How to fish chatter bait?

[spoon33]

Threw one today in a pretty clear lake, which depths near the shoreline sometimes reaching 20-23 ft.  Was searching for the fish bc didn't know what depth they were at. 

Do you guys just pop and reel it, or slow roll it off the bottom? 

I also put a trailer on the back, and was wondering what success rate you guys have with this lure.

[Marty]

I think the Chatterbait and similar lures are excellent fish attractors. I'm usually fishing shallow, weedy water and fish it very much like a spinnerbait, although I know that it can be fished numerous ways. I always use a trailer hook in addition to a trailer.

[Sam]

Always add a trailer hook to the Chatterbait.

I use it in stained to dirty lake waters and in rivers.

Fish it like a spinnerbait.

Have had some great success with the white and chart. Chatterbait along with the blue and black one.

Fun to fish when you need a lot of vibrations to attract the bass. 

[Hammer 4]

Never tried a trailer hook, but then never had a short strike on a chatterbait.

I usually do a steady slow/med retrieve. Although I have had good success bottom bouncing it to, if there arent many weeds to foul the chatterbait.

I like it for search bait in stained water, I have not had much success in gin clear water.

My best times to throw it are early morning. Seems once it gets around noon time, the fish don't respond anymore.

[Osprey39]

You can fish them all kinds of different ways.  They are an extremely versatile lure.  You can burn it, stop and go, crawl it on the bottom or hop it along like a jig (that's basically what it is afterall.) 

That said, I've had the most success using a medium speed retrieve with varying jerks.  I usually get the bites on one of the jerks which leads me to believe that fish chase these baits and the sudden increase in speed from the jerk triggers a strike.

[onefishtwofish]

try replacing the skirt and tail with a Big Hammer swimbait body (swimbait.com for colors and sizes) and a slow retrieve to start. The chatter bait blade makes the head wobble with the tail kick- I read this advice a while back somewhere and it works great!

[I need a new screen name 4]

I retrieve it similar to a spinnerbait, but I use it when I need something moving slightly slower in the water, but with just as much vibration. It's like the "lazy" spinnerbait.

[Gangley]

I have the best luck with the chatterbait in stained/dirty water.  Once the water clears up, I seem to have no luck with the chatterbait.  I will generally switch to a swimbait, worm, or crankbait in the clearer water.  As far as retrieves, I do well with a medium steady retrieve with a grub as a trailer.  GOod luck

[Mottfia]

You can also throw it on wind and/or heavily cloudy days. These things ,along with stained water, block light which reduces how well fish see. When this happens baits with vibration tend to get strong, even in clear water. I've had great days when the stars align like that.

Mottfia

[BassThumb]

Like a spinnerbait, or skipped under docks.

[BadKarma42]

Cast, reel, repeat.  Sometimes faster, sometimes slower.  Sometimes inconsistant.

[ejtaylor822]

Like others, will fish one anywhere I would fish a spinner - same color, retrieves, etc.

[eyedabassman]

I did take the skirt off and put a Zoom lizard on and slow rolled it on the bottom! Hold on to your rod!

[Zilch]

try replacing the skirt and tail with a Big Hammer swimbait body (swimbait.com for colors and sizes) and a slow retrieve to start. The chatter bait blade makes the head wobble with the tail kick- I read this advice a while back somewhere and it works great!

What size tail did you go with? I have a pretty good assortment of big hammer tails in my bag and was thinking about trying this.

Thanks.

[Tokyo Tony]

Trailer hooks are a must for chatterbaits. I get many short strikes on them, and I'd say approximately 50% of the fish I catch on them are only hooked on the trailer hook.

I love fishing them on grass flats by making a long cast, letting the bait sink to the bottom on a slack line, giving a pop off the bottom to get the blade moving and clear off any grass, then slow-rolling back to the boat. You can add a twitch here or there to add to the effect. You can also make a long cast and immediately start the slow-roll, which will cover a few different depths: shallow at first, slowly sinking towards the bottom, then back up in the water column as you get to the boat. When I say slow-roll, I mean literally as slowly as possible - just fast enough to get the blade to vibrate.

Black/blue chatterbaits are by far my #1 night time bait, and trailer hooks are even more important at night. I've had nights where they wouldn't bite anything else. I also prefer to slow-roll it at night, but when the fish are active, sometimes I'll make a long cast and burn it near the surface. Getting a strike burning these baits is an awesome sensation.

I haven't fished them as a jig with much success, but then again, in those situations, I'll just throw a jig. Maybe I'll give the jig technique another shot.

[onefishtwofish]

i go with the 5 inch hammer, hope it works for you.