The trailer you put on the back of a jig or spinnerbait is meant to attract bass, but it can be a turn-off, too. If the trailer doesn’t add to the natural look of your lure, than it’s not doing the job.

Mainly, I think, guys tend to use trailers that are the wrong color for the conditions. The old saw that you use dark colors on dark days in dingy water and light colors on sunny days in clear water is a pretty good rule of thumb to follow. For me, brown, black or purple cover all the bases in low light, and watermelon or pumpkin get the job done in clear water. Also, if the water is dingy or there’s not much light, I’ll choose a trailer with more metal flakes in it to put out a little more flash. In bright sun, though, it’s almost too loud and tends to ward off bass rather than attract them.

There are all kinds of trailers available now, but most of the time I go with a twin-tail grub. It’s nothing fancy, but the rippling motion of the tails might suggest a swimming baitfish or a crawfish’s pincers to a bass. And that’s all you want a trailer to do – just plant the seed in a bass’s head that here is something good to eat, and not something that doesn’t belong here.

— M&M’s pro Jim Moynagh of Carver, Minn.