Have you ever put a fish in the boat and thought, "Man but I'm so glad I used a trailer hook!"? According to Shaye Baker of Wired2Fish, he has caught dozens of key fish that either were hooked only by the trailer hook or were pinned way better by a combination of the trailer hook and the main hook. Following are some of the options he prefers for securing a trailer hook:
Tubing on the main hook shaft. Spacer tubing like you can find at Jann's Netcraft is the perfect diameter to slide over the barb of the main hook and not quite allow the eye of the trailer hook to slide back over it and reach the barb. With this method, the hook swings freely and takes away some of the leverage a bass otherwise has to throw the bait.
Rubber over the eye of the trailer hook. This is the way most people probably started off securing a trailer hook...and the way a lot of 'em still do. You simply slide a piece of rubber or plastic tubing over the eye of the trailer hook and then run the main hook through the tubing and the eye of the hook simultaneously. This method works better for trailer hooks with a large eye. It keeps the trailer hook locked in an upward position, making it more weedless.
Small ziptie. With this method, you just put a trailer hook on the main hook, then run the point of the main hook through the clicker part of a 4-inch ziptie until it passes the barb. Then cut off all but the clicker part. You also can take a ziptie and use it to secure a trailer hook by looping it around the main hook, then running the end of ziptie through the clicker, the way it was designed. Pull it tight and cut off the excess, and there's no way a fish can pull off the trailer hook.
Open the eye and close it. You also can use a little Mustad circle hook (designed for saltwater fishing) as a trailer. Because the eye of a circle hook is just a bit too small to get some main hooks through, take side cutters and open the eye of the circle hook enough to slip it onto the main hook. Then use pliers to close the eye again. The best part of this method is that you don't have to add anything to keep the trailer hook attached.
Decoy versatile keeper. This new product works like the spacer tubing but allows you to use trailer hooks with larger diameter eyes as well. Simply place your trailer hook on the main hook and then slide one of these keepers over the main hook point, and you're good to go. The
decoy versatile keeper is good for other things, too...like securing a soft-plastic trailer in place. Just slide your soft plastic up the hook shaft and into place, then slide the versatile keeper up the hook and into position right against the trailer.
All of these methods will work. Some, however, are better suited for certain situations. Shaye's recommandation is to try them and see if you increase your bite-to-catch ratio. If you don't, "then don't fool with them anymore," he says.
My thanks to Jim B. for providing the link to this item.
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