Hitch Series Trailer Keepers:
Your Hook Up to Effective Fishing
By: Andrew D. Buss
Your Hook Up to Effective Fishing
By: Andrew D. Buss
America became the superpower of the world for a number of reasons. Arguments have been made to pinpoint exactly how. Military, capitalism, religion, immigration and others are given credit. However, ingenuity must be considered a top candidate. The developments in the United States the past 200 years is second to none, and our progress is known worldwide simply as American Ingenuity.
Enter Tim DeMarais, an American problem solver. DeMarais is a 37-year old fisherman from North Branch, Minnesota. Compared to most, he lives in fishing heaven. But like all anglers, he had a costly problem: “I hated that my soft plastic trailers [on jigs] would get torn up so quickly, and having a big pile of worn out plastics on the floor of the boat, was like throwing a $10 bill in the trash each trip.”
DeMarais relates with anglers, “You know the frustrations that are caused when your trailer gets worn and torn and will not stay in place on the hook. Not only is this frustrating, but it becomes time consuming and expensive.”
DeMarais relates with anglers, “You know the frustrations that are caused when your trailer gets worn and torn and will not stay in place on the hook. Not only is this frustrating, but it becomes time consuming and expensive.”
For a quick remedy he tried glue to keep the trailer in place, but he faced problems, “First, glue is messy. Second, if a fish tears off a leg on your bait and you need to change it out for a new one, there is a wad of plastic glued to your jig. The third problem with super glue is that it makes the rubber collars on the jig skirts brittle.” So he did what Americans do, he created a solution.
He began with a household product, “I would bend a paper clip around my jigs to hold the trailers in place. It worked OK, but had lots of room for improvement.” The paper clips wouldn’t hold up and turned into more of a hassle than he thought it was worth.
During the 2009-10 winter, DeMarais suffered a back injury which required surgery. He was forced off work for an extended period of time. Consequently, “I had some free time and decided to organize my tackle,” which led to discovery, “I came across one of the paper clip keepers I had in my box from a few years earlier. Instantly, I had this idea to develop [the Hitch Series Trailer Keeper]. That day, I contacted a spring manufacturer and went through the steps to get a prototype made.”
He began with a household product, “I would bend a paper clip around my jigs to hold the trailers in place. It worked OK, but had lots of room for improvement.” The paper clips wouldn’t hold up and turned into more of a hassle than he thought it was worth.
During the 2009-10 winter, DeMarais suffered a back injury which required surgery. He was forced off work for an extended period of time. Consequently, “I had some free time and decided to organize my tackle,” which led to discovery, “I came across one of the paper clip keepers I had in my box from a few years earlier. Instantly, I had this idea to develop [the Hitch Series Trailer Keeper]. That day, I contacted a spring manufacturer and went through the steps to get a prototype made.”
Tim DeMarais, (above) owner of Hitch Series Trailer Keepers, is an experienced angler from Minnesota. Growing up, "My Dad would take me fishing, but not for bass. However, I was always asking him to take me into the pads so I could cast my favorite spinner bait around the edges."
All keepers are made from stainless steel spring wire. “This is important,” DeMarais explains, “Because the spring wire allows the hitch to keep its shape and make them durable.” All hitch products are made to hold baits in place on a hook to prevent it from sliding down the hook increasing the longevity of their effectiveness.
Hitch Series Trailer Keepers offers 3 different models: Texas Rig Hitch, Trailer Hitch, and the Bait Hitch. Each were created to assist different techniques.
The Trailer Hitch is the original product created by DeMarais. He admits, “I designed this keeper because I was sick of fighting with my jig trailers.” Hence it’s natural placement is on jigs, but they also work with flipping jigs, football jigs, swim jigs, chatterbait-style baits, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, plastic frogs, and swimbaits. The keeper prevents a trailer from sliding off due to the friction created from structure, weeds, and fish bites. Not only do trailers stay in place, but their life is prolonged
Hitch Series Trailer Keepers offers 3 different models: Texas Rig Hitch, Trailer Hitch, and the Bait Hitch. Each were created to assist different techniques.
