Are you looking for the best chatterbait trailer?
In this post, we are going to look at the top 7 chatterbait trailers to see which one comes out on top.
What Are The Best Chatterbait Trailers?
Here is a quick preview of my favorite trailers to throw with a bladed swim jig.
- Yamamoto Zako Swimbait
- NetBait Paca Chunk
- Strike King Rage Swimbait
- Strike King Tail Craw
- Gambler Little EZ
- Yum Boogee Tail
- Berkley Havoc Subwoofer
Without a doubt one of my favorite trailers for chatterbaits is the Yamamoto Zako Swimbait.
This is a 4 inch chunky swimbait that has a tail with ridges. Theses ridges help it to swim through the water, throwing out more vibration and action. It is available in 15 different colors. Colors such as: Rainbowshad, Black & Blue, and Green Pumpkin just to name a few.
One of my favorite time to fish the Zako is when I know the bass are actively feeding on baitfish that are holding up either in shallow waters or near cover.
For example, if I know they are feeding on bluegill, I might throw a pumpkin chatterbait, with a green pumpkin color trailer.
On the other hand, if I noticed a lot of shad in the water, I would go with a white chatterbait paired with a cream white color or even the electric shad color.
When the water is warm and the bass are aggressive feeling you can switch over to your favorite double tail option. I really like what the NetBait Paca Chunk has to offer.
As you can see this trailer has a bulky body with two large clawlike appendages. Once you get this thing to move, it throws out a lot of action which is exactly what we are looking for in a good chatterbait trailer.
Interestingly this bait is made from a combination of soft plastic, salt and pork fat. Of course whenever you are adding salt or other additives it is to help the fish commit and hold on so that you have time to set the hook.
One thing to keep in mind whenever you are fishing with one that have appendages such as the paca chunk, is to make sure that the skirt doesn’t inhibit the action of the tail.
In many cases you might have to trim the skirt a little bit so that the action can be seen.
This bait is available in a wide variety of different colors (more than 30) which makes it easy to match the hatch.
The next one on our list is all the new rage. It is the Strike King Rage Swimbait. Get it! (Pun Intended) But in all serious this is probably one of the most popular choices for chatterbait trailers.
As you can see, it is a paddle tail swimbait. It is available in a number of different colors and sizes. For example, it is available in 3.75 or 4.75 inches.
There are two different ways I like to fish this type of trailer. The first way, is to pair it with my favorite chatterbait and yo-yo it, burn it or even slow roll it. It works well in any of those situations. Even in a chunk n wind type technique would produce nice results.
Another approach as I mentioned earlier in a previous post (How to fish a chatterbait) is you can remove the skirt and just fish with the swimbait. This is the perfect trailer to do just that. It is especially effectively when the fish are actively feeding on shad or bluegill.
If you don’t like the paddle tail type, but really like this brand, they also make a really cool double tail option called the Strike King Tail Craw. This is a crawlike bait with two really wide appendages that create a lot of action.
A must have bait to carry in the boat when you know the bass are on a craw feeding spree.
Another great swimbait trailer designed to grab the fish’s attention is the Gambler Little EZ, The gambler Ez swimbait lineup is available in a number of different sizes. You have what they call the Big EZ which is 5 inches long, the EZ swimmer that is 4.25 inches and lastly the Little EZ measuring 3.75 inches.
So the question you might have is why throw a smaller swimbait such as a 3.75 inches instead of one that is 5 inches?
There are a number of reasons I would downsize to a smaller profile. The first reason, is if the bass aren’t actively feeding such as when the water is cold. Downsizing to a smaller swimbait is going to allow the blade to do much of the work and allow for a more subtle approach.
The second reason is a longer bait is going to imitate longer bait fish. So, if you see a lot of gizard shad in the water, then I possibly would throw a longer swimbait (5 inches) in hopes of imitating them.
Lastly, this swimbait in particular is available in a number of different color no matter if you choose the little EZ, the EZ swimmer or the big EZ.
If you find that you are getting bites, but the bass are connecting with you bait, you can switch to something with a smaller profile such as the Yum Boogee Tail.
As you can see from the picture this is a split tail trailer. The split tail is designed to create more action and great for actively feeding bass.
Another interesting feature are the red tip tails. Does the color red affect the feeding pattern of bass? Many people believe so. If you are a firm believer in that and want to try something new, you can definitely give this one a try.
True it doesn’t give off as much action as let’s say the Zako, but it gives off just enough to elict a strike. The small profile body design makes it extremely easy to bring through cover.
I like to couple it with the Z-Man custom which has a smaller jig head. The combination of the smaller jig head and the smaller swimbait trailer makes it easier to work those hard to reach areas such as lilly pads or weed lines.
The best part is that it is only 4 inches long. Why is that such an advantage? Because once a bass decides to take the bait, he is committed. With it being only 4 inches long, there isn’t much room for short biting this lure.
Final Thoughts….
What are the best chatterbait trailers?
All the options we have listed here are great baits to have when fishing this lure.
However, with that being said, if I had to narrow down to just three. I would make sure to always have a good supply of the Yamamoto Zako, the Strike King Rage Paddle Tail and the Strike King Tail Craw.
Please share with us your thoughts in the comments section below.
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