How To Fish A Chatterbait
Want to catch bass in shallow cover? You need to try using a chatterbait.
Chatterbaits are unfortunately fairly underrated. They are a great type of bait that can really improve your angling game.
Curious? Keep reading to find out more about chatterbaits and how to use them.
What Are Chatterbaits?
Chatterbaits are a type of luring jig that has a hook and blade as the two main working elements. They attract fish when they are thrown thanks to the bright colors, vibrations, and motions.
The vibrancy of a chatterbait makes it the perfect choice for using in muddy waters – its bright colors make it easy to track and vibrations mean that it is detectable using sonar.
Once a fish eyes up your chatterbait and takes a bite, it swallows the hook, and you can catch them.
There are a huge variety of chatterbaits available today, so you are guaranteed to find one that suits your fishing style, well except for fly fishing.
We recommend that you experiment with the color, the size and shape of the blades, the trailer, and the overall size of the bait. There will be a winning combination for everyone!
How Do Chatterbaits Work?
The first time you use a chatterbait you are going to feel different. The feeling is not at all like using a more traditional spinnerbait.
Chatterbaits cause a good amount of vibration that reverberates up your line and down your rod.
Chatterbaits very closely resemble baitfish when you pull them through the water. This is thanks to the blades and the skirt. It is this close resemblance to pray that encourages bass and other big fish to hunt – and hunt they do!
You can think of the chatterbait as combining the best parts of a jig and spinnerbait. The chatterbait has very similar features to both and combines this with the vibration of a crankbait.
Chatterbait is the best ‘franken-bait’ around – it is the perfect combination of every commonly thrown bait. With this in mind, it is hardly surprising that fish go mad for a chatterbait. It looks just too good to resist.
How To Fish A Chatterbait
We recommend that you break out the chatterbait if you are having trouble getting a successful catch. When you choose your chatterbait, follow these steps to maximize your chances of success:
- Cast and let the chatterbait sink until it hits the bottom.
- Let it bounce for a moment to create some vibrations and then pull up sharply.
- Allow the chatterbait to sink again.
- Repeat if necessary.
Keep in mind that the chatterbait causes reaction bites – the fish react to the conditions you create with the bait.
This means that the bigger the noise or vibrations and the bigger the flash, the more likely you are to stimulate a bass into ‘attack mode.’
Using the above technique may save you some time as you are essentially combining the crankbait and jig into one.
You can also modify your retrieve, so you are changing tactics without switching out your lures. This will also save you some time and let you focus on your fishing.
Don’t forget the blade. It will help prevent the chatterbait from getting stuck or snagged on weeds. This is part of what makes the chatterbait great for fishing in shallow, weedy waters.
Chatterbait Modifications
As mentioned above, several elements of the chatterbait vary depending on fishing conditions or what you are hoping to catch.
You can, for example, swap out the trailer to better imitate prey fish that are local to the area. Use a paddle tail if you want to imitate baitfish, or try a soft plastic twin-tail trailer to imitate crayfish.
Keep in mind the color of your chatterbait as it may not always be appropriate. You can easily take down some colors of your chatterbait by shading in the blades with a permanent marker or some nail polish.
You could use anything, really, just make sure that it is waterproof and fully dry before you cast.
Shading in the blades is a great technique for stained water or early season. Your bait won’t look too unnatural to the fish, encouraging them to bite, and you still get all the benefits of the vibrations.
Fishing in deep waters? We recommend that you opt for a heavy chatterbait – aim for the 1-ounce mark and you should be good to go.
You need the extra weight to keep in contact with the vegetation at the bottom as this will encourage hunting.
Seasonal Chatterbaits
Spring
Spring is the ideal time to use your chatterbaits. Around this time of year, we recommend that you find some shallow bodies of water with steep drop-offs nearby.
This is the ideal location for fish to gather as the water begins to warm slightly, and the fish are attracted to rays of sunshine.
Be sure to let your chatterbait move slowly in the Spring and add in a few extra jerks at the top and bottom.
You also need to make sure that your chatterbait is of similar color to the local baitfish population.
We recommend that you do a little research, but perch, green pumpkin, and sunfish are generally all good bait options.
Summer
As the weather heats up, you are probably going to find that weeds are at an all-time high. It is at this time of year that you need to be the most attuned to your chatterbait and line.
If you ever feel the vibration suddenly stops or becomes very weak, you are almost definitely caught on some vegetation. Untangle yourself before you carry on!
When there are fish abound in the Summer, it is a great excuse to use power fishing techniques. These will help you cover huge areas of water quickly with your chatterbait and increase the probability of a successful catch.
You can even use chatterbaits at night in the warmer months. Select bright colors, so the bait stands out in the dark water and try to create as much vibration as possible.
This will alert the fish to their next meal, and we can tell you that you may just find your next trophy fish this way!
Fall
Fall is the one time of year that you are unlikely to get any bites – no matter what bait you use.
As the chatterbait combines a couple of the best elements of other types of bait, you could always give it a go and see what happens.
The Fall is a great time to practice your technique as you may need to switch styles to keep the fish engaged.
Try the classic vertical presentation first, then go for a more steady presentation with lots of vibration.
Winter
Brave enough to tough out the elements? We salute you!
The most important thing to remember in Winter is that you will find fish where you find baitfish. Keep a sharp eye out for schools of baitfish. In most lakes during the Winter this will be towards the bottom.
In a 12-foot deep lake, for example, you are most likely to find schools of baitfish around the 9-foot range.
Keep in mind that baitfish will tend to congregate around areas with structure, be it from rocks, timber, or large weeds.
Be sure to match your trailer to the colors in the chatterbait. This will give the fish a larger and easier target to lock onto and hunt, increasing the likelihood of success.
In a similar vein, we recommend that you get a good vertical presentation out of your cast while you let your chatterbait sink to the bottom.
You may find that a fluttering drop is enough to encourage some strikes immediately.
Final Thoughts
Chatterbaits are a great option for those looking to step up their fishing game. They are also fantastic baits if you want to catch yourself a bass.
This bait allows you to experiment with color, trailers, and blades, letting you work out what your local fish population likes. Be sure to track the change of season and modify your chatterbait accordingly.
The most important thing to remember about chatterbait? The vibrations. You will be able to feel these movements through the line and up your rod.
Modify your casting technique if needed, but you always need to make sure that you hit the bottom – this is as good as guaranteeing your next great catch.