The Trailer Hitch is the original product created by DeMarais. He admits, “I designed this keeper because I was sick of fighting with my jig trailers.” Hence it’s natural placement is on jigs, but they also work with flipping jigs, football jigs, swim jigs, chatterbait-style baits, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, plastic frogs, and swimbaits. The keeper prevents a trailer from sliding off due to the friction created from structure, weeds, and fish bites. Not only do trailers stay in place, but their life is prolonged
Hitch Series products can be applied to all soft plastics, hence, can help any angler targeting any species.
“The Bait Hitch was designed out of pure frustration.” DeMarais recalls. He once found a dynamite pattern prefishing with his son for a tournament on Green Lake in central Minnesota by snapping a jig worm out of the weeds. They were using Gulp! worms, but after each snap, the worm would slide down the hook, hence, he could only repeat the action once or twice before he had to reel it in, fix it, and cast again. It was frustrating, wasteful, and expensive.
DeMarais’ ingenuity then took hold. Come tournament day, he had a prototype of the Bait Hitch ready to employ. It worked. They finished 3rd place and the hitch played a key role, “We used fewer baits and were able to make more casts to maximize our time.” But the best part of the day was not the success, it was his son’s grown confidence in fishing, “What made me happiest was when my son commented on how much more fun fishing was because his bait was rarely messed up.”
An example of American problem solving was at its best. The Bait Hitch works with not only jig worms, but shaky heads, grub worms, and drop shot rigs.
DeMarais’ ingenuity then took hold. Come tournament day, he had a prototype of the Bait Hitch ready to employ. It worked. They finished 3rd place and the hitch played a key role, “We used fewer baits and were able to make more casts to maximize our time.” But the best part of the day was not the success, it was his son’s grown confidence in fishing, “What made me happiest was when my son commented on how much more fun fishing was because his bait was rarely messed up.”
An example of American problem solving was at its best. The Bait Hitch works with not only jig worms, but shaky heads, grub worms, and drop shot rigs.
Bait Hitch
Texas Hitch
Trailer Hitch
By the end of April 2010, DeMarais had prototypes of the Trailer Hitch and Bait Hitch. He took them to a local professional and asked for his feedback. The professional was skeptical, explaining that he’s been approached many times about a new product that does not pan out. However, he was impressed. He asked to take some samples to an outdoors show. That same night, DeMarais got a call: “His friends loved them. He had orders from individuals, plus lined up a couple of local retailers that wanted the Hitch Series products in their stores.”
Since then free time has become a rarity, “It has been a whirlwind of activity.”
Since then free time has become a rarity, “It has been a whirlwind of activity.”
Bait Hitch
Texas Hitch
Trailer Hitch
The third product in the Hitch Series family is the Texas Rig Hitch. Any angler who throws weightless senko-type baits will be forever grateful for DeMarais’ creation.
All Texas rigged baits will eventually slide down the hook after use, but senko-type baits are especially notorious for this. The problem escalates when skipping them under docks, or other structure, causing exposed hooks to snag onto objects more easily. The Texas Rig Hitch solves this problem by securing the bait to the hook without altering its action.
All Texas rigged baits will eventually slide down the hook after use, but senko-type baits are especially notorious for this. The problem escalates when skipping them under docks, or other structure, causing exposed hooks to snag onto objects more easily. The Texas Rig Hitch solves this problem by securing the bait to the hook without altering its action.
Click on the hitch photos to enlarge.
The Hitch Series Trailer Keepers have grown in popularity across the country in a short period of time. Created in 2010, they have reached from Minnesota to Texas. Texas angler Roy Patterson first got a hold of them in September. He was impressed and explains, “The appeal was how easily they worked and how they can work with any soft plastic.”
