Chatterbaits?

[bma3]

Hey everyone,

I just bought the Zman Chatterbait in the green pumpkin color and was wondering if that's a good choice because I'm mostly gonna be fishing clear water. Also, is it ok to throw on straight braid or should I use a leader? My trailer is the Keitech Easy Shiner btw. Any tips on how to fish it would also be great! Thanks!

[Glenn]

Your color choice is sound, but I'd use co-polymer or fluoro line in clear water, not braid. I don't like leaders - at all - for many reasons (e.g. knots are another weak link).  Co-polymer is probably the most versatile and cost-effective choice for your situation. Try throwing your brand new Chatterbait around rocks with braid, and then see how much you like braid. You might learn a few new 4-letter words.

 

Don't get me wrong - I love braid! But for moving baits that I want to throw around rip-rap and rocks, I won't use it.

[bma3]

13 minutes ago, Glenn said:

Your color choice is sound, but I'd use co-polymer or fluoro line in clear water, not braid. I don't like leaders - at all - for many reasons (e.g. knots are another weak link).  Co-polymer is probably the most versatile and cost-effective choice for your situation. Try throwing your brand new Chatterbait around rocks with braid, and then see how much you like braid. You might learn a few new 4-letter words.

 

Don't get me wrong - I love braid! But for moving baits that I want to throw around rip-rap and rocks, I won't use it.

 

Haha! I'll definitely look into co-polymer now! Any favorites you could suggest?

[Glenn]

Boy I wish Seaguar made a co-polymer line, because all their other lines knock it out of the park!  But since they don't, I gravitate towards Yo-Zuri co-polymer (hybrid) line when I want to use co-polymer.  If you can afford it, Seaguar Tatsu is the best choice.

[Dorado]

I fish Chatterbaits a lot and with braid. It's one of my favorite prespawn lures. I do not have rocks to worry about, but Glenn just made an excellent point if your waters have those features. 

 

In clear water, I like white or Shad color and am partial to a zoom super fluke jr in White Ice.  winter- early spring,  I also catch bigger fish using a yo yo (pause and rip retrieval) so I'm mimicking wounded Shad  during that period. That's also how I fish lipless cranks and ripping those baits through grass triggers hard strikes! They are relatively weedless

 

in the fall, fishing the chatter traditionally like a spinnerbait on a steady retrieval with an occasional pause or a fast retrieval gets followers. I would probably use those Keitechs during the fall as a trailer as I'm mimicking fleeing Shad this point of year. 

 

since it's a reactionary bite I do not think it's as important to seek a Fluoro leader like you would with finesse baits. 

 

Tip: when the fish are chasing baitfish near the surface, use a micro Chatterbait and burn it back on the surface. Prespawn and fall generally gives me those types of seasonal chatter bites

 

these techniques are just my mental notes for what worked Last year. 

[bma3]

2 minutes ago, Dorado said:

I fish Chatterbaits a lot and with braid. It's one of my favorite prespawn lures. I do not have rocks to worry about, but Glenn just made an excellent point if your waters have those features. 

 

In clear water, I like white or Shad color and am partial to a zoom super fluke jr in White Ice. In the spring,  I also catch bigger fish using a yo yo (pause and rip retrieval) That's how I fish lipless cranks and ripping those baits through grass triggers hard strikes! They are relatively weedless

 

in the fall, fishing the chatter traditionally like a spinnerbait on a steady retrieval with an occasional pause or a fast retrieval gets followers. I would probably use that Keitechs during the fall as a trailer. 

 

since it's a reactionary bite I do not think it's as important to seek a Fluoro leader like you would with finesse baits. 

 

Tip: when the fish are chasing baitfish near the surface, use a micro Chatterbait and burn it back on the surface. Prespawn and fall generally gives me those types of seasonal chatter bites

 

these techniques are just my mental notes for what worked Last year. 

 

Should I use these colors even when I know there are no shad in the lake? Thanks for the help!

[Dorado]

Just now, bma3 said:

Should I use these colors even when I know there are no shad in the lake? Thanks for the help!

Do you have bluegill? Crawdads?

[bma3]

Just now, Dorado said:

Do you have bluegill? Crawdads?

Definitely bluegill. I haven't seen crawdads but they might be there. There are also these orange newts haha

[Dorado]

19 minutes ago, bma3 said:

Definitely bluegill. I haven't seen crawdads but they might be there. There are also these orange newts haha

Tacklewarehouse has a custom Z-man chatterbait in 'Breaking Bream' that might match your hatch. I'm sure others can suggest good bluegill trailers. Keitech FAT Swing Impact or Zoom Swimm' fluke jr in Bluegill Flash could mate well?

[bma3]

Just now, Dorado said:

Tacklewarehouse has a custom Z-man chatterbait in 'Breaking Bream' that might match your hatch. I'm sure others can suggest good bluegill trailers. Keitech FAT Swing Impact or Zoom Swimm' fluke jr in Bluegill Flash could mate well?

 

Thanks, I bought my trailer in bluegill flash

[Advantage]

4 hours ago, bma3 said:

Haha! I'll definitely look into co-polymer now! Any favorites you could suggest?

P-Line is my go to for copoly.

[Bluebasser86]

Green pumpkin is a good all around color. I fish mine on 15lb Big Game or Pline xtra strong. I'd suggest trying a Rage Menace rigged vertical for a trailer.

[bassh8er]

I like a Havoc subwoofer rigged sideways; cheap and effective.

 

That trailer on one of BlueBasser's homemade chatterbaits caught more bass for me last year than any other bait.

[3dees]

I have been using Silver Thread Excalibur co-poly for years. very little stretch, and one tough line. a little hard to find. I get it from TW. I use it for almost everything, not just chatterbaits. I fish rocks a lot and no other line holds up like this.

[bagofdonuts]

I prefer using line with some stretch using chatterbaits. i usually fish them in weedy cover and get almost all my strikes just after ripping it free, line stretch helps give the bait a pause and drop action that gets more bites imho.

[Columbia Craw]

Good color choice. Straight flouo or a composite rod working the bait any where a spinner bait and or swim jig would be applied.

[JDNKC]

I use rippin mono as that is what I typically use on my spinner bait rod and that is what I use for chatter baits.

[NHBull]

I fish them in open and very clear water.....always braid with leader....I am just comfortable with it

[MassYak85]

I fish mine braid to leader. In clear water it gives me peace of mind, in cover it gives me abrasion resistance, and in any situation it gives me a little shock resistance vs straight braid. 

[RoLo]

 

When fishing a bladed jig, I use braided line without a leader.

As far as rocks and zebra mussels are concerned, they're non-existent in our eutrophic waters.

 

Roger