So I Cant Get Bit With A Spinnerbait/chatterbait

[cjam93]

Hey guys so I need some help. For the past year I have really been trying to get better with these baits. I have thrown different weights, and sizes. I have played with different trailers. I have also tried different blades on the spinnerbaits. For retrieves I have tried burning them, slow rolling them, crashing them into laydowns, and so on. I just can not get bit with these baits. Any ideas what I should try?

[wisconsin heat]

Muddy-Stained water, otherwise I wouldn't throw one. Some lakes they work, others they don't. Even when my lakes are murkier than usual I still won't even reach for a spinnerbait.

 

Lures are tool that all have their time and place. As far as retrieves for spinnerbaits and chatterbaits alike, my best retrieve has been a slow-medium paced steady retrieve. If I am fishing over some cover, I will try to slow it down a little bit.

 

Also, northern pike and pickeral. Man, they can't get enough of spinnerbaits, and other flashy stuff. 

[MassBass]

cover more water.

[HoosierHawgs]

Before we start, let's get something out of the way... Spinnerbaits are not Chatterbaits, and Chatterbaits are not Spinnerbaits. Good, now we can start

Spinnerbait 101

There is all kinds of spinnerbaits. I use the following

• White Double Willow Blade (Clear Water)
• White and Chartreuse Turtle Blade (Stained Water)
• White and Chartreuse Willow Colorado Combo (All Around)
• Black Turtle Blade (Stained or Murky Water)
• Black and Chartreuse Turtle Blade (Murky Water and Nighttime)

I fish these because the main forage where I fish is SHAD. Change Colors based on the main forage of where you fish. The clearer the water, the more flash you want, the dirtier the water, the more vibration you want.

 

There are also different retrieves

• Straight Retrieve (Covering Water)
• Slow Roll (In Dirtier Water or Lethargic Fish)
• Add Your Own Action, Give the Bait a Snap or Pause Next To Cover, or With a Following Fish
• Bump Bait Into Any and Every Piece of Cover There Is, Spinnerbaits  Come Through Rocks and Wood Like A Charm

Conditions

• When there is wind, and bass are tight to cover, I throw them parallel to the bank
• When it is blue bird conditions with no wind I will throw a Double Willow Bait with Painted Blades, and sometimes I will not throw it at all. 

You have to change based on conditions, but I almost always have a spinnerbait tied on, unless I am fishing heavy grass... At which point a swim jig is a great tool, as is a Chatterbait. I will fish trailers (usually small Swimbaits) on Chatterbaits, but not on Spinnerbaits. If I feel that the fish are keying in on larger shad, I may add a Yum Boogie Tail to the Spinnerbait. I never fish a trailer hook, as I feel that I would get snagged more on cover and I don't feel that I need a tremendous increase in hookups. 

[Fisher-O-men]

Sorry, I'm in the same boat.  Couldn't catch a fish on a spinnerbait if my life depended on it.  That's OK because I catch them on other things!

[greentrout]

Sorry, I'm in the same boat.  Couldn't catch a fish on a spinnerbait if my life depended on it.  That's OK because I catch them on other things!

Years ago I felt the same way before I started to catch them with the mighty spinner bait. The best is 1/4 oz. in white or white/chartreuse to get strikes and hookups. Other than early in the morning, it's the  first thing in my hand. Wind and windy conditions are ideal. If you don.t have that, practice with your bait caster to enter water with your spinner bait quietly is paramount.  The manufacturer of the spinner bait does make a difference. But whatever floats your boat.

 

Good fishing. 

 

Old school basser...

[Brnnoser6983]

It can come down to something as simple as pressure, and what the fish want/don't want.

I have gone many times to my local pond and have thrown my lucky spinner only to be shut out, and the same with chatter.

Don't give up on such a great bait. I know you said you have tried many things. But alter the appearance, different combo of colors, blades, trailers, no trailers. All of these items with infinite choices of options sometimes feels like you are stuck in a corner. Keep it up and stay positive.

[Brayberry]

I still can't catch them on a chatterbait, so don't feel bad

[Ozark_Basser]

Start out with a swim jig with a simple chuck and wind retrieve. Note how and where you catch fish with the swim jig and adjust your bait to either a chatterbait or spinnerbait according to conditions. I have found it's a little easier to gain confidence in a swim jig.

This is how I choose

Muddy/highly stained water: I'll start with a chatterbait due to its strong vibration. Make sure you come in contact with the cover you are fishing. I'll throw a spinnerbait or a swim jig if I'm not getting bit.

Clear water: swim jig. If the wind picks up I'll throw a spinnerbait. Again, I make sure you come into contact with some type of cover. If no cover is available, I'll give either one an erratic retrieve I.e. pumping a swim jig or giving the line slack so the spinnerbait drops straight down, or burning either one with short pauses.

These are just starting points, doing just the opposite could and probably will work on any given day, but that's how I start out if I'm throwing "single hook moving baits".

[tbone1993]

How well do you fish a swim jig? I would say to start out with a regular swim jig with a grub trailer. Ive gotten more big bites on a 3/8th oz brown, orange ,and green jig with a green pumpkin zoom grub than I can count. When the water really muddies up and they just arent going for the silent approach I will switch to a chatterbait. I mainly use two colors , white or green pumpkin. Again the trailer matters. Either a grub, lft magic shad, or zoom fluke. You really can throw anything on as a trailer but it just depends on what the fish want. If you're slow rolling a bait I would suggest a fluke and if youre burning it something with more thump or even a grub. Deflection is key. Ripping it through grass and around docks is an awesome way to get bit. Try to pump the rod and get the blade moving. As for spinnerbaits its really a timing issue. I'll have days where I whack them and days I cannot buy a bite. 

[Vayned]

They work for me in places where fish don't see a lot of pressure from anglers.

[scaleface]

   Spinnerbait's  are so effective that everybody's throwing  them  .  

[livemusic]

What is slow roll?

[Mccallister25]

What is slow roll?

Slow rolling is fishing your spinnerbait just fast enough to keep the blades turning. A slow method of fishing them.

[Heron]

<-----Got bit with a spinnerbait today.

[Jtrout]

I have used a chatterbait since I've been bass fishing I like the blue gill color with gold blade the best then the white one. I put paddle tail swimbaits on them they have caught my PB and many other bigger bass. I just started using apinnerbaits recently and do good with strike kings the big ones and the small ones. I also like to have a trailer hook on my spinners

[bassr95]

Just my own experience with spinnerbaits...you don't have to have dirty water to throw them. They catch a ton of fish on several super clear (10+ ft visibility), super high fishing pressure lakes in southern Wisconsin. Slow roll that thing through deep weeds and its game on, especially with a little wind blowing! I like a 1/2 oz or bigger spinnerbait for fishing deep weeds

[wuchr20]

I feel ya man

[Bluebasser86]

Both of those baits have been big producers for me lately.