Are trailers simply an additional attractant to a chatterbait, or an absolute necessity? 

Without question, trailers are the other half of the bait. Paddletail upside down, Zako, or a fluke. 

Yes.  I would say a trailer is even more important than the skirt that comes with it

For me chatterbaits and swim jigs have to have trailers...spinnerbaits? Not so much

Kinda like fishing a jig with no trailer..would it work? Probably. Wouldn't for me though because I wouldn't even throw it..no confidence

I throw them with a trailer 100% of the time. It's not just the additional action, but also the profile that they produce.

Yes IMO an absolutely a necessity for both a chatterbait, jig, and swim jig.  I think it helps create the bait profile as well as provides additional action. Now on a chatterbait I don’t think the skirt is a necessity and have thrown one before with no skirt but a trailer 

Yes. Get yourself some zakos and you'll be set.

I’m a noob to chatterbaits. I have some 5” swimbaits. Do I use the whole thing as a trailer or should I cut it in half?

My #1 presentation is a White Rage Blade/ White Rage Tail Structure Bug

 

32 minutes ago, GTN said:

I’m a noob to chatterbaits. I have some 5” swimbaits. Do I use the whole thing as a trailer or should I cut it in half?

While it depends on the size of your chatterbait, I'd cut it down to 4".   I use 3.8" Keitech's on mine. 

Well...I guess the Bait Monkey needs to be fed again lol. 

To start , just get a pack of Zoom  Super Flukes from WM then cut out the sloping Super Fluke stomach out to make the Super Fluke  streamlined (like the regular Fluke) - great chatter bait trailer in Pearl White color  (shad imitating chatter bait) . For a bluegill imitating chatter bait trailer at WM - pick up a pack of Yum Christie Craws in Green Pumpkin ... Both the Zoom Super Fluke & Yum Christie Craw soft plastics are inexpensive , widely available and work great on a chatter bait ... As you progress you can look at the plethora of other great chatter bait trailers others may recommend .

You don't have to use a trailer.  My friend used his without one last week and out fished me.  I had a trailer on mine.

 

There really isn't a bad trailer to use on them.  Obviously people are geared towards using flukes, swimbaits, and craw-style baits but you could probably use just about any soft plastic that doesn't inhibit the action of the chatterbait itself.

 

That being said, I personally tried the rage tail menace on the back of a bluegill colored one and it was very effective.

I prefer to have a trailer on mine but I have caught fish on them without a trailer.  They are much more erratic in the water without a trailer.  Sometimes that can be beneficial when a reaction bite is working.

Last year i was up in a Potomac tributary fishing lay downs on an out going tide and used a white chatter bait with no trailer.  Didn't make any difference to bass in the laydowns.

7 hours ago, roadwarrior said:

My #1 presentation is a White Rage Blade/ White Rage Tail Structure Bug

 

Now RW the question is do you rig the Structure Bug vertically or horizontally?

FM

I just started to use a Zako

 

47 minutes ago, Fishingmickey said:

Now RW the question is do you rig the Structure Bug vertically or horizontally?

FM

Vertically

10 hours ago, gimruis said:

That being said, I personally tried the rage tail menace on the back of a bluegill colored one and it was very effective.

I love how a menace trailer looks but I've never been bit on it. I'm gonna switch to just them for a bit and see if I can figure out how to change that.

11 hours ago, Dens228 said:

While it depends on the size of your chatterbait, I'd cut it down to 4".   I use 3.8" Keitech's on mine. 

Just bought a pack of 3.8” Keitechs in Sun Gill to try. I also have some 4” Saw Craws in green pumpkin as well. 

15 hours ago, galyonj said:

I love how a menace trailer looks but I've never been bit on it. I'm gonna switch to just them for a bit and see if I can figure out how to change that.

Rig the Menace on a bullet weight and swim it at different depths.

 

100 percent of you will disagree with me.

 

  I used chatterbaits a lot this past year , tried several trailers. I kept losing fish. about 50 percent. Quit using trailers and landed almost 100 per cent. I dont use trailers at all now. They work without them and no hunk of plastic to interfere with hookups.