Chatterbait situations

[watermeat]

I recently bought a couple chatterbaits but haven't had much luck with them yet. What's everyone's experience with these VS spinnerbaits? I'm guessing any situation where I might throw a spinnerbait is where I'd throw a chatterbait? Is this pretty close to the mark? What's y'all's take? Also, does blade color matter much on them (e.g. shinny gold/silver VS flat black/brown)?

[WRB]

I fish a chatter bait whenever I can't effectively use a crankbait due to cover or Inwant it fall into deeper water. I prefer spinnerbaits when the water surface has a light wind chop where ever there is concentrated baitfish. For a chatter bait is more universal in between a jig and crankbait.

Z-Man CB Freedom 1/2oz chartreuse/white has become my favorite chatter bait.

Tom

 

[RB 77]

You know, quite a bit of people use them interchangeably or use them in place of spinnerbaits, but for me personally I will use a Chatterbait when I want more vibration over flash (IE: stained water). There are others situations as well, (such as crawling, bouncing, ripping, etc. it off the bottom) but for me vibration over flash is the primary reason. Just like spinner baits, its a good idea to have a variety of blade colors and use them interchangeably (brighter blades for more flash, dark blades for a more stealthy approach).

[watermeat]

Thanks for the input guys. I've got a shad pattern chatterbait so I'll try it in a few locations I've been catching on crankbaits.

[tcbass]

How well do chatterbaits work in thin to medium dense weeds?

[riverbasser]

On 9/8/2016 at 11:22 AM, WRB said:

 

Z-Man CB Freedom 1/2oz chartreuse/white has become my favorite chatter bait.

Tom

 

I too really like this new bladed jig. Can be fished basically anywhere in any cover but since I bought them I've only caught one fish although I haven't used it a whole lot lately but glad to hear its working for others. 

[J Francho]

I look at them like a squarebill, with flash, and a skirted trailer. 

[Oklahoma Mike]

On 9/8/2016 at 11:37 AM, RB 77 said:

You know, quite a bit of people use them interchangeably or use them in place of spinnerbaits, but for me personally I will use a Chatterbait when I want more vibration over flash (IE: stained water). 

Came here to say pretty much this.

If I'm in water with low visibility and want something with more thump than a Colorado blade, a bladed jig is the way to go. I also love throwing them during the spawn when I really want to agitate the little buggers into striking.

[Airman4754]

I use a regular Z-Man chatter in wood, a Rage blade in tall grass because the blades have a lot more range of motion which helps a lot. In wood I want deflection, in grass I want to hit and keep going. 

Spinnerbaits are an edge of cover, points, and flats type of bait for me. 

 

[Torn Thumb]

I seem to only catch bass on them fishing them pretty slowly. My 3/8 zman pulls through weeds cleanly probably 90% of the time. This is light, stringy, mostly scattered weeds though. I'm limited on how much and how often I've used them but the split tail trailer has been most effective for me so far.

[primetime]

For some reason I seem to do much better with black blades and gold blades since I fish them in stained water and I also fish them kind of like a spinnerbait but I try to fish them slowly so the blade just starts moving and basically fish it like a swim jig...Slow, deflections, and experiment with trailers since they seem to change the action more than anything else. I use a regular grub most of the time but also a paddle tail swimbait, finesse worm, and one of my favorite trailers is a gulp Leech which really works well some days since it is thin and has a unique action..

I throw them all the time and I am still not sure why they work so well some days, then under the same conditions fish will just swipe at them and not commit. For some reason I rarely do well with silver blades, I like to color them black or use copper or gold blades, and I also do well with the Rage Menace as a trailer rigged both flat and sideways...It is still a bait I feel Like has alot more potential then I have tapped into.

[Bluebasser86]

I think of them more as a squarebill replacement than a spinnerbait. I fish spinnerbaits fast for the most part. Usually high in the water column and typically through lots of grass or wood where a bladed jig has a rough time.

Bladed jigs I fish slowly along the bottom and around weed edges, bumping the bottom and into cover, very similar to how I fish a squarebill.