BAXTER’S BAITS TRIGGER BOSS™ GREEN PUMPKIN MAGIC
BAXTER’S BAITS TRIGGER BOSS™
Boss the Cover. Trigger the Bite.™
The Baxter’s Baits Trigger Boss™ is a compact creature bait built around a ribbed body, broad outer swimming claws and smaller inner appendages.
It can imitate a:
Crawfish • Bluegill • Goby • Salamander • General bottom creature
The Trigger Boss is designed to flip, pitch, punch, drag and swim through the places where quality bass live.

WHAT
The Trigger Boss is the power-finesse creature bait in the Baxter’s Trigger Series.
Its compact body gives it a substantial meal-sized profile without becoming bulky. The ribs create texture and water disturbance, while the appendages produce movement during the fall, retrieve and pause.
It can be fished as:
- Texas-rigged creature bait
- Free-rig bait
- Jig trailer
- Punch bait
- Carolina-rig bait
- Weightless or lightly weighted swimmer
WHY IT WORKS
The Trigger Boss combines four important bite triggers:
- Compact profile: Easy for bass to inhale and excellent around pressured fish.
- Controlled action: The outer claws swim and pulse without overpowering the bait.
- Water displacement: The ribbed body helps bass locate it in grass, stained water and heavy cover.
- Versatility: It can represent crawfish on bottom or bluegill when swum through vegetation.
The broad body also slows the fall slightly. That gives bass hiding beneath docks, grass, wood and overhanging cover more time to react.
WHEN TO FISH IT
Pre-spawn
One of its best periods. Drag it around rock, channel swings, secondary points and the first healthy grass.
Best rig: 3/16–3/8 oz Texas rig or football-jig trailer.
Spawn
Pitch it around beds, bushes, wood and protected pockets. Its compact profile stays in the strike zone without looking unnatural.
Best rig: 1/8–1/4 oz Texas rig.
Post-spawn
Excellent around bluegill beds, emerging grass, docks and shallow cover.
Best rig: Texas rig, swim jig trailer or weightless presentation.
Summer
Flip shade, deep grass, laydowns and offshore vegetation. Use a heavier weight when penetration or a fast fall is necessary.
Best rig: 3/8–3/4 oz Texas rig; 3/4–1½ oz for true punching conditions.
Fall
Swim it through remaining vegetation or drag it across rock when bass are feeding on both baitfish and crawfish.
Best rig: 3/16–1/4 oz Texas/free rig or compact swim jig.
Winter
Use the smallest practical weight and slow everything down. Keep the appendages connected for less movement, or shorten the bait for a compact jig trailer.
Best rig: 1/8–1/4 oz finesse Texas rig or jig trailer.
WHERE TO FISH IT
The Trigger Boss belongs around:
- Grass edges and holes
- Lily pads and vegetation
- Laydowns and submerged timber
- Docks and pontoon boats
- Riprap and rocky points
- Gravel-to-rock transitions
- Stumps and brush
- Offshore grass
- Bluegill beds
- Channel swings
- Ledges and drop-offs
Pitch it into the highest-percentage piece of cover, allow it to reach bottom and let it sit before moving it.
HOW TO RIG IT
| Presentation | Weight | Hook | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light Texas rig | 1/8–3/16 oz | 4/0 EWG | Clear water, sparse grass, pressured bass |
| Standard Texas rig | 1/4–3/8 oz | 4/0 EWG | Wood, docks, grass and mixed cover |
| Heavy-cover rig | 1/2–3/4 oz | 4/0–5/0 heavy-wire flipping hook | Thick grass, deep cover and laydowns |
| Punch rig | 3/4–1½ oz | 4/0 straight-shank flipping hook | Matted vegetation |
| Free rig | 3/16–1/4 oz | 3/0–4/0 EWG | Clear water, rock and outside grass |
| Jig trailer | Match jig | Jig hook | Rock, wood, grass and compact presentations |
| Carolina rig | 1/2–3/4 oz sinker | 3/0–4/0 EWG | Points, flats and offshore structure |
| Weightless | None | 4/0 EWG | Shallow grass, shade and slow horizontal fall |
Texas-rig retrieve
Pitch → semi-slack fall → wait 3–5 seconds → shake once → lift → allow it to fall again.
Do not immediately reel it away from the target. Many bites will come while the bait is sitting or after the first small movement.
Free-rig retrieve
Use a 3/16 or 1/4 oz free-sliding weight. Lift the weight 12–18 inches, then give the Trigger Boss slack so it can separate from the sinker and glide down naturally.
Jig-trailer setup
For a compact profile, remove a small section from the nose and thread it tightly onto a:
- 1/4 oz finesse jig
- 3/8 oz Arky jig
- 3/8–1/2 oz football jig
- Compact swim jig
Keep it full-length when you want maximum action and a larger profile.
