These same principles hold true for other baits. Adding a twin-tail grub to a buzzbait will allow you to fish it slower while still keeping it on the surface thanks to what amounts to two little planer boards on the backend. When swimming a jig, do you want it high and slow? Add a craw. Do want it lower and faster? Add a swimbait. But what about split tail trailers?
Split tail trailers, like the Z-Man ElaZtech Split Tail TrailerZ for instance, are primarily for spinnerbaits, buzzbaits and ChatterBaits in my opinion. All of these baits already create a lot of disturbance and action, so a simple split tail trailer complements that well. Where this style of trailer just doesn’t bring enough to the table when considering adding it to any type of jig.
But stick a split tail trailer on the back of a spinnerbait and watch it dance. The thump of the blades puts a split tail trailer into action and creates an overall pulsating look that imitates a fleeing shad extremely well. The same holds true when adding this style trailer to a ChatterBait. And whether it’s on a ChatterBait, buzzbait or spinnerbait, a split tail trailer draws the attention of the fish to the business end of the bait while also masking the hook well.
For me personally, I only like a split tail trailer when I’m trying to mimic shad. Naturally I’ll also use a swimbait at times when I’m mimicking shad, but I never choose a split tail trailer when I’m targeting fish relating to any other forage. Craws and swimbaits are better then.
But this article is supposed to be geared more toward function than fashion, so enough about matching the hatch. One functional advantage of a split tail trailer on a ChatterBait is its malleability; its ability to fold up and conform to whatever pressure is applied to it. That sounds complicated but all I’m talking about is skipping a ChatterBait.
If you try to skip a ChatterBait with a craw style trailer or even a swimbait, you have more plastic and appendages grabbing at the water’s surface and that makes skipping the bait a little harder. A split tail trailer folds up and doesn’t grab the water offering less resistance and allowing the bait to skip farther and more easily.
So when selecting your next trailer, by all means pick a color and size that mimics the present forage well. But also ask yourself one question, “What do I want the bait to do?” If you want to fish it high and slow, pick a craw. Deeper and/or faster, go with a swimbait. Just need a little something extra but don’t want to go overboard with the action, sounds like a spilt tail kind of day. Use your trailer to dial in the action of your bait and you’ll likely find that all of these baits are far more versatile than you once thought.