Jig Trailers Pork or Plastic?

[Chato]

What do you usually use Pork or plastic and why?

[Dewayne]

Pork can cover the hook point and lead to more missed/lost fish. With the quality and variety of plactics we have today I find myself almost never using pork anymore.

SOme swear by pork though. Whatever you have confidence in will work best for you.

[BassnReed]

In cold water conditions, pork out fishes plastic EASY!!!!!!!

[Andy Giannini]

I like both. Dewayne is right about pork preventing hooksets, it can. I really like Guido bugs or Yammie twin tails for plastics, especially when the water gets a little warmer.

But I like Porkers too. There is something traditional about it, and you are making a commitment pinning it on. It wants to dry out so you have to fish it. A plastic porker can be set aside, and other rods are picked up, and it just never gets fished hard.

Another good thing about pork is if the bite gets good, you are not replacing trailers, fixing baits or whatever. You just swing it over there, get bit, swing a fish back, and swing back in. Plastics are always getting destroyed, and the little bag needs to stay on deck with you to make ready for the next bite. Pork is dang near bulletproof. When the bite gets good, you are not farting around with a bait going down the bank missing fish you never cast at. You are catching them.

And pork adds a certain "EEEWWWww!" factor.

I like them both. Stuck a Senko core shot Witch's T on my Football at Berryessa two weekends ago. (Bit off half, they bit off the rest!)

A.G.

[Cooch]

But ya gotta understand and have the confidence in using either in the right conditions.

For me, pork is king in the fall, winter and early spring when the water temps are below 62 degrees. Yup, I'm one of them guys who swears by real pork chunks. During this period, with the cooling temperatures, a bass' metabolism slows way day. He's still gotta feed, but he aint gonna be chasing forage that moves around very fast. Hence they tend to prefer crawdads in most cases. For me, nothing triggers more and bigger strikes during this time thank pork chunks. I've seen it time and time again on guide trips, clients show up with plastic craws, wing bats and Beavers, it's not long before we'e digging into my endless pit of a jar of pork chunks. I resolve the problem Dewayne illudes to with a piece of plastic grub chunk on the hook shank to keep the pork chunk on the hook bend. My pork fouls about as often as a piece of wood that git's lodge in my jig, which happens just as often with plastics! LOL If rigged correctly, it's not a concern to me.

In spring through early fall, bass tend to be a lot more agressive, either in protecting their nests and young, or when they are up gorging on spawning gills and other breem in the summer. Plastic curly tailed trailers imitate this bait forage and work best for me. I tend to swim the jig more durng this time and the curl tails excell at triggering strikes.

Spend time fishing them both. You'll begin to see the patterns and develope confidence in one, the other or both. A jig is an extremely versatile bait. Don't be so narrow minded that ya don't try different trailers at different times. Bass fishing is about making the right adjustments at the right time, be open to changes. You might be suprised at what you can put on a jig and trigger bites with!

[Jason C.]

Now here is a question for ya there Cooch! When fishin with the pork trailer what type of action are you giving it? Are you just giving it little hops or are you doing the twitch and glide? And what type of structure are you looking for? Are you fishing rock walls and rip-rap or grassy areas, docks or submerged trees?? Give us that and you will give us every thing.

[Phil]

ONLY PLASTIC I HAVE NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH IN WINTER IS YAMAMOTO TWIN TRAILERS. THIS IS WHAT I USE. I ALSO USE PORK STILL UNCLE JOSH PURPLE OR BROWN, THE NEW MINI TRAILERS ARE SURE NOT TO INTERFERE WITH YOUR HOOK SET . TRY UM !

JIGS

[Ray L.]

Cooch is right when it comes to pork. Also useing a little bit of a plastic worm on the hook shank does prevent the pork twist on the hook. I use a power worm for this aplication, it gives the fish a little more taste to the jig than just the pork. I am also a firm believer in yamamoto 5" twin tails. I live in southern Cal. where most lakes do not get as cold as your northern lakes so I have been useing the twin tail much more than pork. When I do come up north though I make sure to have my Super Pork in the boat. I also do a some trimming to the pork to give it a different action. Not much but just a little, a couple of slices on each tail of the pork. Our lakes down here do not have the spots like many of the northern lakes. When I am on a spot lake I then rely on the twin tail as a trailer. They will still eat pork but I like to get a little more action from the trailer when the target is spots.

[Larry Hemphill]

I haven't used pork in about 15 years - only using Yamamoto grub trailers all year long. In the winter however, I only use a 5 inch single tail - sometimes shortened a bit, especially for spots. I only use a double tail in clear, warm water. I never use a 4 inch grub 'cause the tail action is not enough for my taste. The 5 inch grub shortened to 4 1/4 inches - just enough to keep it secure on the jig hook seems to work very well for me. If you twitch it on occasion it will move some water and often trigger a strike. Lots of Smelly Jelly in cold water too. Just my thoughts!

[Ray L.]

I like your idea of making the 5" grub a little smaller. I mostly use 1/2 oz. jigs but for smaller one's that would work well.

[SethB]

Pork or plastic? Everyone has there fovorite that they swear by and think that I realy makes that big of a difference. Im sure there are times when one will get bit and not the other. But most of the time I think they are close to = in there draw power. Pork or plastic? who really cares just keep fishing that jig and you should do ok.

[SethB]

To awnser your question though. I would say I use plastics more than pork. I'm not sure why. I guess cause it works.

[Waterdog]

I have used both in the past. Lately I have found myself using pork more and more. The pork I use is Super Pork. It is softer than anything else I have found and should the pork get over the hook, it is so soft that I have no problem setting the hook right through the pork. As far as it drying out...it will, but unlike other pork, it will rehidrate as long as it isn't left out TO LONG. Super Pork has several styles and colors to compliment the color of just about any jig.

I still use plastic some when I'm fishing spider jigs/hula grubs on a jig head, afterall, there is a place for everything.

It really all breaks down to personal preference.

Jim

[TOADER]

PORK more than plastic!! I have more Uncle Josh in my tackle box than plastic trailers and for everyone that like super soft pork you should try the NEW MAXX PORK from Uncle Josh. It is the softest UNCLE JOSH pork that is made. It is available in #36X Phantom finesse craw or #37X Phantom Craw. Easy to put on and take off the hook and it FLOATS. This is the next generation of Uncle Josh pork. I have had more luck with Cinnamon Purple flake or Watermelon red flake. Give it a try and you will never go back to pl*#!ic. Good luck!!