Fish coming off on Chatterbait?

[RenzokukenFisher]

Hey hope everyone is well. Lately fish seem to be coming off my chatterbait left and right and I swear it seems like they aren't even hooked half the time. My set up is a 7'2 MH moderate fast action rod and I pair it with 50lb braid to a 15-20lb mono leader. I'm starting think maybe I've just weakened up on my usual hookset because I didn't have this problem until recently. Does this look like a gear issue or maybe user error? Thanks - Elias

[jbsoonerfan]

I use the same set up with 40 lb braid but I skip the leader. I had a buddy that was talking about this the other day. He catches a lot of fish on a spinnerbait but he misses a lot on a chatterbait. I told him that I think it does indeed take a harder "swing" to pin them with a chatterbait. I have no clue why that is, it is just what I have experienced and that is why I still use mono on my spinnerbait rod but switched to braid on my chatterbait rod.

[NHBull]

I had to change my hook set to improve my landing rate for CB.

 

For most of my techniques I use the rod to move the bait but found that it shortened my swing.  I now point the tip of the to the rod directly to the bait.....sharpen my hooks and straight braid.   It works for me

 

 

[Deleted account]

What I found works is when I get bit I point the rod at the fish  reel in the slack until tight and then come back to the side hard without using too much wrist, this loads the base of the rod on the set as opposed to the upper portion. I find that for whatever reason, they hit it and swim towards me most of the time more so than with other baits. I use heavy mono, and don't usually loose many. Usually they choke it. I use a n MH rod with a soft tip but a stout butt section. I don't really like fishing chatters, but the dumb things catch fish, so...

[813basstard]

Many times for me, (no where near expert) when I do catch them and it’s on the most outer part of the mouth which is very thin like paper, I’ve noticed I ripped a whole and allows the hook to pop out. 
 

I throw it on straight mono to help with the delay some. I agree on the spinnerbait. I feel like that get it better on average than a Cbait idk why ??‍♂️ 

[HaydenS]

When I set the hook on a chatterbait I do it just like a jig, reel the slack tight, swing hard and maintain constant pressure.  Usually this won't lose fish, but sometimes when they jump and get slack.  I've noticed I typically won't lose chatterbait or swim jig fish unless they jump. 

For a long time I just threw a chatterbait on straight 15 mono, since it was the only baitcaster I had(MH rod 6.8:1 reel).  It got the job done, but setting the hook was a struggle from long distances but even then they would usually stay hooked.

[gim]

50 pound braid? That seems like over kill to me. I use 30 pound braid with 20 pound flouro leader so pike don’t chomp me off.

[InfantryMP]

I use a sweeping to the side motion hook set similar to crank baits. I have never lost a fish that way.  It keeps steady pressure and keeps the rod down to not pull the fish up directly from the start. 

[jbsoonerfan]

4 minutes ago, gimruis said:

50 pound braid? That seems like over kill to me. I use 30 pound braid with 20 pound flouro leader so pike don’t chomp me off.

Overkill? Not much difference in the fish handling quality of 30 lb braid or 50 lb considering neither of them stretch. 

[Mike L]

One thing I learned about getting a good hook set using that thing is that when swimming it through grass or anything that it gets hung up on, is don’t stop reeling. 
 

When we get hung like with a trap and hit it hard to dislodge it, we just put slack in the line. 
If you don’t stop reeling after you get it free your hook up ratio may go up. 
I know mine did. 
 

Also, when setting the hook I use a cross body swing set. 
 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[akmac]

When I first started throwing a CB I had the same problem using a moderate action rod and copolymer.  I just figured a CB should fish like a spinnerbait, but it doesn't.   I went to a MH fast action, with straight 40lb braid, and I rarely have one come off now.  Make sure the brand you are using has a sharp, long, wide-gap hook.  I have fooled around with several brands and discovered I always lost fish on shorter shanked hooks smaller than 4/0.  I have also found weed guards tend to reduce hook-ups, particularly when the fish are short striking.  

[WRB]

Today’s quaintly hooks are very sharp but can get flattened points hitting rocks so check them.

I use the reel and sweep set for nearly everything including jigs for decades.

Tom

[galyonj]

2 hours ago, 813basstard said:

Many times for me, (no where near expert) when I do catch them and it’s on the most outer part of the mouth which is very thin like paper, I’ve noticed I ripped a whole and allows the hook to pop out. 

 

That's very much like my experience with swim jigs. I think every swim jig fish I've ever caught was right in that thin tissue.