WATER-CLARITY GUIDE
| Water clarity | Best colors | Presentation |
|---|---|---|
| Gin clear: 8+ ft | Green Pumpkin Magic, Jersey Violet, smoke/blue, natural brown | 1/8–3/16 oz, long casts, free rig or light Texas rig |
| Clear: 4–8 ft | Green pumpkin, watermelon red, GP purple, natural craw | 3/16–1/4 oz Texas or free rig |
| Moderate stain: 2–4 ft | GP red flake, black/blue flake, Junebug, Magic Craw | 1/4–3/8 oz around grass and cover |
| Heavy stain: 1–2 ft | Black/blue, Junebug, dark brown/orange | 3/8–1/2 oz with stronger hops |
| Muddy: under 1 ft | Solid black, black/blue, black/red, dark body with chartreuse-dipped tips | Tight to wood, rock or grass; short pitches |
Color rule
- Clear water: Natural and translucent
- Stained water: Darker contrast with moderate flash
- Muddy water: Solid silhouette and optional chartreuse trigger
- Bluegill forage: Green pumpkin, GP purple or Junebug
- Crawfish forage: Brown, orange, GP red or black/red
- Low light/night: Black, black/blue or Midnight Madness
NJ LAKE GAME PLAN
| Lake | Where and how to fish Trigger Boss |
|---|---|
| Round Valley Reservoir | Free rig or light Texas rig across rock, gravel, remaining grass and submerged trees. Start with 3/16 oz in Jersey Violet or Green Pumpkin Majic. |
| Manasquan Reservoir | Pitch submerged timber and drag outside grass edges. Use 1/4–3/8 oz GP purple, GP red or black/blue. |
| Merrill Creek Reservoir | Long-cast a 3/16 oz free rig over grass flats and rock transitions. Keep colors highly natural because of the clear water. |
| Assunpink Lake | Work shallow grass, wood and dirty-water targets with 1/4–3/8 oz Junebug, black/blue or GP red flake. |
| Spruce Run Reservoir | Drag rocky points and pitch remaining cover. Brown craw, GP purple and black/blue cover changing water conditions. |
| Union Lake | Flip vegetation, docks and wood with 3/8 oz; increase the weight if the grass thickens. |
| Mercer County Lake | Target pads, grass, laydowns and shaded banks with a compact Texas rig. |
| Lake Hopatcong | Pitch docks and vegetation, then drag rocky transitions. Carry natural GP and black/blue versions. |
| Carnegie Lake | Use black/blue, Junebug or GP red around stained-water wood, pads and shoreline cover. |
| Swartswood Lake | Its darker tannic water favors Junebug, black/blue and brown/orange combinations. |
| Greenwood Lake | Flip docks and grass with 3/8 oz, or use the Trigger Boss as a compact jig trailer around rock and wood. |
PA LAKE AND RIVER GAME PLAN
| Water | Where and how to fish Trigger Boss |
|---|---|
| Van Sciver Lake | Work grass, docks, shoreline cover and deeper edges with 3/16–3/8 oz. GP red, Junebug and black/blue are strong starting colors. |
| Morrisville Lake | Because of its clearer water, use 3/16 oz, a free rig or light Texas rig around grass and deeper transitions. Jersey Violet and translucent GP should excel. |
| Manor Lake | Flip grass and wood with a 1/4–3/8 oz Texas rig; use black/blue when the water stains. |
| Marsh Creek Lake | Target grass lines, points, wood and offshore vegetation. Green pumpkin and GP purple are dependable choices. |
| Blue Marsh Lake | Drag the bait over rock, points and channel transitions with a 1/4–3/8 oz Texas or Carolina rig. |
| Lake Nockamixon | Pitch grass and wood, then work deeper rocky structure. Increase weight when wind or depth demands it. |
| Susquehanna River | Use a compact Texas rig or jig trailer around current breaks, rock seams and eddies. Natural brown, GP and black work well. |
| Juniata River | Fish rock pockets and current breaks with a light Texas rig or jig trailer. Keep the profile compact for smallmouth. |
WHEN TO SWITCH
Switch from the Trigger Boss when:
- Bass follow but will not commit: move to a Trigger Worm or dropshot bait.
- Fish are suspended and chasing bait: use a Trigger Shad or Drift Trigger Minnow.
- Bass are feeding on tiny bottom forage: downsize to a Bristle Beast or skirted Ned.
- You need stronger continuous swimming action: use the Trigger Grub.
- The cover is extremely sparse and fish are heavily pressured: try a weightless stick bait.
IMPORTANT WARNINGS
- Do not use an oversized hook that overwhelms the body and kills its fall.
- Do not automatically separate every appendage. Leave some connected when you want a quieter, gliding presentation.
- Do not use too much weight in clear water unless wind, depth or cover requires it.
- Do not constantly shake it. The pause is one of the Trigger Boss’s strongest actions.
- When used as a jig trailer, avoid pairing it with an oversized skirt. The compact profile is part of its advantage.
BAXTER’S BAITS TRIGGER BOSS™
Built to Flip. Born to Trigger.™
Recommended starting setup:
4/0 EWG hook • 3/16–3/8 oz weight • 12–17 lb fluorocarbon
From clear-water rock at Round Valley to stained grass and wood at Assunpink and Van Sciver, the Trigger Boss gives Northeast tournament anglers one creature bait that can handle nearly every type of bass cover.