Poll: Best Chatterbait Rod

[new2BC4bass]

58 minutes ago, moguy1973 said:

I just spend all my money on baits that the fish actually see.  They don't really see the rods.

I was aiming towards humor.  As an example of a friend of the Bait Monkey, not only would you need a technique specific rod for 3/8 jigs, but you should also have one for 1/4 oz., 1/2 oz.    Although that might not be the best example since I probably would have separate rods for the 1/4 and 1/2 oz. jigs.    But then, the Bait Monkey loves me.

[Choporoz]

On 2/10/2020 at 11:02 PM, Dumbbassanglr said:

I’m trying to narrow this down.

How's that working out for you?

11 hours ago, txchaser said:

For me, if on mono/flouro, graphite and a fast-ish tip.

 

Just one story, but fishing chatterbaits with a friend last year and he kept missing fish on flouro on a MH. I suggested he throw it on a H rod instead, and he immediately started hooking up. 

 

But I really prefer a mod that's almost floppy and fish it with braid/leader. I've almost totally moved away from braid/leader but I feel disconnected from the chatterbait on mono/flouro. Crankin' style rod gives me enough give to not lose fish, braid gives me enough oomph to not miss hooksets. For whatever reason I find I'm really accurate on roll casts with the give in the rod. But, it is pretty sensitive to weight - 3/8 chatterbait is perfect, 1/2 is a little overloaded.

 

Net net it is a big single hook. Floppy rod and stretchy line doesn't seem like a fit.

 

Anyway, I'd change one of them (the rod action or the line).

 

I use braid/leader on a number of my rods, but use braid/no leader on my chatterbait rod - little abrasion concerns, no viz concerns, etc. 

3 hours ago, Jermination said:

 

interesting--i have a never used 3 year old 7'0 h/f veritas that has been sitting in my garage for 3 years(christmas gift). Never have any idea what to use it for but maybe chatterbaits warrant it getting a reel placed on it for the first time?

Try it -- I, too, think it may be too rigid...good enough for frogs and punching, though.

[Dumbbassanglr]

1 hour ago, Choporoz said:

How's that working out for you?

I use braid/leader on a number of my rods, but use braid/no leader on my chatterbait rod - little abrasion concerns, no viz concerns, etc. 

Try it -- I, too, think it may be too rigid...good enough for frogs and punching, though.

This is a great thread but yeah it’s making it tough!?

[Dumbbassanglr]

Verdict: I ended up with a loomis mbr and it is perfect. BUT, at first I got the 843 and it didn’t have nearly enough power for big single hook baits. I returned it for an 844 and it is perfect! I’ve landed a bunch of Chatterbait fish with it already and it’s the perfect combo of power and forgiveness for setting the hook and fighting the fish. That’s my two cents.

[Tizi]

TW is having 25% off Daiwa DX 7’3” Heavy/glass.  This was made for chatterbaits and spinnerbaits.  $89.99 shipped.

[Cgrinder]

I have a friend who makes his money on a chatterbait and he throws them on a 736 glass with 20 lb fluoro. 

 

I, a filthy casual, do not throw a chatterbait. I threw a Siebert Fogy once on a 7'1 MH brand I'm not allowed to mention. It was alright.

[Ogandrews]

I never really understand why people throw chatterbaits on such slow rods. It is a big single hook bait, it doesn’t have a huge amount if weight and it doesn’t have small trebles that you have to be worried about bending out. If your fishing around weeds I feel like you can’t rip the bait out of weeds as well with a slow rod. I throw them on a dobyns Sierra 733c with 40lbs braid to a 15-20lbs leader most of the time and if the grass is super heavy I’ll go heavier than that. I know a lot better bass fisherman then me throw them on slow rods and stretchy lines so there must be something to it, it’s just not the way I like to throw it.

[Teal]

There's always gonna be a divide.   There's the ones for slower tapers and those for using worm/jig/spinner bait rods.   I think it boils down to the specific rod tapers and personal preference.  not all mh fast are the same.   I personally use an all purpose rod Powell 723 or or one of.my.two jig rods, dx 734 or Endurance 714.   Fast taper, is what works for me.  It was what I had long before I could buy a glass alternative.    Can I catch them on a crankbait rod, specialty rod or glass rod?, yes.. I may have to adjust a little from what I'm used to.   I love collecting and buying rods and tackle, but chatterbaits have been around for 15 years (at least)  and that was well before the great.insurgency of companies building a glass or composite lineup

 

