This post explores the best Chatterbait setup, and why you should use a chatterbait for bass fishing. A good chatterbait setup will help you catch more bass out on the water in a variety of different conditions. Professional anglers use it all the time to catch both numbers and big fish. By adding a chatterbait to your bass fishing arsenal, you should catch more fish. Here are the things you need to keep in mind when getting set up for fishing a chatterbait.
Why do you need a Chatterbait setup for bass fishing? The answer is simple. It catches bass. The Chatterbait slices through grass. Plus, creates a massive amount of vibration in the water to draw some serious strikes. After years of experimenting with Chatterbaits, the set up explained below is what consistently seems to produce, and helps me land more fish. This post contains a description of all the gear, when to use a chatterbait set up, and some video of a chatterbait in action to see how it can produce for you in all types of water. The goal here is to help you catch more fish with the chatterbait a dynamite technique for bass fishing.
A chatterbait setup is often referred to as a bladed jig in the world of bass fishing. A chatterbait and a bladed jig are exactly the same thing. There are a lot of Bladed Jig (Chatterbaits) out on the market. The concept is identical with all of them. You have a blade on the front of a jig which makes the bait wobble as you retrieve it. Various chatterbaits have different types of wobbling styles and colors. Here is a solid chatterbait & trailer combo you can rely on to put bass in the boat.
The Jackhammer Chatterbait is by far the most expensive bladed jig on the market, but it is also the most lethal. It is extremely compact. Built with tungsten weight, rubber skirts instead of silicon, and an incredibly sharp durable hook. Nothing else I’ve used seems to hold a candle to it. The best color is green pumpkin. Especially in the clear water lakes out here in the mountain west. This chatterbait lives up to it’s name the “Jackhammer.”
The Strike King Blade Minnow was specifically designed to be a trailer for chatterbaits. Adding a Strike King Blade Minnow plastic to your chatterbait setup helps make it look more natural. Pair the color of your chatterbait up to the color of blade minnow that best matches the forage you are immitating. My favorite color combination is a green pumpkin chatterbait with the green pumpkin/pearl belly blade minnow. Bite a little of the head of the bait off, so it can snug right up on your chatterbait for a more compact presentation.
The pro’s will tell you and I agree, that a chatterbait throws best on a baitcasting rod & reel set up. This bait seems to work best on medium rods, with a little more give like you would use fishing a crankbait. This helps the fish completely engulf the bait before you set the hook. Chatterbaits can be hard to hook up with unless you wait for the fish to load up on the road before you set the hook. Often times they will swipe at it once, then come back up to engulf the bait. Using a rod with some more give will help you hook up on more bass with a chatterbait.
There are times when a Chatterbait will outperform a lot of other baits in your tackle box. The chatterbaits seem to shine really well in early spring and late fall. In colder water temperatures the chatterbait with it’s intense shaking really helps draw some great reaction strikes. Another factor to consider when usuing a chatterbait is the type of cover you are fishing. Grass is optimal for chatterbaits. They fish through grass really cleanly, compared to other things like a crankbait. Lastly, depth plays a role in whether a chatterbait will work or not. Chatterbaits have to be retrieved at a certain speed or the blades don’t work. This makes it difficult to get anything deeper than 15 or 20 feet. Usually, if bass are shallower around grass a chatterbait is a lethal option.
Why chatterbaits work so well is because of their massive wobbling action, and the weedless nature of the bait. It creates a real vibration in the water which calls upon a bass’s predatory lateral line instincts to help them bite. The chatterbait’s blade at the front of the bait helps slice through grass and cover, so you don’t gunk up as much. A bass will shy away from a lure covered in grass or other debris, so it’s important your bait stays clean in order for you to get bites. A bass will eat a chatterbait all year long. It can catch numbers, and big bass. It’s a fun technique, and easy to do. Just chuck, wind, and hold on tight!
Here’s a video of my chatterbait fishing setup in action. In this video you will see me walkthrough my favorite chatterbait setup and why you should use one. Plus, I’ve got some fish catches on here to demonstrate how effective it can be. Enjoy!
Another one of the main reasons you should use a chatterbait set up is how much water you can cover. It is a chuck and wind technique that let’s you fish a lot of areas to find out where the bass are staging. Covering water with a chatterbait is a great way to find good areas, and large concentrations of fish.
Lastly, I hope you enjoy this post. Leave a comment about some of your favorite chatterbait tricks for us bass addicts who can’t seem to get enough of it. The links above and below in this post are affiliate links were you can pick up baits, rod’s, reels, line, and anything else mentioned to “Krak” some bass on a chatterbait setup. Krakenbass receives a small percentage of the sales through these links. I only use links to baits, and gear I personally trust and know work. These links are provided to primarily be helpful for you, and not for the small amount I make for the sale of the products. Hopefully, these products can help you “krak” some bass like they have for me! Thank you for your support.
As Always,
Stay Stoked!
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One Response
My Favorite Bait!!! Always a go to for me!!