Just getting into using them and plan to pick a few up this week...what trailers would you recommend? And best way to retrieve them? 

You can use anything you want really.  I basically use anything that would give a lot of movement (curly tails, ribbons, craws, paddle tails..) Only your imagination can limit you. 

My favorites are 4" and 5" curly tail grubs, and 4" soft plastic swimbaits. Some days I will throw a craw chunk on the back too. I'm sure almost anything that resembles a fleeing something will work. 

No right or wrong trailers for these and no right or wrong way to retrieve them.

 

With that said my favorite swim jig is a 5/16oz North Star Original swim jig and a 4 inch Kinami single tail grub in matching color.  But I am definitely trying out the Rage Tail single tail grubs this year as well.  Also small plastic swim baits make excellent trailers as well.

Dumb question but is there any issue with a swim jig bouncing off the bottom? I'm bank fishing and want to try a swim jig but it gets shallow quite a bit.

rage tail menace, rage craw, single tail grub, and a swimbait are the trailers I use. My favorite is the Menace. I work mine through scattered vegetation. Just working it slowly like a spinnerbait, and then when I get hung up on a piece of vegetation I rip it out and let if fall a little before continuing my retrieve. Sometimes they want it burned as fast as you can reel.

Dumb question but is there any issue with a swim jig bouncing off the bottom? I'm bank fishing and want to try a swim jig but it gets shallow quite a bit.

Stricktly prohibited!       Fish them any way you like, I would offer this, if you want to fish them on the bottom ,rig the trailer with the tail up if it has one.

Dumb question but is there any issue with a swim jig bouncing off the bottom? I'm bank fishing and want to try a swim jig but it gets shallow quite a bit.

It doesn't matter really.  Sometimes I let it bounce off the bottom and do quick hops and start retrieve again and repeat.  There is no wrong way imo to do any wrong.  I've caught fish on the fall letting it go to the bottom.

Dumb question but is there any issue with a swim jig bouncing off the bottom? I'm bank fishing and want to try a swim jig but it gets shallow quite a bit.

not at all. sometimes they want it crawled just above the bottom. if you referring to a depth of something like 2 ft then just use a 3/16 oz swim jig and it will make your life easier with the retrieve. i use 1/4-5/16 almost always and 3/16 in very shallow flooded backwaters. 5in single tail grub is my favorite trailer. 

Berkley havoc subwoofer is my favorite. I also use a lot of 4-5" single tail grubs, twin tail grubs, 5" paddletails. Lots of options

I use a paca craw as a trailer on all jig types.

 

Don't let the head shape dictate how you fish a jig.

One style may be better suited for a particular type retrieve...Thats all

 

Mike

I like a paddle tail swimbait or a swimming craw

I just started using one too. I like how it doesn't get hung up really and pretty weedless. I put on a white curly tail grub and like how the tail sticks up when swim on the bottom, though I have yet to get a bite on it.

dday, tell us about your home waters in So. Cal. clear, murky or stained? soft weedy bottom or hard rocky type?

 

I assume at your latitude, the bass are spawning or post spawn. That dictates the general depth of the water colunm you should be concentrating on.

 

 

hookset on 3

I throw Kalin 4 (or 5" I can't remember) grub as a trailer

 

I love swim jigs...I don't use them as much as i should tho. If there is any chop on the water I switch to a chatterbait or spinnerbait but I should remember to get back to the swim jig more often!

Fish them however you like! That is why it's my favorite lure for catching bass. The great thing is that is doubles as a grass jig, so bounce it off of the bottom or swim in through vegetation, either way it will come through clean and catch you big bass all year round.

I've been trailing Lil Dippers on my swim jigs recently.  I've been known to put a Producto Tournament Worm on them as well.

I acquired the Shellcracker in a couple of colors last fall, but I really have not fished them
much at all. A recent post by Big O showed the bait rigged on a swim jig and the lights came
on! I rigged this baby up on an Original Swim Jig from NorthStar Custom Baits, "Bluegill". On
my second cast I caught what might be the biggest bass in one of my public ponds, but fer-sur,
my biggest fish so far in 2013. This fat girl wasn't a Texan, but +/- 10 lbs is a whopper around
these parts!

This will be my "preferred rigging" for awhile.

Dumb question but is there any issue with a swim jig bouncing off the bottom? I'm bank fishing and want to try a swim jig but it gets shallow quite a bit.

 

hitting objects is the name of the game.

 

You want to swim that jig into and around anything you can. This will get a lot of strikes, sort of like fishing a spinner bait.

I've just started collecting some strike king swim jigs in 1/4 and 3/8 oz. I have no experience with them yet, but I can see the potential of them and the many applications where they can be used. I retrieved one through the water surface the other day, and did not appreciate the no action length of the skirt, so I trimmed them short to the hook for better action. Does anybody else do this or do I just like a buz cut. 

I acquired the Shellcracker in a couple of colors last fall, but I really have not fished them

much at all. A recent post by Big O showed the bait rigged on a swim jig and the lights came

on! I rigged this baby up on an Original Swim Jig from NorthStar Custom Baits, "Bluegill". On

my second cast I caught what might be the biggest bass in one of my public ponds, but fer-sur,

my biggest fish so far in 2013. This fat girl wasn't a Texan, but +/- 10 lbs is a whopper around

these parts!

This will be my "preferred rigging" for awhile.

Did u rig it vertical or horizontal?

The first illustration is a slower fall and horizontal profile.. The second is faster fall, hooked vertically and upright swim motion    

 

Did u rig it vertical or horizontal?

Vertical, just like the last pic Big O posted.

I acquired the Shellcracker in a couple of colors last fall, but I really have not fished them

much at all. A recent post by Big O showed the bait rigged on a swim jig and the lights came

on! I rigged this baby up on an Original Swim Jig from NorthStar Custom Baits, "Bluegill". On

my second cast I caught what might be the biggest bass in one of my public ponds, but fer-sur,

my biggest fish so far in 2013. This fat girl wasn't a Texan, but +/- 10 lbs is a whopper around

these parts!

This will be my "preferred rigging" for awhile.

I was watching Dave Mercer rig them on jigs a few episodes ago and he absolutely killed em. Switched to a swimbait hook and killed em again.

Needless to say, I now have 20 plus packs in my favorite 5 colors.

I acquired the Shellcracker in a couple of colors last fall, but I really have not fished them

much at all. A recent post by Big O showed the bait rigged on a swim jig and the lights came

on! I rigged this baby up on an Original Swim Jig from NorthStar Custom Baits, "Bluegill". On

my second cast I caught what might be the biggest bass in one of my public ponds, but fer-sur,

my biggest fish so far in 2013. This fat girl wasn't a Texan, but +/- 10 lbs is a whopper around

these parts!

This will be my "preferred rigging" for awhile.

LOL! I thought the same thing R.W.! buddy sent me some bluegill ones and i put one on swim jig and thought''why not?'' dying to try it..glad it worked for you.