. If I decide that.bouncing a pitching jig isnt.working and.I begin to roll cast it further and swim it (now I am using a swim j) , I don't change rods...I stick with my jig rod or rod that I'm using.  I do the same for.soft plastics.  ONLY EXCEPTION would be is it I were to be losing fish consistently..hasn't happened yet   

 

  I'm sure the rods can't hurt with hook up ratio, but I also am cognizant that the rods companies and.fishing industry wants us all to have a rod.for every single bait..It sells more rods.   As for me, I'll stick with a well rounded line up knowing I have multiple choices for the conditions I fish, cover, depth, lure weight, and not the specific lures I throw.  At some point it gets ridiculous having a rod foe.EVERY BAIT.  My old 723 has done so many different baits that I bought a duplicate several years ago just as back up

[zell_pop1]

I use an old 6'10" H mod-fast St Croix Premier. Good power with just a little give I think it was supposed to be a pitching rod.

[Logan S]

11 hours ago, Ogandrews said:

I never really understand why people throw chatterbaits on such slow rods. It is a big single hook bait, it doesn’t have a huge amount if weight and it doesn’t have small trebles that you have to be worried about bending out. If your fishing around weeds I feel like you can’t rip the bait out of weeds as well with a slow rod. I throw them on a dobyns Sierra 733c with 40lbs braid to a 15-20lbs leader most of the time and if the grass is super heavy I’ll go heavier than that. I know a lot better bass fisherman then me throw them on slow rods and stretchy lines so there must be something to it, it’s just not the way I like to throw it.

The rods aren't a true moderate/parabolic action...Usually it's a Mod-Fast or even a Fast action if it's glass (like the Dobyns 736CB).  Similar or the same as what a lot of people prefer in a spinnerbait rod or a beefy squarebill rod.

 

It's more about how the bait performs and not really about hooking/landing fish.  A little bit of rebound changes how the bait stops, starts, rips, etc when fishing though heavy grass.  IMO it's specific to that application not specific to chatters universally.  If it's a straight retrieve without ripping through grass, the rod doesn't really matter.  

 

I see it as more of an optimization and not a requirement....If someone fishes bladed jigs in shallow, grassy water a lot they will probably gravitate to it eventually.  

[A-Jay]

I took the long way on this one.

Since I like to "Fish", only seemed right.

I tried Graphite, Glass & Composite rods for my chatterbait needs

and in the process became somewhat addicted to the bait. 

While each brand may have it's own characteristics, I felt I got a decent 'sense' of what I preferred for the way I fish these baits.

I'm usually presenting the baits for brown bass, low & slow and do prefer FC line 15 lb mostly.

Ended up settling on a 7'4" MH composite as my stick of choice.

Same blank I use for Square Bills, medium depth cranks & open water spinnerbaits. 

YMMV

A-Jay

 

 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

On 4/27/2020 at 9:59 AM, A-Jay said:

I took the long way on this one.

Since I like to "Fish", only seemed right.

I tried Graphite, Glass & Composite rods for my chatterbait needs

and in the process became somewhat addicted to the bait. 

While each brand may have it's own characteristics, I felt I got a decent 'sense' of what I preferred for the way I fish these baits.

I'm usually presenting the baits for brown bass, low & slow and do prefer FC line 15 lb mostly.

Ended up settling on a 7'4" MH composite as my stick of choice.

Same blank I use for Square Bills, medium depth cranks & open water spinnerbaits. 

YMMV

A-Jay

 

 

I'm a recent addict of these baits, they are absolutely dynamite.   I do find myself losing smaller fish, and while that's not a huge issue, I like to catch every fish that bites my bait.   I can't help but think my rod has a lot to do with this.   Using a very stiff GLX Mag Bass MH Fast.   The GLX is fantastic on the big fish I'm catching with these......had no clue how well this bait works on big fish at night.   

 

I keyed on your reply because one thing I do know is that I love to fish these low and slow, and also think 15lb FC is the way to go for my needs.    

 

What make/model rod did you go with, and outside of the NRX offering, does Loomis make a comparable offering?   Thinking 600 bones on a chatterbait rod is a bit high lol.

[A-Jay]

5 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

I'm a recent addict of these baits, they are absolutely dynamite.   I do find myself losing smaller fish, and while that's not a huge issue, I like to catch every fish that bites my bait.   I can't help but think my rod has a lot to do with this.   Using a very stiff GLX Mag Bass MH Fast.   The GLX is fantastic on the big fish I'm catching with these......had no clue how well this bait works on big fish at night.   

