How do you fish a chatterbait? ive heard they are good during the fall, and in cold water, do you just reel it in, yo yo it ?

any help is appreciated 

 

thanks

Ryan 

dingah

I just fish it like a spinnerbait, put a nice swimbait as the trailer on it and it works great!! It doesn't go through grass as good as a spinnerbait but I like its action!!!

I'm curious as well. I've had no success with the white/chartreuse one I have. I've tried the back 3/4 of a Zoom Swimmin' Fluke and plain Zoom Fluke as a trailer. I've tried the provided split-tail trailer. I've thought about using the back portion of a baby brush hog (although I only have watermelon).

 

Maybe I'm putting too much consideration into the trailer...

Like spinner baits, there are many ways to fish them. Slow retrieves on the bottom, fast retrieves up top, yo-yo through the water column, etc.

When I first started bass fishing the chatterbait was my confidence bait. I personally don't use a plastic trailer anymore, and haven't noticed a difference in the effectiveness of the thing.

#1 recommendation is to sharpen the hook. They suck right out of the package.

I like to fish them as slowly as I can while keeping the blade vibrating, just a slow, steady retrieve. Sometimes it's best to start the retrieve right away and sometimes I'll let it sink all the way to the bottom before I start reeling. It works very well to pump the rod and kind of rip off the bottom then flutter back down too. I like black and blue or white with a chartreuse trailer or firetiger, 3/8oz is about the only size I use. 

I too fish them many different ways. One of my favorites is when fish are suspended in less that 10 feet of water. I  cast it up in the skinny then let it hit the bottom. I stroke (full stroke of rod from low on the water too high in the air) it and let it fall back to the bottom. I feel the fish follow it down. If they don't eat it on the fall, then when it rips off the bottom like it is running from them. They reaction strike it.

Great bait.  I like to use the Swim Senko for trailer.  Fish it much like a spinnerbait.  Also like to run it along sides and fronts of docks.

A lil secret of mine is to buy skirting material and bands to make skirts. Make you a clearer color with some white on bottom. Bands are like $4, skirting is $3-4 a color. The hooks do suck so sharpen,. I even tried a bluegill color had one fish short strike 2x then inhale the 3rd. Trailer might be good too for a slower presentation.

I like to fish them as slowly as I can while keeping the blade vibrating, just a slow, steady retrieve. Sometimes it's best to start the retrieve right away and sometimes I'll let it sink all the way to the bottom before I start reeling. It works very well to pump the rod and kind of rip off the bottom then flutter back down too. I like black and blue or white with a chartreuse trailer or firetiger, 3/8oz is about the only size I use. 

 

Good advice BB! I would add that my favorite way of fishing one is just above or through weeds, popping it when you make contact with the grass. Pay close attention when doing this-a big bass and a little grass can feel very much alike    I am not sure that color or trailer makes an awful lot of difference. Lately I've done well on a white and chartreuse with the standard split trailer. Bluegill or something like it is my favorite color, and 4" white, chartreuse or clear/metal flake single tail grub is my standard trailer. 1/2 oz is handy to have when fishing deeper grass, or a little more speed is needed.

Many different ways to fish em, but I always have a yamamoto hula grub on the back.

I fish shore and have some luck with chatterbaits even though I just recently started fishing them. I tend to run the over laydowns, or through the eddies created by aerators in small lakes and ponds. WHen a fish has hit them they have absolutely crushed them. I fish it the same way I do spinnerbaits, but as someone posted earlier, they are not as a snag free as a spinner bait so some caution must be used.