In a very short time Patterson has become an avid user, “I use Hitch Series in every application.” Most commonly he pairs the appropriate hitch with jigs, swimbaits, Texas rigs, Carolina rigs, weightless worms, flukes, shakey heads, chatterbaits, and swim jigs. They have become a pivotal part of his fishing arsenal.
Patterson is a tournament angler in a state known nationally for its bass fishing. The Hitch Series gives him an advantage over the competition. He confesses, “They help by making sure my baits spend more time in the water than out. It may not seem like a few seconds make that much of a difference, but over an 8 hour day it adds up.” He adds, “I no longer check to see if my trailer is attached. I know with the Hitch Series, the trailer or worm is not going anywhere.”
In a very short time Patterson has become an avid user, “I use Hitch Series in every application.” Most commonly he pairs the appropriate hitch with jigs, swimbaits, Texas rigs, Carolina rigs, weightless worms, flukes, shakey heads, chatterbaits, and swim jigs. They have become a pivotal part of his fishing arsenal.
Patterson is a tournament angler in a state known nationally for its bass fishing. The Hitch Series gives him an advantage over the competition. He confesses, “They help by making sure my baits spend more time in the water than out. It may not seem like a few seconds make that much of a difference, but over an 8 hour day it adds up.” He adds, “I no longer check to see if my trailer is attached. I know with the Hitch Series, the trailer or worm is not going anywhere.”
37-year old Fairfield, Texas angler, Roy Patterson (above), has saved hundreds of dollars since September 2010 by using the Hitch Series products with his soft plastics. He admits, "I now use [Hitch Series Trailer Keepers] in every application."
The 37-year old, who has an ESPN Outdoors tournament victory on his resume, spends a great deal of money traveling to different Texas lakes to compete in the Bud Light Trail. He compensates now with the money he saves with the Hitch Series. He estimates he has saved several hundred dollars since September. He clarifies, “My trailers and worms last longer and I find myself running to the tackle store less.” The savings is twofold.
The feedback DeMarais has received has been overwhelming and similar to Patterson’s admission. He acknowledges, “Consumers have been very excited about the money they are saving. But equally, they’ve been just as excited about the time these save them on the water.” In fact, he has yet to receive any negative feedback. His website offers numerous angler testimonies and you can purchase his products here: http://www.hitchseries.com.
The feedback DeMarais has received has been overwhelming and similar to Patterson’s admission. He acknowledges, “Consumers have been very excited about the money they are saving. But equally, they’ve been just as excited about the time these save them on the water.” In fact, he has yet to receive any negative feedback. His website offers numerous angler testimonies and you can purchase his products here: http://www.hitchseries.com.
In a state known nationally for its bass fishing, Patterson needs every advantage he can gain. Hitch Series provides one, "It may not seem like a few seconds make that much of a difference, but over an 8 hour day of fishing it adds up."
The Hitch Series Trailer Keepers are an American product created by American Ingenuity. They benefit fisherman of all levels. As DeMarias surmises, “Not only will they save time and money, but they will also make you a more efficient fisherman.”
"My son (eight yrs old at the time) and I were pre-fishing for a club tourney on Green Lake in east central Minnesota. I remember the Gulp! was working awesome, but it is so soft and so slippery that it would only take a few casts before the worms were sliding down our hooks. I remember how frustrating it was for both of us, constantly pushing the worm back up on the hook. Plus, I spent lots of money restocking all the baits we went through. The Bait Hitch idea came from that frustrating day.
On tourney day, we had a rough prototype that really played a big role in our third place finish. We used fewer worms and the best part was that we were able to make many more casts because we were not fighting our baits. What made me the happiest, though, was when my son commented on how much more fun fishing was because his bait was rarely messed up because of the Bait Hitch." - Tim DeMarais
On tourney day, we had a rough prototype that really played a big role in our third place finish. We used fewer worms and the best part was that we were able to make many more casts because we were not fighting our baits. What made me the happiest, though, was when my son commented on how much more fun fishing was because his bait was rarely messed up because of the Bait Hitch." - Tim DeMarais
Click on the hitch photos to enlarge.