Trailers- do you guys all worry about trailers being stored true and flat? Say chunk trailers.  So the tails don’t slightly deform like a fluke tail?? Or do you just throw them all in a bag? I ask because I bank fish and generally just mix trailers of similar color in one bag to pack light 

 

jigs- I’m just using a Plano 3600 and grouping them in there by similar color. What do you do? 

I have a 3700 for all of my jigs and vibrating jigs.  I leave the trailers on them.  The trailers get kinked occasionally but taking trailers off means that they aren't going to stay on well the next time so they would be junked anyway.  Sorted roughly by color (shad, bluegill, GP, black blue) with a carve out for finesse jigs of all colors in one spot.  I have a separate 3700 for trailers of all types stored by shape but mixed color.  When I get through all of those I'll stick to original bags though.  I only made that 3700 so I could carry an assortment in the kayak without having tons of bags or mixed bags.

5 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

I have a 3700 for all of my jigs and vibrating jigs.  I leave the trailers on them.  The trailers get kinked occasionally but taking trailers off means that they aren't going to stay on well the next time so they would be junked anyway.  Sorted roughly by color (shad, bluegill, GP, black blue) with a carve out for finesse jigs of all colors in one spot.  I have a separate 3700 for trailers of all types stored by shape but mixed color.  When I get through all of those I'll stick to original bags though.  I only made that 3700 so I could carry an assortment in the kayak without having tons of bags or mixed bags.

Thank you! Basically how I’m doing it! And I agree I hate taking a trailer off because then it’s done lol. And well I gotta save where u can lol 

One thing to be aware of is using trailers impregnated with salt (Yamamoto, some of Keitech's). Salt will corrode the hooks fairly quickly especially if you leave them on the baits. With the price of some bladed baits I strip the trailer off after fishing it.   Hope that helps some.

Fishingmickey

A few 3700s store my jigs

All my trailers are in their original bags

I never take a trailer off of any baits.

Any rusted hooks get cleaned up and sharpened.

Yeah I fish hard and often so I store my jigs pretty un nicely but also I catch fish with them so whatever.  Basically sometimes the action of your plastics will get messed up by storing it not in the original clamshell - like a rage craw or a swimbait - but dead action stuff it's less of a concern.

 

Heck I've caught fish on jigs where the swimbait tail was bitten off or the claws of the craw trailer were gone - so basically it's probably more about creating a profile and casting it to the right spot sometimes.

 

When I'm swimming it - I definitely care about the action on the trailer being good.

Jigs in Plano boxes

Trailers in their packaging in a tackle bag.

When a trailer goes on a jig, it stays on that jig. So I have a box for jigs with trailers, and a box for jigs without trailers. The trailers that haven’t been put on a jig yet stay in their bags. 

Thanks so much everyone!!! Glad I’m kinda doing something right lol

2 hours ago, Bird said:

I never take a trailer off of any baits.

Any rusted hooks get cleaned up and sharpened.

Kinda hard to sharpen the middle of the hook shank or bend when it is rusted there. They will rust through enough to weaken the hook.

FM

Into the tray they go and there they stay. Trailers and all. 

I take the trailers off and put them back in their bag.  I keep the jigs tied on until they dry out and then put them back into the 3700 box.  I never put the jig back in the box while it is wet.

On 4/23/2025 at 9:53 AM, Fishingmickey said:

One thing to be aware of is using trailers impregnated with salt (Yamamoto, some of Keitech's). Salt will corrode the hooks fairly quickly especially if you leave them on the baits. With the price of some bladed baits I strip the trailer off after fishing it.   Hope that helps some.

Fishingmickey

Yep. I've had this happen

I don't reuse trailers but I always make sure to remove any soft plastics from hooks before I put the boat away after a day of fishing. The only trailers I ever re-used was uncle Josh pork frogs back in the day.

Trailer comes off and I check it...if it seems reusable, then into it's original bag it goes. I never leave plastics on lures.

Shore fishing is a different ball games. Trailers all go in one bag (a dozen or so) and jigs go in a 3600. two colors int three weights. the unused trailers go back in their original bags if not used.