How good is a original zman White chatterbait if I don't have shad in my lake. Should I have a White trailer or can I put a dark color trailer on it also

I won the Big Bass pot at a tournament a few weeks ago on a white/chartreuse chatterbait with a white trailer in a lake with no shad.

19 minutes ago, Dens228 said:

I won the Big Bass pot at a tournament a few weeks ago on a white/chartreuse chatterbait with a white trailer in a lake with no shad.

Where should I fish it because the lake isn't get deep 15 feet at the most and it has a little shallow cove. Other than the cove there is a drop off about 30 feet from shore. I'm bank fishing also mostly off a dock with 3 ft at the start of the dock  to maybe 8 to 10 feet at the furthest point on the dock. And what about night fishing with that chatterbait.

1 hour ago, Nick Martinez said:

Where should I fish it because the lake isn't get deep 15 feet at the most and it has a little shallow cove. Other than the cove there is a drop off about 30 feet from shore. I'm bank fishing also mostly off a dock with 3 ft at the start of the dock  to maybe 8 to 10 feet at the furthest point on the dock. And what about night fishing with that chatterbait.

I reel them past blowdowns, submerged wood, etc.  My big bass win was caught in 3 feet of water that was about 45 degrees. 

They're best in shallow water imo, especially around vegetation. White with a chartreuse trailer in lakes without shad is a great fish producer for me. 

2 hours ago, Nick Martinez said:

Where should I fish it because the lake isn't get deep 15 feet at the most and it has a little shallow cove. Other than the cove there is a drop off about 30 feet from shore. I'm bank fishing also mostly off a dock with 3 ft at the start of the dock  to maybe 8 to 10 feet at the furthest point on the dock. And what about night fishing with that chatterbait.

 

The chatterbait is a versatile bait. I fish from the bank and I'd have to say it's my favorite bait in lagoons with diminished visibility. In clear water it's not nearly as effective.

 

How do I fish it? The first order of business it to fish it parallel to the bank, especially if there is cover like algae or aquatic vegetation for the bass to hide and ambush prey. Many times ripping it past cover for a second will draw them out to strike.

 

It's also effective casting straight out from the bank into deeper waters and drawing those fish in closer to the bank. And remember, you don't have to stick to straight retrieves with it. You can fish it like a traditional jig, letting it hit the bottom, sit, then either lift it or drag it for a few pops before letting it settle to the bottom again.

 

As for colors, I use a bluegill colored chatterbait with a Berkeley Havoc trailer in the Perfection color. I also have a whit chatterbait with flecks of gray/silver that I use with a cheap Zoom paddletail trailer in white. In fact, that combo has been on fire for me for the past week.

 

I also have a black and blue chatterbait that I fish in clearer water and I have a blue crawfish trailer I use for that one. I don't get nearly as many strikes on that as I do the two listed above.

 

I don't night fish from the banks down here because I don't want to be gator food.

 

I think color gets too much play in bait selection. Speed and depth control are the key. Truthfully, I buy a lot of lures because I like the color. 

I was catching bass yesterday in 5-4 feet of water using a silver and black chatter bait.  Water had warmed up to 49.85 before I left.  Casting towards shore to shallow water and bringing it back to the 4-5 feet of water.  Also parallel in same dept of water.  I like using twister tails for trailers

Shad are not a primary forage where I fish, and I still find that white baits get bites.

 

I fish a small pond often that's loaded with bluegills and frogs, and a white fluke is one of the best options for whatever reason.

Lakes with no shad??? So sad.......

I use white, green pumpkin, and black/blue.   I very the trailers, but match them most of the time.  I use the green pumpkin more on clearer water, black/blue in stained water, and white everywhere.  I use twin tail grubs, fluke style trialers( zman razor and Zako), and a few others to see what they are wanting.  It does change the action and profile of the bait. 

I throw most of my chatters in water under 8 feet deep.  Throw them on weed lines, over the tops of weeds, slow roll the on bottom, parallel to docks and laydowns (they do snag pretty bad in wood), and really anywhere I can get them through.