Wire
Arms
Trailers
Bolton is a big fan of using a trailer
on his spinnerbaits for adding bulk and
increasing the size of the bait’s profile,
especially in deep-water applications
where visibility is limited.
“When you get down there in 15 to
25 feet of water there isn’t a whole lot of
light penetration,” he says. “That’s where
I like some sort of ribbon-tail trailer
about 3 1/2 to 4 inches long. They aren’t
near as easy to find as they used to be,
but you can bite down a worm if you
need to. A Zoom U-Tail is a good one.”
One of his favorites for shallow water
is a Zoom Fat Albert grub. In clearer
water where speed is important, he
likes a split-tail trailer.
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Length and gauge of the wire arm have a direct impact on perform-
ance and durability.
The length, as measured between the head and the line tie, plays a
big role in how well the bait will come through cover.
“Generally, the shorter the distance between those two points the
more weedless the bait will be,” Bolton notes.
The length of the arm between the line tie and the rear blade is
important, too. This portion acts as a weedguard for the hook. Bolton
likes for the arm to extend between the hook point and barb when it
is collapsed against the hook.
“At the very least I want it to reach the hook point,” he adds.
“Anything shorter and the chances of getting hung increase when
the bait makes contact with cover.”
Wire diameter is gauged in thousandths of an inch. Any wire
smaller than .042 is considered light by Bolton’s standards. He
says the smaller the wire used in constructing a spinnerbait
frame, the more vibration it will produce when the blades are
churning. However, some durability is sacrificed as a result.
That’s why Bolton steers clear of light-wire spinner