Throwing a buzz bait is a great way to catch bass big bass, especially around grass, laydowns and vegetation. The combination of a buzzbaits sound, vibration and the action of the skirt and trailer is what makes this lure so effective.
A key, yet often overlooked component to a buzzbait is the soft plastic trailer. Adding the right trailer will enhance your bait’s over all profile, give the bass something to target and will make them hold onto your bait longer, increasing your hook up percentage.
In this article I’ll share with you the best buzzbait trailers that I’ve found to be most effective and discuss everything you need to know about selecting the right trailer for your buzzbaits.
Let’s get started
Why Use a Buzz Bait Trailer?
There are some anglers that prefer to fish a buzzbait without a trailer and have success not using one. So why should you bother with adding a soft plastic trailer to your buzzbaits?
Adding a soft plastic trailer to a buzzbait has been a trend among professional bass fishing anglers recently and for good reason. A trailer will help you get more bites and land more fish.
Here are some of the reasons why I would recommend adding a trailer to your buzzbait setup:
Buzzbait Trailer Advantages
- Gives the bass a target
- Produces more action/vibration
- Easier to skip around docks & laydowns
- Helps make your buzzbait float
- Attracts bigger bites with a bigger profile bait
Sure, you can go out there and catch bass on a buzzbait without a trailer, but you’d be missing out one some opportunities and potential fish if you choose to go without one. Adding a trailer can give you several advantages and increase your odds of catching more and bigger fish.
Let’s take a look at some of the specific trailers that are most effective when paired with a buzzbait and when you should use each bait.
Best Buzz Bait Trailers
Selecting the right trailer to pair with your favorite buzzbait is essential. Here is the a list of my top five favorite buzzbait trailers that you should consider using the next time you’re out on the water.
Zoom Horny Toad
Perhaps one of the most popular and effective buzzbait trailers on the market is the Zoom Horny Toad. This soft plastic bait is shaped like a topwater frog and has two legs that will buzz and churn on the surface as its retrieved.
The action and commotion of this bait makes it an ideal match for most any buzzbait. For me this bait really shines in around grass and vegetation. The ideal conditions for this is bait is when the grass hasn’t quite grown to the top and you have about a foot between the top of the water column and the grass.
This situation is where a buzzbait and the Zoom Horny Toad really shine, but it’s an all-around great soft plastic trailer perfect for any buzzbait.
Keitech Swing Impact FAT Swimbait
One of my favorite baits of all time is the Keitech Fat Swing Impact and it works great as a buzzbait trailer. When a bass hears the sound of a buzzbait and sees the side to side action of a paddle tail swimbait they simply can’t resist.
A great way to get more bites in clear water or when the fishing is tough is to use a swimbait trailer like a Keitech and remove the buzzbait’s skirt. This will give you a more natural presentation and get help you some more bites.
The best size of Keitech to use with this technique is either 4.3 or 4.8. The bigger sizes will give your buzzbaits a larger profile and provide more action to your lure resulting in more strikes and bigger bass. If you haven’t given the Keitech a shot as a buzzbait trailer its definitely worth trying out. It won’t disappoint.
Strike King Rage Tail Toad
Another great frog style soft plastic trailer that you can use on your buzzbaits is the Rage Tail by Strike King. This frog has a unique tail design giving it an enticing and unique action when retrieved on the water.
This bait comes in a variety of different colors and patterns allowing you to easily match the hatch on your fisheries. It’s also comes with the award winning Strike King scent that is known to attract bass and hold the bait longer. Making it easier for you to connect when you get a strike
The Rage Tail is an all-around great frog style bait that is definitely worth adding to your arsenal anytime the conditions call for a buzzbait.
River2Sea D Walker
Another one of my favorite swimbait trailers to use on a buzzbait is the D Walker by River2Sea. This is a versatile bait that works great fished alone, on a chatterbait or paired with a buzzbait.
This paddle tail style bait is made from a super durable soft plastic so you won’t have to worry about it breaking after only a few catches. So you can spend more time catching and less time rigging.
The ideal D Walker size for a buzzbait trailer is the 120 it’s a little bit longer than the 100 size giving you a bigger profile and some added action. It also comes in some unique colors as well to help you match the hatch.
If you are looking for a great soft plastic trailer that imitates a baitfish or shad than I’d highly recommend giving the D Walker a try. It will be well worth it.
Biffle Bug
Sometimes mixing things up and giving the bass a unique presentation can make all the difference. A great way to give the bass a different look that they aren’t used to seeing is to add a creature style bait to your buzzbait.
There is perhaps no better bait for this situation than the Biffle Bug made by Gene Larew. I first heard about using the Biffle Bug as a buzzbait trailer while watching buzzbait tips video by Jacob Wheeler. Ever since that video I was sold and have learned this thing produces.
This bait comes in a few different sizes. I find it best to adapt the size based upon the caliber of fish that you are targeting and the size of bait that they are eating. When you are around big fish the 5” Biffle Bug is a killer. On the other hand, if you around smaller fish or want to get more bites power down to the 3.5”.
The appendages and action this bait gives you on a buzzbait makes it a must have for an angler that is serious about landing big bass on this topwater lure.
Buzz Bait FAQ
Do You Put a Trailer on a Buzzbait?
There is a debate among anglers whether or not a trailer should be used when throwing a buzzbait. In my opinion the answer is you should absolutely add a soft plastic to your buzzbaits. This will help you skip your bait, give the bass a target and I think it helps you land more fish.
However, there are plenty of anglers that throw a buzzbait without adding a trailer and still have success. Basically it comes down to personal preference and what you think is best but a bass can be caught with and without a trailer.
For more tips on how to get more bites on a buzzbait check out this article by Major League Fishing: 4 Buzzbait Performance Tips
Best Buzzbait Colors?
If go down the aisle of your local tackle shop or look online, you’ll notice that there are a ton of different colors of buzzbaits you can choose from.
In my opinion the best and most versatile buzzbait color is white. It will work in any condition and closely imitates nearly any fish. When fishing at night I prefer to throw a black or chartreuse colored buzzbait as they tend to stand out more in low light conditions.
For more information on choosing the right color check out my in-depth guide on How to Choose the Right Bass Fishing Colors.
When Should You Throw a Buzzbait?
The best time to throw a buzzbait is in the spring when the water temperatures reach 60°F in the spring, and up until the water temperatures drop below 50°F in fall.
From what I’ve experienced the buzzbait really shines in the fall when bass are aggressively feeding up on shad as they prepare for winter. However, you can catch bass on this lure any time topwater lures come into play.
What’s the Difference Between Spinnerbait and Buzzbait?
The main difference between a buzzbait and a spinnerbait is that buzzbait has a propeller blade instead of spoon shaped blade that a spinnerbait has. Buzzbaits are designed to be fished on the surface as a topwater lure, while spinnerbaits can be fished in many different ways in the water column.
Final Thoughts
Adding a trailer to your favorite buzzbait can be a great way to attract, hook and land more bass in almost any type of situation.
The right buzzbait trailer will allow you to skip your bait more easily, adds secondary action and gives the bass a place to target as they attack your lure. Resulting in increasing your hooking percentage and allowing you to land more fish.
If you haven’t tried adding one of these trailers to your buzzbaits, then I’d highly recommend giving it a shot. You’ll get more strikes, land more fish and have a great time seeing big blowups from any nearby bass.
