There are days on the lake where the bass are hot on just about any lure you throw. However, there are bound to be plenty of days when the bass feels skittish and don’t seem to want anything you’re serving up.
On those days, a trailer might come in handy. A trailer on a spinnerbait is a deadly combination. Let’s take a closer look at what you need to know about spinnerbait trailers and check out the five best spinnerbait trailers on the market.
Buying Guide: Spinnerbait Trailers for Bass
Once you start to look at the different options on the market, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. Fear not, because we’ll school you on everything you’ll need to know right here.
What is a Spinnerbait Trailer?
A spinnerbait trailer is a soft plastic bait that’s added to the hook on a spinnerbait to sweeten the deal a bit for finicky fish.
While trailers aren’t always necessary (or even desirable), there are plenty of instances where a trailer can make the difference between a productive day on the water and getting skunked.
Trailers help create a larger presentation, making it easier for fish to find your bait when fishing stained or dirty waters where fish may otherwise have difficulty zeroing in on your bait.
If you’re doing some topwater fishing, a trailer helps increase water displacement, which adds interest and helps trigger strikes from bass.
Types of Spinnerbait Trailers
From grubs and worms to swimbaits, creature baits, and countless styles in between, there’s no shortage of different soft plastic baits that can help you land more fish.
Three types, in particular, are most popular when it comes to outfitting a spinnerbait with a trailer.
- Grubs
- Swimbaits
- Soft-plastic worms
Read on as we cover the ins and outs of these popular styles of spinnerbait trailers.
Grubs
Grubs are one of the most popular spinnerbait trailers, and they feature a fat grub-like body that terminates in a tail. The tails can vary by style, and some baits feature two tails resembling a crawfish’s claws. Single versions with a curly or corkscrew tail are also popular.
As the lure is retrieved, the tail can move freely, creating lifelike action and some water disturbance, which is a surefire way to get even finicky bass to take what you’re offering.
Grubs come in various sizes from 3-7”. As a spinnerbait trailer, sizes from 3-5” are ideal, whereas the larger sizes are mainly used for targeting large ocean gamefish.
Swimbaits
Swimbaits are perhaps the most varied category of soft plastic baits on the market, and they come in tons of shapes, styles, and sizes.
Some swimbaits assume the shape of a typical baitfish, while others are more grub-like. Some swimbaits have a flat head designed to sit flush against a jighead, while others have a rounded nose to offer a more fish-like presentation.
You’ll come across swimbaits that are solid throughout, as well as hollow ones and softer ones. Since most spinnerbaits don’t have a baitholder, solid swimbaits tend to hold to the hook better, resulting in a more natural presentation.
Most swimbaits feature a paddle tail, sometimes called a boot tail, that adds resistance as the bait moves through the water. The tail thumps as the lure moves forward, creating realistic movement and vibration as the bait is retrieved.
The vibration the paddle tail creates helps predators key in on your bait, even when they can’t see it.
Soft Plastic Worms
Worms are another solid option as a trailer on a swimbait, especially when you want to create a large presentation. Nose-hooking the worm is the rigging style most anglers prefer, but you may want to experiment with other techniques to see what gets the fish biting.
Soft plastic worms are available in tons of sizes and colors. A 3 or 4” worm is typically best for use as a trailer, but you can also experiment with more extended sizes to create a more extensive presentation.
When to Use a Spinnerbait Trailer
Knowing when to use a trailer is almost as important as the trailer itself. Sometimes, a trailer may be unnecessary, but consider throwing on a little something to sweeten the deal if you’re fishing in these conditions.
- Fishing in dirty or stained waters
- Fishing cold water
- Fishing deeper waters
- Working a slower retrieve
- When you need to create more interest with your lure
When Not to Use a Spinnerbait Trailer
There are a few scenarios where fishing a trailer can do you more harm than good. You’ll want to avoid using a trailer if you’re:
- Utilizing finesse techniques
- Working a fast retrieve
- Using a trailer hook
The Best Spinnerbait Trailer Colors
Everyone fishes different waters, so your mileage is sure to vary when it comes to the best spinnerbait trailer colors. Remember that what works one day may not work on another, so keeping a selection of different colors and styles is one of the best ways to make the most of your day fishing.
The first step in choosing the best colors for your area is to try and key in on what the bass are eating. Many trailers are designed to emulate baitfish, and matching the hatch is always the best way to deliver a realistic presentation.
Best Clear Water Colors
When fishing in clear waters, natural colors and muted shades tend to perform best. White, silver, and virtually any shade of green or brown can prove deadly when fishing clear water. Translucent colors also read very well in clear waters and can add an even more realistic look to your bait.
Best Colors for Muddy or Stained Water
When the water is stained or muddy, visibility drops to near zero, and it’s tough for fish to dial in on colors. Dark solid colors are your best bet in these conditions.
If you choose a two-toned bait, make sure the colors contrast heavily with each other. You’ll need to bump up the contrast to make it easier for bass to key in on your offering.
