Jigs: rattles vs no rattles

[Mr. Aquarium]

Today was the first time I fished a jig with rattles.  I did well flipping jigs to shallow brush. Kinda surprised since I’m up here in MA it’s been cold. But we had heavy rains and warm temps last night, they moved up. Don’t see that often in January 

Any ways. When do you throw jigs with rattles vs jigs without!  My buddy, the one who made this jig, only uses jigs with rattles. 

 

[NorthernBasser]

I used to ALWAYS use rattles on my jigs when fishing stained/dirty water. Now, I do maybe 40% of the time. And it's usually if I'm fishing stained water with a beaver-style trailer that doesn't have the kick/vibration that a craw-style trailer gives off. 

[Fishin Dad]

^^^^.    I am with Northern Basser.   I will experiment with rattles in jigs to see if that is what they want, but would much rather go without.   I have found I hate skipping a jig with rattles, and I skip a jig a lot.  There are times when it has mattered to get bites.   I do like a rattle when fishing deep rocks or dragging a jig.  Crayfish make a ticking sound and I want to think it helps. Most of the time, it doesn’t seem to matter much where I fish.  

[NorthernBasser]

1 hour ago, Fishin Dad said:

I have found I hate skipping a jig with rattles, and I skip a jig a lot.  

 

Depending on the trailer I'm using, if I can, I'll slide a worm rattle into it instead of using a rattle band. 

[FishTank]

I use to use them pretty much any time I was fishing stained water but have since moved away from it. I don't have anything against them but the bites started to slow one year on a jig and decided it must be the rattles. I haven't used them since. 

[Catt]

99.95% of the time...no!

[Jar11591]

Somewhere in the last several years I’ve lost confidence using a rattle, so now it’s rare that I throw a jig that has one. The water has to be really stained. 

[RipzLipz]

I do not use rattles. Prefer my jigs silent. 🤫

[Pat Brown]

The Crawfish in my lakes and ponds are very accomplished percussionists and often can be seen crawling around on the bottom with miniature maracas.  

 

I always use rattles.  😎🤣

 

All jokes aside, I've never had rattles on my jig before

[T-Billy]

Stained water = black and blue. Clear water = green pumpkin. I never use rattles.

[Catt]

2 hours ago, T-Billy said:

Stained water = black and blue. Clear water = green pumpkin. I never use rattles.

 

Stained water = Black-n-Blue or Black Neon 

Clear water = Black-n-Blue or Black Neon 

 

The only other colors I throw with any regularly is Okacobee Craw & Falcon Lake Craw.

 

 

[Catt]

Ok I was asked why Black Neon.

 

 

[Bankbeater]

I used to use rattles in some of the jigs, but I started noticing that I was catching about the same amount of bass without the rattles, so I quit using them.

[scaleface]

I have caught bass on both . Impossible to tell if rattles helped or not.

   

   I made this observation while snorkeling in a clear Ozark stream . 100 percent of the trees held bass. When I tapped a fingernail on my watch or tapped two rocks together  bass would swim right up to me and look at what was making the noise. So I know tapping sounds get the basses attention.

[Mobasser]

I stopped using rattles years ago.

[MN Fisher]

Never used rattles.

[Captain Phil]

There was a time when I wouldn't dream of fishing a bass tournament without putting rattles in my soft baits.  We would spend hours gluing glass rattles in each craw or worm.   It worked because we believed it did.  Confidence is a powerful force, especially when it comes to bass fishing.  Since I no longer fish tournaments, I quit using rattles and I catch just as many fish.  I do like my baits to have built in vibration like paddle tail worms, speed worms and such.  I feel vibration is more significant than the sound of a rattle. 

[greentrout]

I will use rattles when fishing open water with little or no cover with a bowl shape by dragging and hopping a worm. 

 

Good Fishing

[Munkin]

Maybe once a year I will use a jig with rattles? Like everything else there are days when a rattle jig really shines. All my rattle jigs are black as the only time they seem to work is muddy water.

 

Allen

[Columbia Craw]

99.96 percent of the time.....no

[KP Duty]

I always insert a glass rattle in my trailer 👍.  I want that subtle tick.  

[Jig Man]

When do I throw a jig with rattles…never.

[whitwolf]

Back years ago I threw nothing but a rattling jig. I got to thinking one day about folks saying a plastic worm being one of the few baits a Bass couldn't become conditioned to.... it made sense to me that the same would apply to a jig. 

 

I'm sure some might argue my logic but it has worked for me. The only time I throw a rattling jig is at night and it's either cloudy or a new moon.

[KP Duty]

I'll add that I think Bill Lewis proved years ago that rattles attract fish.  It's interesting that with lipless cranks and jerkbaits, rattles are overwhelmingly prefered, but guys will say with jigs /worms it doesn't matter 🤔

[Catt]

1 hour ago, KP Duty said:

Bill Lewis proved years ago that rattles attract fish. 

 

The noise a Rat-L-Trap makes is far beyond the noise of a simple jig rattle.

 

Many think rattles in a jig is like the noise a crawfish make. Yes crawfish make a "clicking" noise but the vast majority of the time crawfish are really quite.