 

I keyed on your reply because one thing I do know is that I love to fish these low and slow, and also think 15lb FC is the way to go for my needs.    

 

What make/model rod did you go with, and outside of the NRX offering, does Loomis make a comparable offering?   Thinking 600 bones on a chatterbait rod is a bit high lol.

While I can certainly respect your keen eye for quality blanks,

when I was 'shopping' for the right stick, I was not doing it at that type of price point.

I eventually landed on a Quantum KVD  composite crankbait rod. 

No longer in production by Quantum but Lews makes what is essentially the same stick. 

Been there ever since.  This stick has accounted for more trophy brown bass for me

than perhaps all my other sticks combined . . .

The bass don't know what it costs. 

Some more info

https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/211811-brown-bass-tools-~-questions-answers/?do=findComment&comment=2443715

https://youtu.be/o9xew3tWuuU?t=1014

https://youtu.be/zIqCmH_52IQ?t=1870

A-Jay

[AlabamaSpothunter]

7 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

While I can certainly respect your keen eye for quality blanks,

when I was 'shopping' for the right stick, I was not doing it at that type of price point.

I eventually landed on a Quantum KVD  composite crankbait rod. 

No longer in production by Quantum but Lews makes what is essentially the same stick. 

Been there ever since.  This stick has accounted for more trophy brown bass for me

than perhaps all my other sticks combined . . .

The bass don't know what it costs. 

Some more info

https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/211811-brown-bass-tools-~-questions-answers/?do=findComment&comment=2443715

https://youtu.be/o9xew3tWuuU?t=1014

https://youtu.be/zIqCmH_52IQ?t=1870

A-Jay

Well Loomis got their hooks into me early, but I think the reason why I stay with them is because my local shop, and big time reseller for Loomis has a no questions asked policy with a broken Loomis.   Back in the day I snapped the tips on two of them, went in there and told the guy, and then he pointed to the rack and said find two new ones.   Did this on one other occasion as well. 

 

Last time I was huge into this sport, you only had Loomis at the mountain top, then you had All Stars, and at that time St. Croix was ascending the mountain but were already top tier.   Glass rods were just getting big.    It's really shocking to see how much the industry has grown in just the 15 yr break I took.    To be honest, we've reached serious levels of overkill when you browse to the aisles at Bass Pro, or other major tackle supplier.    I mean just so much stuff to catch anglers.   

  

 

 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

So I guess I've narrowed it down to these two.....went by the local shop and was surprised the warranty has changed, now it's $130 to replace a rod.   Changing things and loyalties for sure.  He said none of the rods they carry offer those old school policies, and this shop only has high end stuff.

 

This is the Loomis G. Loomis IMX Pro Technique-Specific Casting Rods - Tackle Warehouse

It's $365 locally 

 

Somebody on here the other night recommended this rod by Alpha Angler which is significantly cheaper, and has stellar reviews. Alpha Angler ChatterBound - 7'2" Medium-Heavy S-Glass Composite

 

If I'm understanding the differences b/t the two.......the Loomis is all composite, while the Alpha Angler is a blend.   

 

Seems to me the blended rod could be used for cranks, and some other things while the composite Loomis might be a true niche rod?  

 

[Eric 26]

@AlabamaSpothunter Although I’ve not used either rod my vote would be the Alpha Angler. Although I don’t use them often as I tend to fish smaller retention ponds, I have a few different rods I use. I use a hvy composite,a hvy graphite and a med hvy graphite all fast action. The Alpha Angler sounds like a great compromise. Not to throw a monkey wrench in your solution but Tackle Warehouse carries the Okuma TCS A which comes in a mod/fast action (several models) and is recommended by many respected members on this site and about $100.00 cheaper. I have 2 different Okuma rods/model lines and I’m looking to get at least one more, The TCS A 7’-3” hvy is one of the rods I was referring to.

[Deleted account]

I throw chatters on my spinnerbait rod, which is a 7' MH Mod Fast, as long as it's not too fast, and not too crispy, it works for me, not really a rod critical bait IMNSHO.

[roadwarrior]

https://www.bassresource.com/fishing_lures/okuma-psycho-stick.html

[king fisher]

For me it doesn't matter.  After spending $15 apiece for Jackhammers, I don't have any money left over to go fishing, let alone buy a new rod.

[RDB]

12 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Somebody on here the other night recommended this rod by Alpha Angler which is significantly cheaper, and has stellar reviews. Alpha Angler ChatterBound - 7'2" Medium-Heavy S-Glass Composite

It was my suggestion…the rod is excellent and I don’t think you will find any negative reviews on any forum.  They offer a money back guarantee.  Look under the blog tab on their website.

