Do You Use Rattles On Your Jigs?

[mattk22]

Was wondering how many of you use rattles on your flipping/pitching jigs and your swim jigs?

[Siebert Outdoors]

About the only time I do is in real muddy water.  99.9% of the time I do not use them.

[MrSwimJig]

The only time I will use rattles on my jigs is in really muddy water.  The rest of the times no rattle.

[whitwolf]

In muddy water or at night only.

[Fishes in trees]

Last year, I didn't throw jigs a whole lot, but when I did more often than not I had some kind of rattle on it.  I am rethinking that for this year.

[The Next KVD]

I use to be a believer in rattles on jigs however, after using them without rattles last year I found that it does not make any difference.  A bass is extremely aware of everything happening around it, even in muddy water thanks to its lateral line.  I believe as long as you can get the jig near a fish it will know its there.  Sometimes its just a matter of hitting them on the head with it to get a fish to react and bite.

[Jake P]

I use to be a believer in rattles on jigs however, after using them without rattles last year I found that it does not make any difference. A bass is extremely aware of everything happening around it, even in muddy water thanks to its lateral line. I believe as long as you can get the jig near a fish it will know its there. Sometimes its just a matter of hitting them on the head with it to get a fish to react and bite.

X2.

[iabass8]

As said above, only if the water is really muddy do I use them. 

[Bankbeater]

No.  If I buy a jig that has rattles I remove them.

[War Eagle 44]

Right along with most others, no rattles here. The only time I use them is at night and even then not always.

[basscatcher8]

I use em all the time. Always heard that craw fish make a tick noise as they are swimming. I've had alot of success using them. But its like everything else in bass fishing to each his own.

[Bluebasser86]

Muddy water, heavy cover, and at night I will but even then I don't worry about it too much. 

[rockchalk06]

All my life I've been primarily a jig fisherman. Every jig I have owned or used in the past had one or two rattles on them. I had really good luck all my life using them.

With that said, last year after joining this site, I got turned on to North Star Jigs. I bought and still have a bunch of the Pro Series that had rattles on them. When I got low, I bought more. Never actually noticed they didn't come with rattles anymore. I just threw on a trailer, dipped it and went to town. Until I realized they didn't have rattles, I had been catching fish for weeks on them. I can't say that I noticed any difference with or without them now.

Now that's just my experience with them. Others may and will be different.

[CPBassFishing]

I use rattles on my jig in muddy water, at night, or in very heavy cover (punching grass mats).

i only use the free-swinging rattles. if you take a jig with regular rattles and hop it around in a tub, you will notice that it barely has any sound, unless you are shaking it straight up and down, which nobody does. rattles attached to the collar are useless IMHO. they do not work on most retrieves.

I attach my rattles to these- http://www.***.com/Naked_Bait_Jig_Rattle_Strap_Bands_20pk/descpage-JRSB.html

I use glass rattles for more sound. when i use a rattle the fish will find it instantly. i use the 4mm version of these-http://www.***.com/Xcalibur_Glass_Worm_Rattles/descpage-EXWRAT.html

its a tight squeeze but once they go in they are not coming out unless you twist them for a good 30 seconds.

As i said, i feel that the collar rattles are useless, but the free-swinging ones are a useful aid for helping the fish find the jig in less than ideal conditions.

I slide the swinging bands onto the barb that your trailer would normally go on, and i glue the trailer to the lead with a bit of superglue.

you can also use a rattle in your trailer so you dont have to glue it.

take a paca craw and cut the main part of the body off so the hollow part of the head is exposed. slide a tube rattle in the cavity and hook the bait like a chunk, through the hole in the tube rattle. this will work with any craw with a hollow head.

[Gangley]

Early on when I first started fishing, a lot of my fishing occurred at night and I found that I had the best luck using the same color choices that I use during the day and that my catch ratio was better without rattles except in a few certain situations.  Even with muddy water, I found that rattles didnt help me at all unless I was fishing along a soft bottom with no moon light.  If I was fishing rocks or hard substrate, the fish found my jig equally as well with rattles or without.  The lead head makes an awful lot of noise bouncing off of rocks and the rattles aren't neccessary for fish to locate it.   Also, when you see a bass' wake 5 feet away from your lure as it goes to attack it in muddy water with less than 6 inches of visibility, you quickly realize that rattles and colors may not be as important as you would think.  If fish are hungry, they will find your jig pretty quickly.

[JoePhish]

No on Swim Jigs as I feel (but have no real proof) that it may hinder a straight swim action.

 

I've gone both ways with every other jig. On some jigs like the Boo-Jig I think rattles actually help the lure stand up (which btw they eventually fall off.). Then again, those same rattles also collect weeds and inhibit the trailer's action.

I've come to a happy medium by using no rattles and if I want a tick-tick-tick I'll add a worm rattle to my trailer.

[Teal]

I keep rattles and rattle bands but ive found that its not always necessary. Ive had more success without rattles. Normally after a hard rain when theres alot of run off in the backs of the creeks or pockets, I can bulk up or use a bigger jig/trailer with a dark profile with bright accents and it does just fine. And if the water is suer murkey, im probably not going to take the time add a rattle...i am more apt to use a chatterbait syle jig, or a colorodo blade spinner bait.

[senile1]

Like a few stated above, I use them only in very muddy water, though I have often fished muddy water without them.  I can't say that I have any empirical evidence that I have caught more fish when using them, however.