I have tried to understand why jigs have giant skirts. The only thing I can figure out is that it makes the bait move more water alerting more fish. It doesn't look anything like a crawdad though. Why not just use a bigger crawdad to move more water? To me it seems like the skirt hides the crawdad.

Essentially, what is the point of the skirt?

Do you guys trim your skirts, the ones on your jigs anyway, in a particular manner?

How many don't use skirted jigs (or have tried not using them)? How is/was your success?

The jig and the crawdad trailer can be fished seperately and is effective like that. I use them together when I want a larger bait.  They also make baits that are identical to crawdads. Jigs are not my strong suet but I have started to trim them when useing a trailer and trimming the gaurds from info on here. You can use the jigs or jig head/hooks when useing other baits too like grubs, worms, kreatures and tubes. If it looks good try it.

skirts make a bulkier profile, and the bigger the skirt, the slower the fall

It's to cover their "private" parts......

lol, nice one

Essentially, what is the point of the skirt?

I think one of the reasons, in addition to those already given, is that the flaring out and in of the skirt is a movement that might hold some appeal to the bass.