Bassmaster Elite Series pro Mark Menendez likes tempting pre-spawn bass with a Strike King Series 3 crankbait or a ¾-ounce Strike King Scorcher spinnerbait.
Because he burns the latter for maximum reaction bite potential, he wants a trailer hook on the back to ensure he doesn’t miss any opportunities.
“You’ve got to have a trailer hook when burning a spinnerbait because a lot of times it will give you that second chance that you might not otherwise get,” Menendez said.
But he doesn’t just attach a standard trailer hook. Instead, he uses a trailer with a large eye.
“I want a free-swinging trailer hook; I don’t want one that’s stationary,” Mendendez said. “If you have one that’s stationary and a fish comes from the bottom, he may knock that trailer hook out of position, and you’re still not going to get him.”
The trade-off with this setup is that the wide-open eye of a trailer hook can easily slip off the main hook, so you’ll need a “keeper” — a small piece of rubber or plastic that prevents such slippage.
Menendez uses a handy device called the Trailer Hook Pal that debuted during last year’s ICAST.
Designed with stability and finger-safety in mind, this product is made with a hole at one end to your keeper steady while its threaded onto the spinnerbait’s hook above the trailer hook. Pressing down mounts the keeper below the trailer hook to limit its sliding movement.
Log onto LouisianaSportsman.com/trailer-hook-pal to see how this cool product works.