chatterbaits are my june challenge and i cant wait for the month to be over so i can put up my picture of a skunk and never throw one of these things again.  seriously the fish where i live run from these things like the plague.  one day last week we were absolutely killing em.  i was catching em on spinnerbaits, swimming jigs, hopping jigs, swimbaits, senkos, cranks, lipless cranks, lizards, shaky heads, i mean whatever i threw i caught fish on and in no time.  i thought this would be the perfect time to finish this challenge up.

no luck at all.  i had one on that i almost got off but it hit it the very second the bait hit the water so im pretty sure if i had a rock tied on it would have hit it.  unreal.  i know some people love these things but i cant catch a thing on it.  the water was clear and i literally saw fish just high tail it in the opposite direction.  tried swimming it at every imagineable speed as well as yo yoing and fishing like a jig and got nothing.  the only time ive ever had any luck with these d**n things is at night and i may try it again at night but for the most part im just looking forward to not using these anymore.

matt

I live near you and I have only caught two fish on a chatterbait so far.  They will probably be going on Ebay soon so I can use the money to buy something else...

I think they are junk.....Will not buy one..Very specialized lure in my opinion...Fished one on a buddies rod a few times....wasnt impressed at all.I catch more and bigger fish on a blade and dont have to worry about my lure coming apart after i hook him....Only place I know they work well is around grasslines and such(Seminole), not much grass here at all in my part of the state, at least not anything fishable. I have seen them work during the shad spawn before the sun got up good, may be something when nothing else is working, you wont find them in my tackle bags or tied on my rods.....

i love them, and i have had great success with them. to each his own i guess

This will be my second year fishing with a chatterbait - last year I killed 'em with one, but in thinking about it I noticed that I didn't start fishing with it until later in the year (after the spawn) and I am wondering if that is a factor.  I haven't had any luck this year, even in the places where they were lining up to hit it last year.  Any thoughts from those of you who haven't given up on 'em yet?

About a year ago, when chatterbaits were all the rage,

I caught hell in here for saying that I believe the chatterbait will be a passing fancy.

Although it's still alive and well, the hoopla has reeeeeally subsided

and the trend seems to be down.

Roger

That's crazy, It's a great all around bait that covers a lot of water.

LOVE EM!!! but you shouldnt base the lures effectivness just on one day.ive seen bass hit a lure one day and the very next they will ignore it or dart as soon as they see it,heck ive seen it happen in the course of a day were they like it in the mornin hate it in the evening, try it in different conditions and you may be able to get them to strike it

best of luck

A black and blue chatterbait is a good night fishing bait for me. It's got a big profile and puts off a lot of vibration. I don't fish 'em much during daylight hours.

I think Chatterbaits are good lures, based on my experience with them last year and thus far this year. I'm very disappointed with the components used, but that doesn't change the fact that these baits attract fish.

IMO, the Chatterbait brand is a poor product.  I personally like the Gambler Swim Blades best and I have done well with them over the past two years.

Brad

thank u finaly someone who agrees with me i'll tell u i've thrown them and thrown them and thrown them somemore but haven't even had a bit. i like the action but i don't know maybe someone needs to clue me in cause i haven't caught a thing on it.

First, let me clarify. The Chatterbait has great action, just terrible construction and components.

As for fishing these blade style jigs, I avoid clear water with them and use them in stained to muddy water. Grass, wood, rock and open water - I have done well in all. Sometimes a steady retrieve, sometimes a lift and drop works best.

Also, I tune these baits by bending the blades to reduce some of the action and vibration. This has worked better for me.

Brad

Chatterbaits  are junk a one hit wonder for that company  Get pure poisons or booyahs

i tried the booyah and the original as well as the strike king and nada, except for at night.  and i definitely have tried them on more than one occasion for whoever suggested that i had not given them a fair shake.  i was just giving one example of a time when im quite certain i could have fashioned something from a rock and leaves and caught fish but struck out on the chatterbait.

matt

About a year ago, when chatterbaits were all the rage,

I caught hell in here for saying that I believe the chatterbait will be a passing fancy.

