if the fish are just nipping at a chatterbait...?

[07Rapala]

Last evening I decided to head down to the lake to casually put a line in the water for a while. I was just straight retrieving a red chatterbait, and at one point noticed that something had nipped the tail off of my trailer. So I decided to slow down a bit, and started jigging the chatterbait off the bottom, and within a few casts got a descent bass. I had several more strikes over the next 15 minutes, but nothing I could set the hook on. I think, for the most part the fish were striking short.

So, what do I adjust to get those fish to fully commit. It's still cold up here, water temp is probably in the upper 40's. Should I try a smaller chatterbait, maybe a swim bait with an underspin, or a swimsuit head on a small jig trailer? Switch to a fitness technique like drop shot, ned, or senko... but those lack the vibration to get noticed.

I'll have another ~hour tonight so not a lot of time to experiment with a lot of presentations.

[gim]

Could they have been pike or panfish?  Panfish are notorious for pecking at plastics and trailers.  And the fact that that part of the plastic trailer was gone screams toothy pike in my experience.

[InfantryMP]

Try the mini, I have used it before and it works well when it is tough. I also like to slow up and yo yo a bit and it usually will trigger an actual bite instead of a nip at it. 

[WRB]

Shorten the trailer and change colors.

Tom

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Many times with a Buzzbait if they are short striking, it's because the retrieve is to slow and they are getting a bit too long to look at the bait.   

 

I've applied this to other moving baits.    

 

I found the Chatterbait had the biggest learning curve when it came to reliably hooking fish.   I had to get a dedicated rod.  I missed like 80% of my fish in the beginning, I was simply ripping the bait away from them.  

 

The other replies are excellent as well, changing color, size, and profile could trigger a more committed strike.  

[07Rapala]

23 minutes ago, gimruis said:

Could they have been pike or panfish?

I wondered about a small pike at first, but when I slowed it down I hooked a bass two casts later in about the same spot. I think it may have been the same fish.

 

 

Oh, and I also was wondering about throwing a jerk bait, with some long pauses.

 

[gim]

2 minutes ago, 07Rapala said:

Oh, and I also was wondering about throwing a jerk bait, with some long pauses.

In cold water this time of year, that is my one of my top strategies.

[FishTank]

If the water is stained, jerkbaits and spinnerbaits work well for me but fished slow.

 

If the water is somewhat clear, a Ned rig worked great early on this year.

[WIGuide]

If the chatterbait is getting some interest, but not enough to fully commit, change something about it. Change trailer style, change color, change sizes, change all of them. There's something about it that's causing them to turn away at the last second, but it's getting their interest. If those changes don't work, then maybe try something all together different. 

[Tony Christian]

Zman MiniMax with a 3.5 inch spunk shad. Smaller trailers are usually the ticket for me.

[Zcoker]

I run a chatterbait just like I do a spinnerbait, both with 2/0 trailer hooks. Never a miss, few and far between. Runs about the same as the single hook. I fish them with trailers in the everglades, loaded with grass and just about every weed known to exist with no issues whatsoever. When those big girls hit, I like to have as many points in my favor as possible. I've caught many 7-8 pounders on the trailer alone. I speculated with no trailer, I might've lost just as many.  

[BigAngus752]

Try a Rooster Tail inline spinner.  It's a "finesse"-sized moving bait that puts out a little thump for their lateral line, it's harder for them to get a good look at, and it can catch panfish if that's what's actually hitting you. 

[GetFishorDieTryin]

There are a few things you can do.  A more compact bait can help, trim the skirt back a little and use a smaller trailer.  Changing colors can help too.  There have been a few days where The fish were slapping at the flash of the blade and not committing to the bait.  It may seem counter intuitive, but thats why I black out the blades on 8 of 10 chatterbaits I use.  The most effective thing you can do IMO is changeup the retrieve instead of changing the bait.  Get them to react with stop and starts, reel twitches or sweeping the rod.  Some day no matter what you do they just wont commit the way I want them too.  In that situation the best thing I have found to throw is a crankbait.  The mood of the fish will dictate what I throw.  Earlier in the year it will be a trap or flatside depending where I was getting bit.  If they dont work then throw a JB.

[papajoe222]

There is something about the bait you're throwing that is attracting fish.  When this happens, a simple change in you retrieve can them to commit. You already know the depth of the fish, so cast out and engage the reel, This will allow it to fall on an angle toward you. Count it down to that depth and slowly pump the rod tip up, picking up slack on the fall.  Another retrieve is to count it down to the depth, begin reeling and every fourth or fifth crank of the reel handle, burn it for a couple of turns and let it fall back down. At the very least, change retrieve speed multiple times on each cast.

A color change can produce the desired effect, but involves cutting and retying.