Chatterbait Help

[TroyCopeland05]

I am new to fishing chatterbaits, and no matter how often I throw them, I just cant seem to get bit or catch fish with them. Any advice on set-ups, line, technique ect. would be greatly appreciated. Thank y'all in advance

[ajschn06]

13 minutes ago, TroyCopeland05 said:

I am new to fishing chatterbaits, and no matter how often I throw them, I just cant seem to get bit or catch fish with them. Any advice on set-ups, line, technique ect. would be greatly appreciated. Thank y'all in advance

I've had the most success letting them sink to the bottom and then starting a slow retrieve.  If not that, find some sparse grass and rip it through there.

[Big Swimbait]

Tree lines and grass line edges. Make sure you are using a trailer of some kind - either craw or baitfish depending on what is there.

[Jmurphy87]

I myself am new to fishing a chatter bait also, I have caught 2 fish on them so far. The first one I caught was on a cheap zebco omega medium casting rod with a lews bait caster 7.5.1 ratio with 30lb braid working a deep channel with weeds and lily pads to the side’s. That was just a straight retrieve. I caught a 15 inch smallmouth this past Sunday using a st croix mojo bass medium heavy with a lews pro ti 7.5.1, again with braid 30lb sunline plasma. This was letting it sink to the bottom and just raising it up with my rod tip reel in slack and rinse and repeat.

[HaydenS]

A chatterbait can be fished everywhere.  Throw it to any promising cover, docks, rocks, pads, grass, etc.  I throw mine with a 7.1.1 gear ratio baitcaster, 6' 9" medium heavy rod, 15 pound red label fluorocarbon.  Vary the speed of your retrieve.  Pop the rod up occasionally to make the chatterbait dart.   Find a hook set that works for you.  Set the hook hard or just sweeping the rod.  When you set hook on the fish maintain constant pressure, so you don't lose it.   

Let us know how it goes!

[TriStateBassin106]

My chatterbait setup is a 7'3 Medium Heavy Fast Action rod paired with a 6:6:1 Gear Ratio Baitcaster reel, line is 12lb Yozuri Hybrid. For chatterbait size and color I would recommend 3/8oz and black and blue, green pumpkin and white for color. For starters use the Gary Yamamoto Zako trailer and get it in the same colors I mentioned. 

 

For retrieves a simple cast and medium speed is always good, if you want to fish fast you can "burn" it on the surface or even hop it on the bottom. It's a very versatile lure. 

[Holetail]

New to the chatter as well and I am throwing it on a MH / Mod rod (Fury 705CB). I am liking the way the rod loads up on the bite giving them a chance to take the hook then doing a sweep set after reeling up slack. This seems to drive the hook past the barb and then the parabolic bend of the rod has had no problem keeping them pinned. Mostly catching them on a med retrieve just above the bottom. Using mostly 1/4 oz chatters with either a rage menace or a Zman razor shad trailer. Tried 3/8 but cannot keep it above the muck on the bottom of shallow ponds I have been fishing. We need some rain to get the water levels back to normal. 

[fishingtx]

45 minutes ago, TriStateBassin106 said:

My chatterbait setup is a 7'3 Medium Heavy Fast Action rod paired with a 6:6:1 Gear Ratio Baitcaster reel, line is 12lb Yozuri Hybrid. For chatterbait size and color I would recommend 3/8oz and black and blue, green pumpkin and white for color. For starters use the Gary Yamamoto Zako trailer and get it in the same colors I mentioned. 

 

For retrieves a simple cast and medium speed is always good, if you want to fish fast you can "burn" it on the surface or even hop it on the bottom. It's a very versatile lure. 

same setup except I throw trilene big game 15 lbs moss green

as for size and color try the jackhammer 1/2 oz in color spot remover with a white ice rage swimmer 3.75" swimbait trailer

[GetFishorDieTryin]

3 hours ago, TroyCopeland05 said:

I am new to fishing chatterbaits, and no matter how often I throw them, I just cant seem to get bit or catch fish with them. Any advice on set-ups, line, technique ect. would be greatly appreciated. Thank y'all in advance

IMO the 2 biggest mistakes I see the most is fishing them too fast or using trailers that are too big. 

Slow down and let the bait work if you cant get bit.  No matter if your fishing it fast or slow, add pauses to the retrieve.  Sometimes they wont eat it until you stop it or just as it starts to move again after a pause. 

You want the trailer to compliment the chatterbait not the chatterbait to compliment the trailer.  Swimbaits that have a big profile and hard kick mitigate the action and cause the bait to rise in the water column.  You can flip the bait upside down to get a more fluid action. 

