good numbers of 2-4 lb bass , the shaft of the wire can weaken right at the line location , and after about 20 bass , will eventually break . It's a good problem to have --- but always comes at the wrong time.

Usually throw a Megabass V9 in ayu color. I like the 1/2oz color and prefer a trailer hook but rarely use a trailer itself. We have a new one coming soon though that I got my butt handed to me with when the designer fished with me. It caught the fish for sure. Just different enough to get some extra bites in tough conditions. I'm sure it will find a way into my rotation.

Spinnerbaits no matter the brand are a fun way to catch them. Love it when the bait just does a hard stop on the retrieve.

Start off with no trailer, if no bites add trailer. If hitting short add trailer hook unless fishing in heavy cover then I just shorten the trailer. I let the fish tell me what is needed

Very seldom do I use a trailer hook. I nearly ALWAYS use a trailer, however. I have used a trailer almost every time I fish a spinnerbait. I have used almost every soft plastic as a trailer, even frog, lizards, craws, double spinnerbait skirts, and almost everything else, too. Something to be DIFFERET than everyone else. Even flukes have worked for me, but normally, I have to bite the first 1/3 off the head to get them to work. HOpe this helps. Tight lines, keep safe and good luck.

Thad Rains

No trailer, or trailer hook ever, make my own from scratch. Lots of sign hangers like to over complicate spinnerbaits.

1/2 oz and bigger I always have a trailer and never use a trailer hook.

3/8 oz and smaller I never use a traile nor a trailer hook.

Couldn’t have said it better. I make mine like a overgrown H&H with a free swinging Gamakatsu frog hook. No trailer hook needed.

pssst....Tiltman. What’s a sign hanger???

Probably referring to me. He doesn't agree.

Well Donald I didn’t actually read your post so I had to go back and do so, after reading your post I do disagree the longer the hook the less a bait will come through cover , I actually use a longer top wire to cover the length of the hook to get mine through the garbage and grass without having to constantly pick it off the bait or hangup on timber. I use a light wire so that the top arm doesn’t interfere or impact hook ups and fairly suffer short strikes or have fish come unbuttoned. I don’t bother with eyes , if the water is that clear I am not throwing a spinner bait anyway so intimate eye to eye contact between predator and prey isn’t a issue.

And Mr Gribble , a sign hanger is a fella that has a sign that does just that , he hangs a sign that says “ I am here and I am good” doesn’t really matter what’s real or not the dude has a sign by god.

Thanks Mr. Tiltman. I appreciate your opinion of what a Spinner Baits should be. We each have to fish the ways that have worked for us and I would never say that anyone's opinion of that is wrong. You hang your sign when someone ask a question about a bait that you have been throwing your whole life. God Bless.

I throw a Talon 3/4oz with large willow leaf blades with no trailers in shallow flooded cover 90% of the time.

I still like the Terminators. Rarely use a trailer hook...always use a trailer. Cover and depth determine what size, but 3/8 to 1/2 is what I'm throwing most of the time, and 1/4 oz in pre-spawn. I still have some of the old Stanley trailers Mr. Harper mentions, but most of the time I use an Arkie twin tail grub from Walmart. Great action particularly when you're slow rolling them and cheap.