Swim Jigs are a big part of my personal arsenal almost all year round. At times it is tough to match the trailer of this great producing bait. There are more and more trailers and soft plastics hitting the shelf every year. You might ask yourself what trailer should I use and when?
As with most of my fishing I try to keep it as simple as possible and trailer selection is no different. I only use a 1/4 oz swim jig and will let the trailer I am using dictate the trailer I am selecting. When I am fishing a swim jig slower and want to get it deeper in the water column, I will use a paddle tail type of bait. A Dewey Baits Trail Dragger is a great example of a paddle tail trailer. This setup doesn’t have a whole lot of resistance so it will fall through and stays lower in the water column allowing you to fish weed edges and deeper cover.
When the water temperature starts to rise, and I am starting to fish shallower grass and lily pads I will select a craw style of bait like the Dewey Baits Swimming Craw. You can fish this setup much higher in the water column and even “wake” it if needed. This is a great option to use when you are fishing scattered lily pads or want to fish shallow rip rap banks. The swimming craw will almost pull the jig to the top of the water and allows you to fish a swim jig in areas that you can’t get a spinnerbait or crankbait in.
I also keep colors very simple when it comes to a swim jig. I am either trying to imitate a bluegill or a shad. No surprise that I choose a white trailer when trying to imitate a shad and a green pumpkin or a bluegill pattern when trying to imitate a bluegill.
Next time you are wondering what trailer to use, and in what application, try to think about how much resistance a trailer is going to provide and what depth you want to fish.
Written By- Matt Gibson