On bluebird days or tough conditions trimming the skirt and using a smaller trailer can get you more bites.  I also like to color the blade in with a black sharpie even on cloudy and windy days.

Make sure to carry a good file or hone to keep that point sticky sharp, you wont lose as many fish that way.

Be persistent, theres a reason why they blew up the way they did.  

 

[TriStateBassin106]

1 hour ago, bass4life.... said:

same setup except I throw trilene big game 15 lbs moss green

as for size and color try the jackhammer 1/2 oz in color spot remover with a white ice rage swimmer 3.75" swimbait trailer

I threw 12lb big game last year, I still use it for my backing. How has it been for you? 

[Darth-Baiter]

Calm windless bluebird days.  Might be my imagination, but I get no chat-b love.  Overcast, some wind, better luck. 
 

it’s not my best lure, but I’m sticking To it. 
 

I let it land lake floor and pick it up.  I retrieve just fast enough to get the vibes going.  
 

 

[A-Jay]

31 minutes ago, GetFishorDieTryin said:

IMO the 2 biggest mistakes I see the most is fishing them too fast or using trailers that are too big. 

Slow down and let the bait work if you cant get bit.  No matter if your fishing it fast or slow, add pauses to the retrieve.  Sometimes they wont eat it until you stop it or just as it starts to move again after a pause. 

You want the trailer to compliment the chatterbait not the chatterbait to compliment the trailer.  Swimbaits that have a big profile and hard kick mitigate the action and cause the bait to rise in the water column.  You can flip the bait upside down to get a more fluid action. 

 

I could not agree with this more; especially early season for the local brown bass population.

The more I fish these baits like a jig and not a horizontal moving bait, the more success I seem to have. This clip is a decent example of that. 

Fish Hard

A-Jay

[fishingtx]

18 minutes ago, TriStateBassin106 said:

I threw 12lb big game last year, I still use it for my backing. How has it been for you? 

I have never thrown 12lb big game, but 15lb and 20lb big game is what I have on every reel that isn't spooled with braid or flouro

[TriStateBassin106]

31 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

I could not agree with this more; especially early season for the local brown bass population.

The more I fish these baits like a jig and not a horizontal moving bait, the more success I seem to have. This clip is a decent example of that. 

Fish Hard

A-Jay

A-jay on the lakes you fish do you match the hatch with your bladed jigs? I'm guessing the yellow perch is the brown bass primary forage up there? I'm only asking because I've tried bluegill bladed jigs and never had any luck on them. 

1 hour ago, GetFishorDieTryin said:

IMO the 2 biggest mistakes I see the most is fishing them too fast or using trailers that are too big. 

Slow down and let the bait work if you cant get bit.  No matter if your fishing it fast or slow, add pauses to the retrieve.  Sometimes they wont eat it until you stop it or just as it starts to move again after a pause. 

You want the trailer to compliment the chatterbait not the chatterbait to compliment the trailer.  Swimbaits that have a big profile and hard kick mitigate the action and cause the bait to rise in the water column.  You can flip the bait upside down to get a more fluid action. 

On bluebird days or tough conditions trimming the skirt and using a smaller trailer can get you more bites.  I also like to color the blade in with a black sharpie even on cloudy and windy days.

Make sure to carry a good file or hone to keep that point sticky sharp, you wont lose as many fish that way.

Be persistent, theres a reason why they blew up the way they did.  

 

Chatterbaits being too big is one of the problems I have on my 3acre pond, what would you consider to be a compact trailer to make the bait more smaller? The Zakos make the chatterbait pretty big IMO 

[gim]

3 hours ago, HaydenS said:

A chatterbait can be fished everywhere.

I wouldn’t say everywhere. Thick weeds or lily pads probably isn’t going to work. It would just get hung up constantly.

 

It is a versatile lure in that it can be fished fast, slow, up or down in the water column.

6 minutes ago, TriStateBassin106 said:

I'm guessing the yellow perch is the brown bass primary forage up there? I'm only asking because I've tried bluegill bladed jigs and never had any luck on them. 

I had success last season using a bluegill colored one in lakes where sunfish are a primary forage for laregemouth.

[TriStateBassin106]

6 minutes ago, gimruis said:

I wouldn’t say everywhere. Thick weeds or lily pads probably isn’t going to work. It would just get hung up constantly.

 

It is a versatile lure in that it can be fished fast, slow, up or down in the water column.

I had success last season using a bluegill colored one in lakes where sunfish are a primary forage for laregemouth.

It seems I only have luck on either Black n blue or green pumpkin, but then again my water is stained to heavily stained. 

