Do you rig up your Jig/Trailer combos before fishing or do it on the spot.  I have rigged a few and out then in my storage trays but the oil disintegrates the skirt or other jigs/Trailers or they melt or get hard.  How do you all handle this.  I really haven’t used jigs much flr this reason

Jig gets tied on during prep the night before.

 

Trailer goes on just before I start casting...comes off when I want to switch lures on that rig, or at the end of the day.

 

I do decide the night before which trailers I'm going to use first...they go into their own box (still in the plastic bags) so I don't have to search.

So you tie the jig you want on the line/Rod and then wait on the trialer?

 

Inwould love to rig the whole thing up beforehand and store it bit so far it hasn’t worked well

I don't carry any skirt material with me, just a box of pre-made jigs.  I try to do as much prep as I can ahead of time, so I can maximize my time while I'm on the water.  I'll take a variety of trailers with me, but they don't go on until my jig is tied on and I'm about to make my first cast.  

 

I'll leave trailers on a jig that I've already used.  Haven't had any issues with rust, but skirt bands will break down over time.  Not sure if my attractant speeds that up or not, but it happens and it's a cheap and quick fix.  

7 minutes ago, Jeffrey Walker said:

So you tie the jig you want on the line/Rod and then wait on the trialer?

If I'm familiar with the lake, sure.

12 minutes ago, Jeffrey Walker said:

So you tie the jig you want on the line/Rod and then wait on the trialer?

 

Inwould love to rig the whole thing up beforehand and store it bit so far it hasn’t worked well

Takes less than a minute to grab the trailer and string it on the hook. Better that than the oils of the trailer slowly breaking down the skirt bands, starting to rust the hook, etc.

I never leave a jig tied in over night, knot strength degrades.

My routine is leaving the line through the guides with 2 1/2 hitches around the rod blank covered with a expando rod sock.

It takes about 30 seconds to tie on a jig using a Diego Jam knot. Depending on water temps and color I select a jig trailer to start with. I don’t know what jig weight to tie on until I know where and how deep to fish. 1st things 1st determine where to start fishing. Can’t do that at home, that happens on the water. 

Tom

I make my own jigs and my own trailers.  They get put on at the same time maybe before the trip or during and they stay on unless the trailer gets torn.  I have 2 setups in the boat with jigs and craws that have been tied on for 2 weeks.

I tie one on the night before, then go out to fish and realize my assumptions were wrong so I cut it off and tie on another and then fish.  Trailers go on right before the first cast and come off after the last.

I throw black-n-blue jigs a lot, I have a half dozen in my jig box with the trailer attached since back during the spring.

 

I have zero issues with hooks rusting unless the trailer is Gene Larew Hawg Craws, they have a very high level of salt.

 

I don't think the trailer causes the skirt band to deteriorate, I believe it's caused by a poor choice of material used. On most of my jigs the skirt band is replaced with a tiny zip tie.

If it’s new water and don’t know much about it, I know what combo I’m using for what but don’t really know depth, or clarity until I get there. That’s when I rig. 
 

If I’m familiar with the lake I have a pretty good idea about what I’m gonna throw and rig the night before. 
 

 

 

 

 

Mike
 

 

10 hours ago, WRB said:

I never leave a jig tied in over night, knot strength degrades.

So you retie all your lures before you  use them at the start of the day ? Interesting . 

I usually tie on a couple jigs and glue trailers on at home to make them last longer while skipping.  I usually lose a jig way before the hook would rust.  I wire tie my jig skirts so the band is not a problem at all.  Colors are pretty consistent and weights are 3/8 and 1/2.  Black and Blue and green pumpkin or bluegill colors of some time.  

I'll tie on a jig the day before a trip.  I'll add the trailer once I get out to the lake and see what the conditions are like.