DECOY - TH-1 TRAILER HOOK CHASER MADE IN JAPAN

Decoy TH-1 Trailer Hook Chaser — Made In Japan

A trailer hook is a second, free-swinging hook clipped onto a lure's main hook so fish biting behind the body still find a point. The TH-1 Chaser is the full-size bass version, built for spinnerbaits, buzzbaits and chatterbaits, where short bites are common and the fish that does bite is often the best of the day. Two details separate it from a spare hook. The eye is oval rather than round, with only a small lateral angle, so the trailer holds a fixed orientation instead of flopping over and hanging point-down into weed — which is what makes it more weedless than an ordinary hook fitted the same way. The wire suits the job: a straight point that catches the light, glancing take, on a flat-forged round bend strong enough to hold a big fish. A rubber stopper is supplied to lock it onto any wire bait. NS Black, seven per pack.

Decoy's other trailer hooks, the TJ-01 and TJ-02 Trailer Jack Mini, apply the same principle at light game size, for ajing and mebaring. The TH-1 is the bass-tackle end of that range.

Key Features

• Oval eye with a small lateral angle that holds the trailer in a stable orientation
• More weedless than a round-eye trailer
• Straight point that converts short, glancing bites
• Flat-forged round bend for holding power on big fish
• Dedicated rubber stopper included, fitting any wire bait
• NS Black finish; sizes #1, #1/0 and #2, seven hooks per pack

How To Rig It

• Fitting it — Slide the eye over the point of the main hook and down to the bend, then push the rubber stopper over the point to trap it. The trailer should swing free, not sit pinned.
• Wire baits — On a spinnerbait or buzzbait, set the point riding up, in line with the main hook. Retrieve as normal; the trailer picks up fish that swipe at the skirt and miss the hook entirely.
• Chatterbaits and big soft plastics — A bladed jig or large swimbait draws the same tail-biting. On a swimbait, set the stopper back far enough that the plastic still tracks straight.
• Topwater — On a walking bait or open-water frog, a trailer converts the boils that end in nothing. Keep it off frogs worked in matted weed.
• When to leave it off — Two hooks find twice as much cover, and a wire bait is bought for coming through that ground cleanly. Fit the trailer when fish hit the tail and fall off, or when takes end in a single knock; take it off in flooded timber, matted weed, rock piles and brush, where the snags cost more than the extra hook-ups.

Target Species By Region

• Southeast Asia — Peacock bass, giant snakehead (toman) and hampala barb (sebarau) on reservoir spinnerbaits and chatterbaits; barramundi (siakap) short-biting a swimbait.
• North America — Largemouth and smallmouth bass on wire baits and bladed jigs, where spinnerbait trailer hooks are standard tournament practice; also pike and striped bass.
• Japan & East Asia — Largemouth bass on Japanese reservoirs and rivers, where the hook was developed, plus seabass on large swimbaits.
• Australia, Middle East & Europe — Australian bass, sooty grunter and impoundment barramundi on spinnerbaits; pike, perch and zander on European lakes and canals.

Specifications

Model TH-1 Chaser; the factory range also includes #2/0. The rubber stopper is not sold separately — the Decoy L-7 Versatile Keeper is the recommended replacement. Made in Japan by Katsuichi (Decoy).

Recommended Pairing

• Medium-heavy baitcasting rod around 6'6"–7'2", 150–200 size reel
• 12–20 lb fluorocarbon or 30–50 lb braid with a fluorocarbon leader
• Match hook to lure size: #2 on compact wire baits, #1/0 behind full-size spinnerbaits, buzzbaits and bladed jigs
• For short bites on ajing and mebaring tackle, use the TJ-01 or TJ-02 Trailer Jack Mini instead