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Best Craw Chatterbait Trailers
Zoom Speed Craw
An effective chatterbait trailer that is useful in multiple situations.
Best Swimbait Trailers
Bass Pro Shops Speed Shad
Oversized paddle tail creates maximum action and produces big bites.
Best Lizard Trailers
Zoom 6” Lizard
A classic lizard design with fast movement and a realistic look to fool bass.
A good chatterbait is lost without the right chatterbait trailer. Bladed swim jigs are moving baits meant to provoke a reaction strike from hungry bass. The trailer should draw just as much if not more attention to the bait as its chattering head. Fish long enough and you’ll develop your own ideas about which kind of trailer works best, but there is no doubt that a chatterbait with a trailer catches more fish than one without. Personal preference plays a significant factor in this conversation, and there are many details to consider when trying to find the best chatterbait trailers, like water clarity and habitat type. But when you dial in the right trailer, your jig becomes one of the best bass baits out there for catching aggressive fish.
Best Craw Chatterbait Trailers: Zoom Speed CrawBest Worm Trailers: Gary Yamamoto Swimming SenkoBest Swimbait Trailers: Bass Pro Shops Speed ShadBest Lizard Trailers: Zoom 6” LizardBest Budget Trailer: Zoom Fluke 4” Smokin Shad
Chatterbait Trailers are a Great Bass Bait for Drawing Angry Strikes
When trying to generate reaction strikes, you want your bass baits to entice, aggravate, and annoy bass. There is nothing subtle about these fishing lures, and this is why a chatterbait trailer’s movement is so key. A trailer with good action paired with a noisy bladed jig is one of the best baits for attracting aggressive bass.
There are nearly endless choices when it comes to trailers for fishing jigs. Types of trailers include soft plastic worms, creatures, craws, stickbaits, and swimbaits. Each type comes in different colors, sizes, and designs. Dialing in the best chatterbait trailer for your home water takes a lot trial and error, but here are a few tips to get you started.
Chatterbait Trailer Types and Dimensions
There are a few main components to consider when deciding on chatterbait trailers. In my opinion, the two most important details are color and action. The purpose of your trailer is to imitate some sort of prey while drawing as much attention as possible. With this in mind, I tend to lean towards chatterbait trailers with multiple appendages that create significant movement while in the water. I want my trailer to be almost obnoxious, forcing bass to attack it.
Color is the other main detail I like to focus on when buying chatterbait trailers. The color of your trailer should match the color of the chatterbait skirt. It doesn’t have to be exact, but keep it consistent. If you have a dark skirt, then pair it with a dark trailer. Conditions often dictate color selection, and this is why having a lot of different options in your tackle box is so crucial. I like to throw darker-colored baits in muddy and dark water while I’ll rig more of a natural presentation (like green pumpkin) on clear days with good water clarity.
Other factors to consider with trailers are size and shape. I like to pair my chatterbaits with craws and creatures. These are baits that I’ve developed confidence in and have produced fish for me time and again. I like to keep my trailers at a modest length to make sure I stick the fish and get a good hook set.
Best Craw Chatterbait Trailers: Zoom Speed Craw
The Zoom speed craw is always in my fishing tackle box because of its versatility. It is one of my go-to trailers for chatterbaits but also perfect for flipping laydowns and structure. The appendages give maximum movement, and the bass can’t resist it. It comes in a 10-pack and multiple colors for your choice of preference.
Best Worm Chatterbait Trailers: Gary Yamamoto Swimming Senko
The Senko is a famous fishing bait for a reason. And while a typical Senko may not work so well as a trailer, this swimming Senko is designed to give the bait motion and move well in the water. The 5” swimming worm comes in different colors and can be rigged in various ways. Try it as a chatterbait trailer, and you’ll be tight with a fish before you know it.
Best Swimbait Trailers: Bass Pro Shops Speed Shad
The Speed Shad is an oversized paddle tail swimbait and is a deadly fishing lure for big bass. Often fished alone, this swimbait also serves as a great trailer. The large tail creates significant movement, and the ribbed body gives off even more vibration. One of the best chatterbait trailers for areas with abundant baitfish.
Best Lizard Trailers: Zoom 6” Lizard
I’m not sure when I became known for fishing lizards, but my buddies never let me hear the end of it. I wouldn’t fish lizards so much if they didn’t work. This is my favorite creature bait, and the fast action appendages do it all. The super-soft body allows for even greater movement, and this has been the ticket for some of my biggest bass. Don’t sleep on the lizard.
Best Budget Trailer: Zoom Fluke 4” Smokin Shad
Don’t break the bank on soft plastic trailers just to lose one every time you catch a fish. The Zoom smokin shad is an excellent budget bait that won’t hurt your results. It is a compact soft plastic jerkbait that creates great action and can be fished in various ways. A perfect chatterbait trailer for locations with loads of baitfish and for someone looking for a smaller presentation. You can pick up a 10-pack of these fishing lures for $2 and still catch plenty of fish.
FAQs
Q: When Should You Throw a Chatterbait?
Chatterbaits work exceptionally well in prespawn and early spring. They are some of the best fishing lures for bass in grassy areas in 3 to 6 feet of water. They do great at ripping through weeds where bass hang out when other lures will get hung up. Chatterbaits will work throughout the entire year but will produce more bites when fish are cruising and aggressively feeding.
Q: How Do You Fish a Chatterbait?
Chatterbaits can be fished in different ways that vary based on your retrieve. Sometimes burning these bass baits back entices strikes. Other times it’s a slow roll that will produce more bites. Make sure to put a trailer on and play around with your retrieves until you find what works best.
Q: Can You Put a Trailer Hook on a Chatterbait?
It isn’t common to put a trailer hook on a chatterbait, and I wouldn’t recommend it. For one, you will be interfering with the trailer’s natural action, which could hurt your bite ratio. If you’re getting short-struck, try slowing down your retrieve to give the fish more time to get the entire bait in it’s mouth. From my experience, bass will usually inhale chatterbaits. I have never found the need for a trailer hook.
You Should Definitely Add Chatterbait Trailers to Your Fishing Gear
Don’t overlook the importance of trailers in your fishing tackle. When fishing a moving bass bait you want to create motion and action. The blade of a chatterbait is great for making noise, but it’s a chatterbait’s trailer that creates most of this excellent bass lure’s movement.
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