I noticed 6th Sense temporarily switched to equal length wires and due to overwhelming feedback returned to the longer center wire. 

I assumed that meant this was the industry standard, however I’ve been shopping for them now for a month or two and the leading brands - Hog Farmer & Picasso both have either equal length wire or 2 shorter up top (dummy rigs for BFL regulations.) Few if any I have found other than 6th Sense feature this longer center wire for a trailer bait.

 

Which do you prefer and why? I realize this is probably a minuscule difference, but the perfectionist in me wants to get it right.

You might consider Shane’s Baits, they have both in many configurations.  I have used them for a long time and they are great.  A bonus is the head is removable, so if you break a wire, you can just replace that wire instead of the whole bait.  They also have some flex at the head, so you don’t develop a weak spot where the wire is molded into the head.  They used to have a video on their website explaining how they are unique but I haven’t visited in some time.

To answer your question, I personally don’t think it makes a big difference and use both.

Honestly you want that long middle straight arm for a very good reason imo, and one that's never mentioned.

 

The reason why you want that long middle arm is because 1.)  It's the most likely to get bite, and 2.)  That's the only arm of the A-Rig that doesn't required it to be bent initially, and then subsequentially, continuously fatigued by anglers having to re bend to adjust the arms and then bend them for storage.  Ultimately this makes the outside of center arms significantly weaker with usage than the middle one.   

1 hour ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Honestly you want that long middle straight arm for a very good reason imo, and one that's never mentioned.

 

The reason why you want that long middle arm is because 1.)  It's the most likely to get bite, and 2.)  That's the only arm of the A-Rig that doesn't required it to be bent initially, and then subsequentially, continuously fatigued by anglers having to re bend to adjust the arms and then bend them for storage.  Ultimately this makes the outside of center arms significantly weaker with usage than the middle one.   

So then why do the leading brands, nor most of the manufacturers implement this?

Strictly from a personal point of view, I don’t make the middle wire longer.  I’ve tried it and not found it to make any noticeable difference.  Most of my fish are caught on one of the outside wires.  Bait style and color as well as blade type and color are more important than the wire length for me.

8 hours ago, Ohioguy25 said:

So then why do the leading brands, nor most of the manufacturers implement this?

I use the longer center wire. Always have for the 10 years or so I've been fishing the thing.

Only you can decide what you want to fish.

 

On 1/5/2025 at 6:53 AM, rangerjockey said:

I use the longer center wire. Always have for the 10 years or so I've been fishing the thing.

Only you can decide what you want to fish.

 

My question was why the leading manufacturers do not offer this configuration, not whether or not you use it with other brands.

44 minutes ago, Ohioguy25 said:

My question was why the leading manufacturers do not offer this configuration, not whether or not you use it with other brands.

My best guess is that it is more economical to make the wires the same length for mass production.  Here is the wire harness that I use.

58 minutes ago, Jig Man said:

My best guess is that it is more economical to make the wires the same length for mass production.  Here is the wire harness that I use.

That could be, but you would think if it was an important feature that the leading brands would have it

I’m not sure how important that is.  Like I said I have been making and using them for 20 years.  I don’t remember ever catching a fish on a longer middle wire so I quit using them.

22 hours ago, Ohioguy25 said:

My question was why the leading manufacturers do not offer this configuration, not whether or not you use it with other brands.

My suggestion would be to call or e- mail the leading manufacturer's you speak of and ask them.

May as well go straight to the horse's mouth. I wouldn't expect the answer to be anything more profound than it's personal preference though.