[schplurg]

5 hours ago, BassWhole! said:

What I found works is when I get bit I point the rod at the fish  reel in the slack until tight and then come back to the side hard without using too much wrist, this loads the base of the rod on the set as opposed to the upper portion. I find that for whatever reason, they hit it and swim towards me most of the time more so than with other baits. I use heavy mono, and don't usually loose many. Usually they choke it. I use a n MH rod with a soft tip but a stout butt section. I don't really like fishing chatters, but the dumb things catch fish, so...

 

Great point!

[Oldskool67]

The Hook Up Tackle YouTube Chanel has a video on selection of chatter bait rods and they go into detail regarding losing fish after a bite

[Biglittle8]

6 hours ago, InfantryMP said:

I use a sweeping to the side motion hook set similar to crank baits. I have never lost a fish that way.  It keeps steady pressure and keeps the rod down to not pull the fish up directly from the start. 

This☝️works for me too, I use a 6-9 MH rod with 12 lb hybrid line and rarely lose fish using this method with Chatterbaits.

[Deleted account]

7 hours ago, schplurg said:

Great point!

Sharp one anyway...  

One of the thing I see a lot of salt water guys do, and it applies to bass as well is load the rod progressively from tip to butt on the hookset, and then wonder why the fish shook them off. 

[Koz]

Straight braid and sharpen your hooks.

 

I would guess that most of my chatterbait hook sets are sweeping, but it really depends how I'm fishing it. I have the rod tip up if I'm trying to swim it higher in the water columns or navigate around different structure.

[ajschn06]

Most of the big Chatterbait guys out there advocate for a crankbait style rod and fluoro when fishing these baits..

[Choporoz]

26 minutes ago, ajschn06 said:

Most of the big Chatterbait guys out there advocate for a crankbait style rod and fluoro when fishing these baits..

I have read that many times and I just don't get it.  I have always been very happy with 40# braid on MHF rod. I tried throwing on my crankbait rod and hated it.  Feedback is lousy and hooksets were difficult.   

  I will acknowledge that chatterbait use/presentations has expanded and evolved a lot in recent years and so it might be worth including more details about individual situations.   Most of the time, I am throwing them across top of grass and through pad fields.  I have been recently working with heavier baits worked through deep wood, as well as pitching lighter baits under docks and through moderate cover.  All very different in presenting, but all still best for me on MHF with braid.  I admit that I have had some missed fish recently using chatterbaits with weed guards,  but I don't think fluoro is going to help with that.

[Mike L]

I went through 3 combos to find the right fit. 
Everything I’ve read said was to use a glass or composite rod because it’s “best” to use a rod with a more parabolic action. 

Below is just a short, quick overall experience. 
 

#1...Phenix X series composite crank rod with 12# Sniper. 
Just felt I couldn’t get a good set. 
Didn’t lose any fish, but what I did notice is that every hook up really didn’t feel solid ( if you know what I mean)

Not really a big deal but...

 

#2...Phenix MH/F M1 with 16# Sniper. 
Hooks up’s were just the opposite, solid and strong. The thing about this one is that comparing to the two, had more jumpers for some reason. 
Another interesting point, 2 came off right at the boat. 

 

#3...Loomis MH/F GLX 843C MBR with 30 lb braid. 

This rod has a slower action than the M1 which kinda put it in between the other 2. 
Never lost a fish. 
 Hits were hard and stronger which I attribute to the braid. 
I changed the line to 20# Sniper before the next outing and felt no difference. 
 

Soooo, I’d rather use flouro instead of braid so that is now the combo I will use for them going forward. 

Using a hybrid or especially mono wasn’t even a consideration. 

* Threw in submerged and scattered emergent eel grass and pads. 

* Used both a Jackhammer and Z Man Project Z both with a Zako trailer. 

* All casts were 25-30 yds out
* Rod was always pointed straight out and at stomach level

* All sets were a fairly solid cross body reel set swing. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[Chonch12]

I throw them a lot actually had this exact post last year. I was getting very frustrated as almost every time a fish would jump I would lose it. Using a 7ft MH, fast action. The sweeping motion other mentioned made a huge difference to help keep them pinned. I also use 20-30lb braid, no leader.

 

I did see video form the Hook Up Tackle on using a trailer hook recently for the stealth blade, wonder how that would do on the regular... anyone use one?

[Choporoz]

7 minutes ago, Chonch12 said:

I did see video form the Hook Up Tackle on using a trailer hook recently for the stealth blade, wonder how that would do on the regular... anyone use one?

Never.  I want to confidently throw my chatterbait somewhere that a trailer hook would snag...most every cast

[Mike L]

12 minutes ago, Choporoz said:

Never.  I want to confidently throw my chatterbait somewhere that a trailer hook would snag...most every cast

Ditto

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[Bluebasser86]

I think one issue is fish eating them deeply and getting hooked in the thin skin along the top of the mouth at a weird angle and the hook tears out during the fight.