How we doing folks, Patrick Bone here 2014 Bassmaster Classic qualifier. I'd like to
talk to you about just modifications that I like to do to my spinnerbaits. Trailer hooks
are an absolute must for me and I do not throw a spinnerbait without a trailer hook. There
are a lot of hooks you can buy out there that are pre-rigged with the little rubber keepers
on them and stuff. But just a little inexpensive way that I like to use is I go to the hardware
store and this is a 3/16 clear tubing that you can buy in 5 foot go it at a time if you
want too and it will cost you two bucks. I'll go head and cut it up into sections and I'll
put it in my box. What I like to do is I'll cut just a small little section that is almost
3/8" long, which is not very big at all. Before I put that on I like to trim my skirt just a
little bit. I think a lot of times you have to match everything as far as matching the
hatch and what not. So in the fall of the year, it's kind of late fall right now and
all of the shad are smaller so I like to trim this skirt down just a little bit. I don't
so much thin it, I'll I do is trim it. What I'll do is I'll just pinch that skirt down
away from the hook like so and I don't take a whole lot off of it and I also cut it at
a point. So I'll cut here, and here like so instead of straight across. So I'll cut it
like that, and I'll cut it like that so it's kind of at a point. When that thing comes
through the water it is kind of slender which makes it look more like a shad and a little
more natural instead of just having a lot of big bulky skirt out there. A lot of times
too when your reeling your bait if you hit something and you pop your bait it will make
that skirt flare just a little bit better and can create some reaction strike for you.
So that's just one tip about trimming the skirt. Before I put my trailer hook on after
I've got my skirt trimmed just go ahead and slide your trailer hook on like so. I'm going
to explain to you the reason why I put my trailer hooks on this way. I go ahead and
put my hook on, then I want to take my piece of tubing and I want to go 90 degrees with
my hook. It's kind of hard to see with my skirt flying around. But I want to hold the
piece of tubing flat and I go through one wall of the tubing and I go through the other
wall of the tubing. I'll get it so you can see it here, and that's what we have right
there. The reason I like putting a trailer hook on like that is because a lot of times
you'll get short strikes on a spinnerbait. A lot of the trailer hooks that come pre-rigged
with little rubber keepers slide up on the eye itself and then you thread that on there.
If you notice when you put that on it doesn't hang a certain way, it stands out. If you
get a short strike and the fish just hits that back hook, or if you cast and you hit
something, or whatever it knocks your trailer hook sideways and it's going to stay that
way. So the next limb you come to you're hung, or the next fish comes by and short strikes
at it and you're trailer hook is way up here and it just defeats the purpose. By doing
it like this the trailer hook is going to hang. It swings freely and hangs natural on
there and no matter what when I'm pulling that bait through the water that trailer hook
is dead straight and right in line with the main hook of the bait. If you worry about
this thing coming off, I've never had one come off ever putting them on this way. I've
never had one come off. If that piece of tubing it's rigid enough and it slides up and occasionally
it will slide up, the barb on your big hook is going to catch it and stop it from going
any further. So occasionally throughout the day and a few casts into it you may have to
adjust your little keeper. But like I said this thing is rigid enough that it's going
to stay there pretty much the whole time. So I think if you do that it will help you
in the long run and it's just a good little money saving tip as well on your material
there. Like I said go to the hardware store, 3/16 clear tubing which you can buy just huge
sections of it, go ahead and cut them up like that and put it em your box. You spend two
bucks and the whole section will last you4-5 years.