[A-Jay]

11 minutes ago, TriStateBassin106 said:

A-jay on the lakes you fish do you match the hatch with your bladed jigs? I'm guessing the yellow perch is the brown bass primary forage up there? I'm only asking because I've tried bluegill bladed jigs and never had any luck on them. 

 

I do match the hatch, or try to at least.

And while perch do make up a decent portion of the basses diet here,

the Goby is just as prevalent.

So if I'm not throwing a Green Pumpkin bait / Zako combination,

I'm usually throwing this one:

Fish Hard

A-Jay

 

[Yakalong]

I will throw one anywhere, especially around docks and trees that are in the water. I really don't think you can fish one wrong. Try different retrieves and different trailers like mentioned above.

[Deleted account]

3 hours ago, GetFishorDieTryin said:

IMO the 2 biggest mistakes I see the most is fishing them too fast or using trailers that are too big. 

Slow down and let the bait work if you cant get bit.  No matter if your fishing it fast or slow, add pauses to the retrieve.  Sometimes they wont eat it until you stop it or just as it starts to move again after a pause. 

You want the trailer to compliment the chatterbait not the chatterbait to compliment the trailer.  Swimbaits that have a big profile and hard kick mitigate the action and cause the bait to rise in the water column.  You can flip the bait upside down to get a more fluid action. 

On bluebird days or tough conditions trimming the skirt and using a smaller trailer can get you more bites.  I also like to color the blade in with a black sharpie even on cloudy and windy days.

Make sure to carry a good file or hone to keep that point sticky sharp, you wont lose as many fish that way.

Be persistent, theres a reason why they blew up the way they did.  

 

It kills me to say it, but The above from the guy from Jersey has it right...  

[Darth-Baiter]

2 hours ago, A-Jay said:

I do match the hatch, or try to at least.

And while perch do make up a decent portion of the basses diet here,

the Goby is just as prevalent.

So if I'm not throwing a Green Pumpkin bait / Zako combination,

I'm usually throwing this one:

Fish Hard

A-Jay

 

that is an awesome trailer!!  ever run it upside down?  ZAKO?

2 hours ago, A-Jay said:

I do match the hatch, or try to at least.

And while perch do make up a decent portion of the basses diet here,

the Goby is just as prevalent.

So if I'm not throwing a Green Pumpkin bait / Zako combination,

I'm usually throwing this one:

Fish Hard

A-Jay

 

okay.  what trailer is that?!!  very cool looking

[A-Jay]

1 minute ago, Darth-Baiter said:

that is an awesome trailer!!  ever run it upside down?  ZAKO?

No need - it couldn't possibly be any better.

I have a lot of success with the Zako also.

https://youtu.be/zIqCmH_52IQ?t=387

A-Jay

[Darth-Baiter]

Thunder Goby was an unsuccessful google search.  

[HaydenS]

3 hours ago, gimruis said:

I wouldn’t say everywhere. Thick weeds or lily pads probably isn’t going to work. It would just get hung up constantly.

 

It is a versatile lure in that it can be fished fast, slow, up or down in the water column.

You've never tried punching a chatterbait? ?

Sorry, a chatterbait can be fished anywhere within reason.

[GetFishorDieTryin]

4 hours ago, A-Jay said:

I could not agree with this more; especially early season for the local brown bass population.

The more I fish these baits like a jig and not a horizontal moving bait, the more success I seem to have. This clip is a decent example of that. 

Same deal here with the LMB.  It catches fish all winter, but just as the fish start to group up and push shallow to feed for the last hour of the day is when you can really beat em down.  Smallie beavers and dart hogs have consistently done the best for me that early.   

[Bluebasser86]

Don't fish it too fast unless you're fishing it over grass. I like to fish it just fast enough to keep it off bottom and keep the blade going. 

 

Some days, little rips and pops of the rod will make all the difference in the world.

 

The bites aren't huge, crushing strikes a lot of the time. If something feels just a little off, I'll start to lean into it. Worse case, I just sped my bait up and there's going to be a slight speed change that can trigger a strike. A lot of times though, A fish will strike the bait from behind and it just feels like you've picked up grass or the blade isn't working right. I've got tons of video of myself just leaning on something I wasn't sure on, only to realize it was in fact a fish. So if you're not sure, do a check swing and make sure.

 

I like all kinds of trailers, and I can't agree with the not using too big of trailers. I run a 4.8" fat impact or 5" hollow belly on the back of mine a lot when they're eating big shad and it works great. 2/3 of a stick worm is still one of my standby trailers that gets no love but is a killer, especially when they see a lot of bladed jigs.