Chatterbait, Does This new Innovation Work?

[The_Bass_Whisperer]

I Saw these jigs and wonddered what was up.  I then checked the forums here and found little help so I started a new forum topic.  First, do the Chatterbait jigs work and if they do when shuld they be used?  How do they differ from the old style?  Is there a good Colour scheme for them?  On the Package there was an immage with no trailer, do you not need one?  Sory so many questions but I wana know as much as possible.

[Shad_Master]

Yep, they do work.  I had my best luck with them last year fishing through some heavy grass and along rocky banks.  They are not a magic bait, but they do give you an additional weapon in your arsenal.  As to color, I had my best luck with black/blue and black/red, but also caught some in crystal clear water on the white and chartruse.  I still have more to learn about this lure, but it is definitely one of my "go to's".  While in BPS this week end, I noticed that they are selling a ChB "kit", but be careful here as it looked like the blades were kinda funky.  Other than the original ChB I really like the Booyah Boogies with the Leverage hook, but lots of guys in this area are buying the components and/or making their own.

[LrgMouthCatcha]

Yep, they work... I tend to always use the trailer that comes with the chatterbait (they're really durable for a trailer and last a long time)

My most productive color has been white in 1/4 oz

[justfishin]

You bet they work. I really like them. Buy some.

[BassFishingMachine]

I haven't tryed them either, do you fish them like a spinner, with a steady retrieve? Or do you fish it with pauses and light jerks? How do you work this bait?

[Cephkiller]

The chatterbait has become my number one search lure.  I primarily use it just like I would a spinnerbait, but it can also be fished like a jig.  In short, you can fish it fast or slow, steady or erratic and fish it at any depth.

My best Chatterbait fish thus far has been a 6 lb 2 oz largemouth I caught a few weeks ago in cold (41 degrees), muddy water using a slow, steady retrieve.  Incidently, that fish was my best for '06 so far.

[Guest avid]

I have caught many fish on chatterbaits, but the biggest have come by working the bait in a yo-yo manner near the bottom.  Make sure you can feel that blade vibrate on the up stroke.  Best colors for me are watermelon, white, and black/blue

I've tried the new saltwater seires with the minnow, no luck

[The_Bass_Whisperer]

What do you mean Yo-Yo style??????????????????

[Tom Bass]

They have not worked for me at all. Gimmick bait, IMHO.

[fourbizz]

They work excellent. They have kicked out some big fish around here this year.

[lostanother]

I broke down and bought one of them in october the water temp was 39 degrees.I tryed my goto baits with no luck, so I put on this silly lookin jig and won our last event of the season.3 of the fish were over 4lbs.Id say they work on largemouth cant wait till spring and see what they do on smallies!

[Supermat]

I don't recommend them in the daylight and ESPECIALLY NOT at night! It wouldn't hurt you to pick a few up and give them a try. (7.75 lbs and 11 lbs 8 oz)

[MALTESE FALCON]

I DIDN'T GET MINE UNTIL A FEW WEEKS AGO. SO I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL SPRING TO TRY IT. WITH ALL THE GOOD REPORTS I'VE GOTTEN I'M VERY OPTIMISTIC.

[fishbear]

I love the chatterbaits.  I have at least one in every color.  I can not for the life of me catch a fish on a spinnerbait, but I can sure catch them on a chatterbait.  First day I used one, fishing from the bank, I caught 3 fish and had a total of 7 strikes.  I seem to have my best luck slow "rolling" them over the top of grass.... but YO YO ing them does work as well.....

[BassMaster_1]

I have only read a little about them, so I dont know much.  Sounds like many of you have had good luck on them.... who makes them?  Im always looking for new tackle, need to fill up that new tackle bag the wife got me for christmas.

[justfishin]

Two good points Supermat,lol. I would not recommend them for brown bass either. Two guys throwing chatterbaits and a lousy 119 smallies, why waste your time ?

[Tom Bass]

Wow! I am happy to see that they work for somebody. Nice photos Supermat. When were those photos taken and in what body of water?

[fourbizz]

Wow! I am happy to see that they work for somebody. Nice photos Supermat. When were those photos taken and in what body of water?

Both of those were taken this summer and the 11-8 was part of our 47lb-10.5oz limit. Chatterbaits are sweet.

[Alpster]

I caught about a 3 pounder on a chatterbait the first time I ever fished one. I used a pork eel instead of the included plastic trailer. I was dragging it over some laydowns, and a nice little LM just couldn't resist it. Ranger chased me out of the lake (county park). I went out and bought several colors and plan to put some miles on them in the spring. Could be a winner.

Ronnie

[Brad_Coovert]

The "chatterbait" style jigs are great baits.  They are quite versatile.  I have caught fish on steady retrieves, slow rolling, pumping them up and down, on the fall as a drop bait and buring them just under the surface.

I'm not a big fan of the original Chatterbait, but I really like the Gambler Swim Blade and the Booyah Boogee baits.

Brad

[Okeechobee_Cracker]

I bought a few over the summer.........I havent fished them to much ....Ive caugh a couple ......I just havent built my condfedence with em yet......but after reading all the good feed back im gonna look into em a lil more

[Craw]

These baits do work, no doubt about that. I've done quite a bit of experimenting with them to see what conditions these baits truly excel under. It seems to me that I have the best action with them in low visibility situations...

High winds-when a good chop breaks up the light penetration they seem to work really well and they cast like a bullet.

Stained/muddy water-a slow steady retrieve puts out massive vibration

Darkness-again, a slow steady retrieve draws fish to it

High water-when the river's up and we are normally working shoreline current breaks with spinnerbaits, buzzbaits and jigs, we now add chatterbaits to that list

Deep water-a yo-yo retrieve or slow roll down the contours of a steep bank and into the depths

I've caught fish in both lakes and rivers with these baits but they have been far from magical for me. I treat them as just another tool.

[gatrboy53]

the most important thing about using a cb is to accept that it is not a magic bait.so many fishermen buy some try em expecting to fill the boat and when they dont get bit they quit using it or lose any confidence that they can catch fish on it,and when you do that you wont!!!!!

my approach to the cb is to use it when the bite is tough.its a bait that bass havent seen or heard TOO much of yet and can trigger a strike when typical baits wont,i.e. sb,jigs,cb,etc....

dont get locked in to fishin it just one way ,keep changin tactics untill you find what the fish want.experiment w/ different trailers.one of the best for me is to use a zoom fluke,and dont be afraid to use it in heavy cover.yes,you'll get hung up and you'll get aggravated but the rewards can be worth it.