Although it's still alive and well, the hoopla has reeeeeally subsided

and the trend seems to be down.

Roger

I still agree with you Rolo.    It was a product at the right place at the right time.  

What do I think of them??  Read opening topic. LOL

The Chatterbait is an effective product.

The problem is it's caught far more anglers than it has fish!

My buddy has caught several with a white, I have only caught one fish on it......(I think).  My luck has been so bad with it, that I am not even sure if I have actually caught a fish with it.  I have not given up on it though.  It's just too good of an idea and appearance to not use it.  Thus why it's caught more anglers than fish.

First, let me clarify.  The Chatterbait has great action, just terrible construction and components.

We agree on that Brad, it has good action and draws strikes.

I personally like the Gambler Swim Blades best and I have done well with them over the past two years.

I got a Gambler this year and haven't used it a whole lot. It seems to me that it has a wilder and more erratic side-to-side action. It also seems that it needs to be worked slower or it tends to break the surface. Much easier to use Chatterbaits or Boogee Baits deeper and faster. I presume the difference is because the blade is attached to a split ring which attaches to a loop on the lead head. The other brands have blades attached directly to the loop.

Have you made similar observations? Are you using a trailer hook?

The chatterbait is a great grass fishing tool, especially during the prespawn.  Anytime bass are hitting traps ripped through the grass, the chatterbait is another top choice.  I was down on Guntersville when the BASS Elite was going on.   Even though that was more postspawn, you better believe that chatter type baits ripped through grass played a big role.

As with any bait: Right place, Right time.

The chatterbait is a great grass fishing tool, especially during the prespawn. Anytime bass are hitting traps ripped through the grass, the chatterbait is another top choice. I was down on Guntersville when the BASS Elite was going on. Even though that was more postspawn, you better believe that chatter type baits ripped through grass played a big role.

As with any bait: Right place, Right time.

That about hits the nail on the head.

Yes, I have caught bass on a variety of swimming jigs.

Marty, the split ring does let the blade have more control over the bait and the Swim Blades will rise up easier than those with fixed blades, but I have been bending the blades in a curved fashion to take out some of the action.  It has helped keep the bait down a little better.

Yes, trailer hooks help, but I also shorten the skirt and trailer to make the bait more compact.

Brad

I had luck with them during the heat of the summer fishing grass. That was it and only in the pumkinseed color.

I'll give them a try again this summer because they did bring in some nice fish.

I did have a problem with losing them when I cast, they seemed to snap the line.

I will also give a blue/black a try at nihgt.

junk, they suck

Like I said, they have caught more anglers than fish in my opinion.

If we added together the amount each angler has in his/her tackle box, the amount of fish caught with the actual bait itself, I'd bet that the number of baits sold "outway" the number of fish caught.

Yep, right bait, right time, all that...I agree.  You also have to have the right retrieve to make these things work from all the posts I have read on them on multiple forums.  Varying results for various geographical places, water clarity, fishing pressure, local flavor of forage, etc.  I'm not saying they suck.  I'm not saying they are an awesome bait.  I just think the angler appeal is way off the chart and I love to watch them as they dance back to the boat.  If I were a fish, I'd eat it....(see my point?)

Like Jimmy Houston said, "if bass fishing were as easy as we'd like it, it wouldn't be a sport, just a habit".

Marty, the split ring does let the blade have more control over the bait and the Swim Blades will rise up easier than those with fixed blades, but I have been bending the blades in a curved fashion to take out some of the action.  It has helped keep the bait down a little better.

Brad, I do like the Swim Blade because of better features than the Chatterbait or Boogee Bait, at least better in my opinion. I'd use them more if they would stay down like the others. It's not intuitively obvious to me how you bend the blades. Could you describe it in some detail? Thanks.