Best Spinnerbait Trailers for Bass
Now that you’ve got all the info you need to select the best spinnerbait trailer for your next trip let’s take a look at five proven performers that will help you put more bass on the deck.
Strike King Rage Swimmer
The Rage Swimmer from Strike King is one of the most popular spinnerbait trailers on the market, and it’s the perfect way to sweeten the deal when you’re targeting finicky bass that demands a more powerful presentation from your lure.
Each aspect of the Rage Swimmer is engineered to trigger monster strikes from hungry bass. The entire body is ribbed, which helps to create a more dramatic swimming action while also offering a more realistic profile.
The tail on the Rage Swimmer is skinny, which creates a ton of movement and water displacement in the water, which is usually enough to get even the most skittish bass to commit to what you’re throwing.
The Rage Swimmers are available in three sizes and more than a dozen colors, including many translucent and high contrast two-tone styles. Whether you’re fishing crystal clear waters or you’re playing in the mud, a Rage Swimmer is a surefire way to work the bass into a frenzy.
Pros
- Carefully designed to provide a ton of action
- Tons of color options
- Pancake paddle tail vibrates like crazy in the water
Cons
- Not as durable as competitors
YUM Ribbontail Worm
The Ribbontail Worm from YUM is one of the most well-designed and practical soft plastics on the market, and it’s perfect for fishing in practically all conditions and seasons. The worm’s body is about what you’d expect from any other worm bait, but the similarities end there.
This worm features a lengthy and exaggerated corkscrew tail which generates a ton of action as the bait moves through the water.
The single-diameter body found on most worms simply doesn’t do a heck of a lot in the water. If the bass isn’t in the biting mood, a run-of-the-mill worm might not seal the deal. The Ribbontail Worm gets bites where others don’t.
The ribbed body of the worm is rugged enough to stand up to multiple bites, and it’s fat enough to allow for easy rigging, whether you feed the worm onto the hook or nose-hook it.
These worms are available in 7.5” and 10” sizes and a dozen colors. If you find that you’re getting nibbles without a definitive strike, shorten up the tail a bit.
Throw these worms into brush piles or along points and ledges, and you’ll quickly find that you’re catching more bass than you otherwise would without a trailer.
Pros
- Ribbontail provides tons more action than a regular worm
- The stout body stands up to lots of abuse
- Available in tons of colors and two sizes
Cons
- The ribbon tail is a great feature, but it’s too long
YUM Swim’n Dinger
The infamous Swim’n Dinger from YUM was designed with the Elite Series pros to provide a soft plastic bait that combines the best aspects of YUM’s legendary Dinger worms with a swimbait-like paddle tail to generate even more action and interest from hungry bass.
These baits are filled with a proprietary attractant made from shad enzymes, and they’re heavily salted to sink slowly.
When fished nose-hooked or fed onto the hook of a spinnerbait, the Swim’n Dinger can help you land some monster bass, even when they’re turning their nose up at your other offerings.
Our favorite feature of these lures is their colors. YUM goes the extra mile to create eye-catching color combos with tons of contrast.
Whether fishing in crystal clear waters or the mud, the Swim’n Dingers have a look that will get noticed by bass, or any predatory fish for that matter. They’re available in dozens of colors selected by tour pros.
Pros
- The refined shape works well for several rigging methods
- Creates plenty of water disturbance as it moves through the water
- Best colors in the game
Cons
- More buoyant than most baits; might throw off the action of some spinnerbaits
Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits Senko Worm
The Senko worm from Gary Yamamoto has been the artificial worm that all other soft plastics are measured by since it was first introduced in the mid-1990s.
Taking inspiration from the streamlined shape of a Bic pen, Gary Yamamoto and his team worked tirelessly to create the ideal blend of salt and plastic to create the ultimate worm.
While they’re often imitated, there’s something about the original Senko worms that bass can’t seem to resist. Whether you feed them onto the spinnerbait or nose-hook them, Senko worms make the perfect trailer.
This classic worm is available in over 100 different colors and sizes from 3” up to 7”. No matter where you fish or the water clarity of the area, there’s a Gary Yamamoto Senko worm for any scenario.
Pros
- The original and still ridiculously effective
- Tons of different colors and sizes
- Perfect for when a large presentation is necessary
Cons
- Not a great choice if you’re looking to add a ton of action to your bait
Berkley Gulp! Grub
When they first arrived on the scene, Berkley’s Gulp! line of soft baits was like steroids for anglers. These baits are sold floating inside some sort of primordial ooze that fish can’t seem to resist.
To us, it smells about as bad as anything you’ve ever smelled, but to fish, it’s like a rare steak on a silver platter.
This scented liquid is also impregnated into the bait for increased scent dispersion. The expertly designed grub tail swims in any water condition to create a presentation that fish can’t seem to resist.
While the grub shape is a favorite of saltwater anglers, the smaller 4” and 5” sizes are ideal for a trailer on a spinnerbait.
Pros
- Outfishes virtually any other bait
- Great selection of colors and sizes
- Unbeatable action underwater
Cons
- Expensive
- Dries up when exposed to air and sun for prolonged periods