 

Buy with Confidence:

If you buy a fishing rod from Alpha Angler and it doesn’t meet or exceed your expectations,send it back for a full refund, return shipping included.  We tend to brag with confidence about our products, but it’s for good reason… every one is a labor of love.    The truth is we’re willing to put our money where our mouth is!!!  If you buy one and don’t like it, send it back.  We got you covered.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

1 minute ago, RDB said:

It was my suggestion…the rod is excellent and I don’t think you will find any negative reviews on any forum.  They offer a money back guarantee.  Look under the blog tab on their website.

 

Buy with Confidence:

If you buy a fishing rod from Alpha Angler and it doesn’t meet or exceed your expectations,send it back for a full refund, return shipping included.  We tend to brag with confidence about our products, but it’s for good reason… every one is a labor of love.    The truth is we’re willing to put our money where our mouth is!!!  If you buy one and don’t like it, send it back.  We got you covered.

Yeah I can't find any negative reviews.    Doesn't seem to be a widely produced rod so I guess that's why the info kind of limited.

 

My only concern is weight vs the IMX.    I put the Zillion on that IMX yesterday at the local store and the thing felt excellent.     

 

I appreciate your feedback and original suggestion.    I think for non bottom contact rods, my allegiance to G Loomis is over.    If you buy $400-800 rods, you should get a lifetime warranty, not some $130 replacement charge.   I'm not worried that much on a sub $300 rod warranty.   

 

 

41 minutes ago, king fisher said:

For me it doesn't matter.  After spending $15 apiece for Jackhammers, I don't have any money left over to go fishing, let alone buy a new rod.

Lol, I haven't felt the need to upgrade to the Jackhammer series yet as I've only been throwing these for a few months.     I eyeball them every time though and that price is hard to stomach when I'm catching lots of fish on the other models.    

 

I'm sure I'll find a reason why only $15 CBs work vs $8 ones in due order with a nice new dedicated setup for them ?

[RDB]

1 hour ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

If you buy $400-800 rods, you should get a lifetime warranty, not some $130 replacement charge.   I'm not worried that much on a sub $300 rod warranty.

You may already know this but the $130 charge is for their Xpeditor program which is their no questions asked program.  They still have a limited lifetime warranty for defects, etc.  I had a Conquest that exploded on a hook set and they replaced it at no cost to me.  You do have to go through G Loomis though, not your dealer.

 

You are right that they are not a big mass produced rod.  They started out making rods for pro’s, no retail.  Brandon Palaniux does a lot of work with them.  They opened up to retail but only sell direct (no retail or box stores) to better control price and quality.  I have never had a moving bait rod that was easier to keep a fish pinned…it’s so forgiving.  It’s my favorite but there are a lot of quality rods out there.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

20 minutes ago, RDB said:

You may already know this but the $130 charge is for their Xpeditor program which is their no questions asked program.  They still have a limited lifetime warranty for defects, etc.  I had a Conquest that exploded on a hook set and they replaced it at no cost to me.  You do have to go through G Loomis though, not your dealer.

 

You are right that they are not a big mass produced rod.  They started out making rods for pro’s, no retail.  Brandon Palaniux does a lot of work with them.  They opened up to retail but only sell direct (no retail or box stores) to better control price and quality.  I have never had a moving bait rod that was easier to keep a fish pinned…it’s so forgiving.  It’s my favorite but there are a lot of quality rods out there.

Awesome info, better than the dang sales guy lol.    It would have been nice if he'd have explained that out like you did.   Makes more sense.   

 

The part about keeping fish pinned, and being forgiving is why I'm likely going to grab this rod.   Been a primary bottom contact fisherman, thusly I'm quick on the trigger, and set hooks quite hard, and all my current rods are geared towards this.    I miss a lot of fish on the chatterbait, and I think it's because I'm too fast, or hard on the hookset.   I rarely lose them, but getting them pinned seems way more problematic than it should be on an optimal setup.  

 

 

[roadwarrior]

Here ya go: 

St. Croix LBTC 72HM Rip-N-Chatter

 https://stcroixrods.com/products/legend-tournament-bass-2022-new-models

[PressuredFishing]

Honestly it's often overthought, any medium heavyish rod will work for all single hook exposed moving baits that are medium-light wire and worm hooks. You can use whatever line you want depending on hook gauge