Many anglers love using a jig to catch big bass fish. It’s a great option for use in extremely clear water as much as it is in stained or cloudy water.
Regardless of which jig you decide to use, it can be extremely beneficial to select the right jig trailer to pair it with. Jig trailers not only help make your presentation more noticeable, but the right soft plastic jig trailers can entice even the most timid and suspicious bass to bite.
The 8 Best Jig Trailers for Bass
If you love bass fishing with creature baits, the Sweet Beaver is a favorite among many anglers of both beginner and experienced skill levels.
This jig bait is an excellent choice when you want to increase the profile of your swim jig to make even reluctant bass more willing to bite.
It offers a great amount of subtle and realistic movement, which makes it a great choice for fishing in cold water as well.
- Extremely popular choice when it comes to a creature bait
- Very realistic yet subtle movements to entice even timid and sluggish fish
- Perfect choice when you want to bulk up your jig presentation
Yamamoto is a common name when it comes to fishing baits and lures, and their double-tail grub trailers are no exception.
It’s most commonly used in the 5-inch length for big bass and other species, but other sizes can have their time to shine as well, depending on the water temperature and water clarity.
It creates a good amount of action in the water to get target bass excited and will vibrate its way all the way back to your boat.
- Available in a wide range of sizes, though 5 inch is the most popular
- Excellent jig trailers to create a versatile and effective combo
- Double tail action creates a lot of movement and great vibrations
If you switch between slow retrieves and fast retrieves often, this grub can work very well for you.
It's an excellent choice for fishing in the summer when the bass is active and hungry, but it’s also versatile enough to be used in cold water and the fall or winter season.
It’s a great choice if you are looking for a smaller profile finesse grub for your swim jigs, but it can be an effective swim jig trailer for any style of bass fishing you prefer.
- Great swimming action that excels with both slow and fast retrievals
- Excellent option for bass fishing in the summer, but it does well in the winter too
- Available in a wide range of colors and a few different sizes to suit your needs
If you’ve asked anyone about their favorite Texas Rig or swim jig trailers, many anglers would name the Pit Boss as one of their favorite jig trailers.
While it excels on a Texas rig, it is also extremely common as a jig trailer when you want to get a high amount of vibrations and realistic movement in the water during bass fishing.
It’s infused with a fish-attracting scent, so even the most suspicious bass will hold onto the bait tightly while you set the hook.
- Available in 3 to 5-inch sizes and a wide range of colors to suit your needs
- Has a natural scent and flavor infused to give you more time to set the hook
- Excellent for use on Texas rigs as well as a jig trailer
If you love chunky trailers with some huge movement and vibration capabilities, look no further than the Paca chunk.
This trailer is outstanding for creating a floundering action in the water and creating enough vibrations that bass will strike with speed and aggression.
The two oversized claws on this design make it excellent for trailing your hook no matter what type of water you are fishing in.
- Oversized claws create large amounts of vibrations and water displacement
- Chunky body creates a larger profile that big hungry bass will love
- Great option for anglers that want big movement but not a huge trailer
When you do a lot of your fishing around rocks and ledges, this unique bait is exactly what you need for the best flicking and jerking in and out of cover.
You’ll get some insane movement from the double claws and overall shape of this rage craw, giving you a secret weapon in luring out even timid fish.
If you have ever considered giving a craw trailer a try, this is the one to consider regardless of the season and water conditions you fish in.
- Extremely versatile for a wide range of conditions and seasons
- Huge vibrations and realistic movement from the two large claws
- Great craw for popping in and out of cover or along ledges
Whether you are brand new to fishing with a trailer on your jig, or this is something you do all the time - you can’t go wrong with a twin tail grub.
The two soft plastic tails are extremely flexible and dance around in the water, regardless of your preferred retrieval speeds.
Bass will quickly take notice of your presentation and you can get aggressive strikes in both summer and winter fishing conditions.
- Excellent double-tail trailer for beginners and professionals alike
- Perfect choice for getting bass excited in even cold winter water
- Soft plastic tails will vibrate and shake around to get your bait noticed
For anglers that love to flip and pitch into and out of heavy cover and weed beds, you can’t go wrong with the Rage Bug.
Specifically designed as a trailer for use in heavy cover, dense vegetation, and around various structures, you will love the realistic motion you get from this trailer.
Bass will not be able to resist the natural crawfish shape, slow fall rate, and active vibrations coming from it.
- Available in a wide array of colors to suit any water conditions and fishing locations
- Excellent option when you want realistic shape and movement
- Specifically made for pitching into dense vegetation and weed beds
Bass Jigs and Trailers: Choosing the Right One
Choosing a Jig Trailer
It’s not uncommon for anglers to feel a bit overwhelmed when trying to decide on the trailer for their favorite jig. After all, there are hundreds of unique choices – not to mention you have to decide on the length and color too!
Choosing the right jig trailer will depend on a variety of factors, including your personal preferences and your fishing locations. Some trailers will do better in clear open water, while others are specifically made for thick vegetation and stained water.
Different Types of Jig Trailers
Most anglers will divide the jig trailers into three different types:
- Craws: Shaped like crawfish with a stout body and two pinchers of varying sizes, the craw trailers are great for fishermen that love getting huge vibrations and sounds.
- Creatures: These are the shapes of frogs, beavers, lizards, and more. They are sometimes called “exotics” and do well with large bass looking for a unique meal.
- Chunks: Also called “sliders” by some anglers, these are bulky and unassuming versatile baits that create less action at depth and in the fall.
Pairing the right trailer with your jig is sometimes difficult, but most trailers are extremely affordable, so you can try out a few different types and see which works best for your fishing situation.
Creature Baits
Most creature baits will have multiple legs or claws. They are commonly found in the shape of crayfish, frogs, and lizards, though you can also find exotic types such as the Pit Boss and Sweet Beaver.
One of the benefits of using a creature bait is the added movement and water displacing limbs. If you want a lot of action and vibrations, craw trailers are the ones to consider.
Active Baits
Active baits do best in warmer water, where bass are extremely active and aggressive when striking their meals. Double tail grubs or high-quality shad and baitfish shapes are good examples of active bait as they offer more action no matter how fast or slow you move them through the water.
Chunks
For an angler that wants to bulk up their jig presentation but not produce a lot of action, bait chunks are a great choice. While you can find chunks with some fluttering tails, they are effective when fished in cold water as they won’t be too intimidating for slow and sluggish bass looking for an easy meal.
Best Jig Trailer Colors
Some anglers swear by selecting the right bait color, while another angler might be more interested in focusing on the bait shape and movement.
If you want to match the color of your trailer with your fishing location and season, there is a wide range of bait colors to consider.
For fishing in clear and bright water, such as on sunny days with little cloud cover, natural colors do best. These might include green pumpkin, watermelon, and different shades of tan, blue and brown. Green pumpkin is one of the most popular colors for your bait and jig, so it’s worth trying.
For fishing in muddy or stained water or on overcast days where the sun is not able to shine through the clouds, you want to move into darker colors. This includes solid black, solid purple, and combinations of black, blue, and purple.
Final Thoughts on Choosing a Jig Trailer
Whether you are an old pro or a first-timer looking to catch your first bass, choosing the right jig trailer can seem somewhat daunting. With so many trailer selection choices available, it might take you a bit of time to decide on the right bait to pair with your jig.
Don’t be afraid to try out a few different trailers and jigs. You want the trailer to feel good at the end of your line while also getting positive results. Experimenting is a great way to figure out what works best in your warm water or cold conditions.
