The act of adding a cut , shaped , dyed and otherwise-enhanced piece of material to a lure to catch black bass dates back 100 years , to when Allen P . Jones and Urban Schreiner – the creators of Uncle Josh – first sold the No . 11 Pork Frog in the early 1920s . Plastic shapes on hooks are far from new . However , the “ art of the trailer ” is an interesting offshoot of the plasticworm market . Here are some of the most productive trailers whose fish-catching ( money-earning ) potential we ’ ve witnessed firsthand . geecrack bellows shad
9 colors
color : muddy gill yamamoto zako
22 colors color : fading watermelon / black flake color : small mouth magic
GEARING UP
Trailers top 10 producers
It wasn ’ t too terribly long ago that a majority of soft plastics were designed to be fished as individual , stand-alone baits . Shapes , sizes and colors were engineered to work best on , say , a naked 5 / 0 Texas-rigged hook , a football jig or even a drop-shot – where the plastic was / is the sole instigator of the wiggle / shimmy / shake / pulse action of the technique . The more recent boom of baits like the swim and bladed jig , though , have opened up a whole new world of plastic trailers that are designed as enhancements to the primary bait / lure .
The act of adding a cut , shaped , dyed and otherwise-enhanced piece of material to a lure to catch black bass dates back 100 years , to when Allen P . Jones and Urban Schreiner – the creators of Uncle Josh – first sold the No . 11 Pork Frog in the early 1920s . Plastic shapes on hooks are far from new . However , the “ art of the trailer ” is an interesting offshoot of the plasticworm market . Here are some of the most productive trailers whose fish-catching ( money-earning ) potential we ’ ve witnessed firsthand . geecrack bellows shad
Based on the amount of money that Bass Pro Tour pro Alton Jones Jr . has won on the Geecrack Bellows Shad , a more appropriate name might be “ Cha-chinnng Shad ” or “ AJ ’ s ATM ”: Jones has taken this funky-looking plastic to the bank to the tune of $ 250,000 in just over a year . The 3.8-inch Bellows Shad is the little brother of the Geecrack Bellows Gill and the Bellows family of baits , which can trace their lineage to the legendary big-bass waters of Lake Biwa in Japan .
Like the Bellows Gill , the Bellows Shad ’ s calling card is its deeply ribbed body , which creates a natural , lifelike ripple action as the bait falls or swims . The ribs also translate into an abundance of surface area for Geecrack ’ s proprietary S . A . F . ( Salts + Aminos + Flavor ) scent , which – when combined with the supple texture of the rippled formation of the body – encourages bass to hold onto the bait longer .
Jones ’ design input on the Bellows Shad called for a slimmed-down body and tapered tail , a shape that more resembles a shad versus the previous Bellows bluegill / panfish profile . The result is a more diverse bait that Jones has proven to be perfect in multiple applications , including as a trailer on a vibrating jig or spinnerbait . And that ’ s exactly how Junior fished the “ Cha-chinnng Shad ” when he obliterated the Championship Day field at Louisiana ’ s Bussey Brake in General Tire Heavy Hitters Presented by Bass Pro Shops at Bussey Brake – as a trailer on a ½-ounce white spinnerbait . The Bellow Shad is available in nine colors .
9 colors
$ 9.49 | tacklewarehouse . com
color : muddy gill yamamoto zako
The Yamamoto Zako is hardly a new shape family – the original 4-inch iteration hit tackle store pegs in 2017 , and you ’ ve seen it in multiple Top 10 Baits stories courtesy of Brett Hite , Brent Ehrler , Randy Howell , Tai Au , etc . Yamamoto added to the family in 2020 with a paddle-tail design , and again in 2022 with a 3-inch version of the forkedtail Zako , which provided smaller vibrating-jig and underspin devotees a downsized version of the popular basic shape .
The Zako ’ s original forked-tail design originated from Hite ’ s ChatterBait-riddled brain , which gives you some clues about its structure and application : the forked tail is meant as an enhancement to the already hearty action of a ChatterBait Jack Hammer ( some action but not too much action ), and the segmented “ mid-tail ” section connecting the body to the forked tail acts as a collapsible “ accordion ” when fish bite it , allowing the hook to get full purchase .
$ 5.99 – 6.49 | basspro . com
Yamamoto and Hite engineered the Paddle Tail Zako in 2020 , boosting the original forked-tail design with the heavier action of a paddle tail and making it a great option for swim jigs . The 3-inch Zako was the next natural addition , owing to the truth that smaller baitfish + smaller vibrating jigs = the need for a smaller trailer ( the old “ one size does not fit all ” philosophy ).
The Zako family is available in 22 colors .
22 colors color : fading watermelon / black flake color : small mouth magic
66 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | JUNE-JULY 2023