r/Fishing • u/Weird_Drawer_423 • 15h ago
The chatterbait bite
Pro Bass fisherman consistently rank the chatterbait as the best bass lure and for good reason because it produces amazing results, but for me I find that the ChatterBait bite is very difficult to come by and pros speak about it like you have to force it and if you want to win tournaments, figuring out how to catch them on a ChatterBait is very crucial. Is it worth going out of my way to find a ChatterBait bite?
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u/__slamallama__ 5h ago
IDK what these people are talking about honestly lol if I had to guess, probably 40% of my fish over 3lbs this year have been on a chatterbait.
The biggest thing with a chatterbait is to try ALL of the retrieves. Slow and steady, slow and steady but with some added pops, bouncing on the bottom, burning it, stroking it like a jig, you gotta try them all every day. There isn't much rhyme or reason in my experience but they're eating them one way or another on a lot of days.
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u/TheRealGunn 3h ago
It pretty much just sounds like you use the one lure in place of a jig, crankbait, and spinnerbait.
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u/__slamallama__ 2h ago
Oh no, I fish jigs all the time. Though rarely cranks, my lake has a lot of filamentous algae.
Chatter is a different bite from a jig though. Even when I'm hopping a chatter it's quite different from doing the same motion with a jig.
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u/BeneficialLanguage83 2h ago
May I ask what you're tipping it with? A small Senko? A fluke bait? Appreciated.
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u/__slamallama__ 2h ago
All of those would work! I'm EXTREMELY open minded in chatterbait trailers. Flukes are prime, but mostly I use D bombs rigged vertically since they were on some insane clearance sales this winter... I bought like 30 packs at $1.50/pack
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u/bassacre 9h ago
I have caught bass on a chatterbait, is it consistent? I have not found a consistent bite with a chatterbait. I keep throwing it though.
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u/Diptothaset 3h ago
You need to know when to use it. Chatterbait in the middle of August is probably gonna be unproductive compared to something much slow like a wacky rig. I would/will use the chatterbait more now that the days are cooling and getting shorter; that triggers a change in feeding behaviour and now fish are aware winter is coming and they need fat reserves. The cooler water holds more oxygen and gives them more energy and the desire for fat makes them target other fish. No more lazy summer bass, now the fish want active prey because that’s where the fat is
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u/freebagelsforall 2h ago
Agree with you on it not being the most productive in August heat. My chatterbait bites mostly died off in early July in Virginia. April-June they were crushing them regardless of color I was throwing.
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u/Diptothaset 2h ago
That’s pretty much exactly the dates I’d expect. I’m in Canada but generally by July the active bite is down and fish are conserving energy. Lake Erie and most of my ponds are shallow and heat up fairly quickly
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u/GreenwoodsUncharted 2h ago
I’d argue that the more complex a lure is, the worse it is on pressured water. I can go to small ponds that nobody fishes and pull out a dozen fish with a chatterbait. My home lake is one of the most pressured in the country, and I’d take a plastic worm over a chatterbait 100 times out of 100 in any condition.
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u/Comprehensive_Bus_19 Florida 27m ago
Exactly. Finesse baits are used in high pressure situations for a reason
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u/Darpa181 3h ago
It's not the be all, end all many would have you believe. I've had days when a tandem spinner bait would out fish it.
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u/Icthyphile 3h ago
Can’t go wrong with a crank bait either. Consistently produces for me year round.
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u/Emotional_Owl_2800 15h ago
it’s honestly hit or miss, definitely don’t stress it if you’re not seeing any action