Chatterbait Bottom

[LrgmouthShad]

Hey y’all,

 

I really hate to admit this but I’m thinking about getting some chatterbaits to have another option in cold water. I am wondering if slow sweeping or gently lifting off the bottom is productive for you this time of year. 

[Deleted account]

It's not for me, which is not to say fish can't be caught that way, I just find other things work better. I have a sequence of lures and presentations that follow the temps down, and then back up with.  I don't pick up a chatter until the fish start moving back up shallow and (unfortunately, cause I don't really like fishing chatters) I don't put it down for a bit.

[LrgmouthShad]

7 minutes ago, Deleted account said:

It's not for me, which is not to say fish can't be caught that way, I just find other things work better. I have a sequence of lures and presentations that follow the temps down, and then back up with.  I don't pick up a chatter until the fish start moving back up shallow and (unfortunately, cause I don't really like fishing chatters) I don't put it down for a bit.

I think I read an old post of yours where you said you like JBs, small pieces of plastic on a crappie jig head, jigging spoons, in-line spinners, etc in the winter?

 

I know jerkbaits are so productive in the winter but I hate those things. Maybe I would have to get some anyway

[Troy85]

I've had luck slow rolling them near the bottom or letting it fall to the bottom then ripping it up when the water is cold.  Keep in mind cold water for me is low 50's mostly.

[Deleted account]

1 minute ago, LrgmouthShad said:

I think I read an old post of yours where you said you like JBs, small pieces of plastic on a crappie jig head, jigging spoons, in-line spinners, etc in the winter?

 

I know jerkbaits are so productive in the winter but I hate those things. Maybe I would have to get some anyway

Yes, and in really cold water I can go out with just a blade bait and a marabou jig. I really said inline spinner? That's usually only on the Patreon page...  

[Bluebasser86]

I just use a very slow retrieve with them paired with a bulky trailer to allow for as slow a retrieve as possible. I've caught them in water down in the low 40's pretty well on them. The biggest key for them to be effective in cold water in my experience is some grass. If there's no grass, I'm not even going to try them. 

[LrgmouthShad]

8 minutes ago, Deleted account said:

Yes, and in really cold water I can go out with just a blade bait and a marabou jig. I really said inline spinner? That's usually only on the Patreon page...  

yup sure as heck. I was surprised too. I remembered you’d made posts in the past like “The first rule of in-line LMB is don’t talk about in-line LMB” so I was surprised you spilled those beans.

 

Maybe I’ll pick some of those in-lines up too and if I catch a 5lber with em, it’s all your fault

[LrgmouthShad]

As an aside, it’s very odd indeed that I have about 100 or more spinnerbaits but no chatterbaits, no jerkbaits, some in-line spinners but I don’t know where they are, no blade baits, no A-rigs.

 

What can I say I like what I like. #spinnerbaitnation 

#dazzlethem

[LrgmouthShad]

1 hour ago, Deleted account said:

inline spinner

Whatchu think about something like an 1/8oz beetle spin in the winter? Used as a drop bait too 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

17 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Whatchu think about something like an 1/8oz beetle spin in the winter? Used as a drop bait too 

An underspin with a 2.8 Keitech or similar swimbait is a huge winter time bait.    A Beetle Spin would work I'd imagine.    An Underspin would be better in that role though.  

 

Yo Yoing a Chatterbait Flashback Mini 1/8 with a 3" Armor Shad will produce spectacular results year-round, very similar concept to that post of yours, and your OP premise.    

[Troy85]

32 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Whatchu think about something like an 1/8oz beetle spin in the winter? Used as a drop bait too 

Those are super popular and effective for bass down here in winter.  I just caught some on it Sunday afternoon, letting it fall into the grass then ripping it out.

[GetFishorDieTryin]

You can catch fish dragging a chatterbait all winter, but I just dont find it very efficient or as effective as other baits.  However, as soon as the nights start to become shorter and the water warms up a little bit there dragging a chatterbait is by far the most effective method ive found to catch numbers of better fish.  Until the bite picks up in mid to late feb, smaller baits that cover water generally out fish most anything else.  Small hair jigs, swimbaits/grubs, JBs and spybaits.

[The Bassman]

2 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

 

 

Yo Yoing a Chatterbait Flashback Mini 1/8 with a 3" Armor Shad will produce spectacular results year-round, very similar concept to that post of yours, and your OP premise.    

I had real good luck last winter with a Chatterbait Micro with a Crappie Magnet trailer and no skirt.

[Deleted account]

2 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

An underspin with a 2.8 Keitech or similar swimbait is a huge winter time bait.    A Beetle Spin would work I'd imagine.    An Underspin would be better in that role though.  

 

Yo Yoing a Chatterbait Flashback Mini 1/8 with a 3" Armor Shad will produce spectacular results year-round, very similar concept to that post of yours, and your OP premise.    

Oh, I'm a big fan of mini spinnerbaits, I had Stanley make me some custom ones, they will work for sure, but I like some other things in winter better.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Just now, The Bassman said:

I had real good luck last winter with a Chatterbait Micro with a Crappie Magnet trailer and no skirt.

The smaller Chatterbaits like the MiniMax, Micro, and the Flashback Minis are some of the best baits you seldom here people talk about.   Go to a tackle store and somebody is buying them all up ?

[BTSyndrome]

9 hours ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Whatchu think about something like an 1/8oz beetle spin in the winter? Used as a drop bait too 

This is my go to, only when "nothing" else is working that day for Bass.... 

Then with a beetle spin I'll catch a hand full of bass, some crappie, too many perch (bluegill), a wiper, and for some stupid reason a channel or two.  

But yet they wont hit a ned.  idk sometimes.

[Bluebasser86]

On 12/20/2022 at 11:29 AM, LrgmouthShad said:

Whatchu think about something like an 1/8oz beetle spin in the winter? Used as a drop bait too 

Don't forget about Roadrunners either. 

[VolFan]

Roadrunners with a 2” Shad body crushes it all winter around Shad schools. It’s the ultimate in grab-bag fishing; you never know what’s eating.

[LrgmouthShad]

6 hours ago, VolFan said:

Roadrunners with a 2” Shad body crushes it all winter around Shad schools. It’s the ultimate in grab-bag fishing; you never know what’s eating.

How do you retrieve a roadrunner?

[VolFan]

Dead straight with just enough speed to spin the blade. Or stroke it like a blade bait. Or with erratic twitches. When it’s cold I usually go with slow and straight just ticking the bottom or at the level of fish/bait.

[WIGuide]

I've had some success with them in water down into the low 40's with just a slow retrieve with occasional speed changes. Like bluebasser the success was in grass lakes. We don't really have any without grass up here so I'm not sure if that had anything to do with it or not.  

[ChrisD46]

On 12/20/2022 at 2:58 PM, AlabamaSpothunter said:

The smaller Chatterbaits like the MiniMax, Micro, and the Flashback Minis are some of the best baits you seldom here people talk about.   Go to a tackle store and somebody is buying them all up ?

True ! Alternate using a chatterbait mini with a 3.3" paddle tail on an under spin .

[rangerjockey]

Jewel has a new bait out that was intended to be used with FFS. It will work without it around shad schools. 

You can chuck the thing a mile.  Kinda an oversized little George / spinnerbait cross.

[Susky River Rat]

I was thinking about using them in my rocky river crawling them in mid to high 30s at this point. I guess I will just stick with my other tactics. Glad I saw this. Obviously I know it could work but, does not seem like it would be the most effective.