Spunk Shad on Chatterbaits, Rage Menace rigged vertically on spinnerbaits.

 

I have quite a bit of success on stout brown bass with a SK blade minnow on my spinnerbaits

 

Riding on my Jackhammers is either the Zako or a hand poured Goby swimbait.

 

A-Jay

There's a ton of good trailers out there nowadays, and many have already been mentioned. Here's my favorites.

 

For spinnerbaits, I agree with A-Jay. The Strike King Blade Minnow is my favorite. Personally I don't care for trailers that created drag like a paddletail does. This is also a great Chatterbait trailer. Trim to your desired length.

 

 

This one is new this year and I just started using it recently. The Z-Man Chatterspike. I love it. Similar profile as the Spunk Shad but much more durable.

 

 

I also just started using this this year and fell in love with it. It's quickly become one of my favorites. The Pro Point Lures Machete Minnow. Comes in 2 different sizes for regular size bladed jigs and smaller ones like the Mini Max.

 

 

This one I use mostly when fishing around rock/trying to mimic crawfish. Big Bite Baits Kamikaze Craw.

 

 

Missile Baits Mini D Chunk on a Mini Max.

 

 

Big Bite Baits Kamikaze Swimon. 2 sizes. Jackhammer and Mini Max.

 

 

Thunder Cricket with the 4" Yamamoto Zako. Nothing more needs to be said. Everyone loves this trailer. Also good on a spinnerbait.

 

 

Picasso Shock Blade with a 5.5 Hog Farmer Spunk Shad.

 

 

Strike King Rage Menace rigged vertically.

 

 

Beast Coast Bladerunner.

 

 

4" Zoom Fluke on a Mini Max.

 

 

3" Yamamoto Zako on Mini Max.

 

13 hours ago, LrgmouthShad said:

I don’t throw chatterbaits

 

@NorthernBasser 😂 hey man I don't know what I'm supposed to do with it. I certainly may consider at some point working them again like a jig as @A-Jay suggests. I have before. There is certainly an argument to be made for them being a good night bait too. But other than that... on a straight retrieve if I hit some timber I'm donezo with a chatterbait but still a-okay with a spinnerbait. And I can trick out a spinnerbait to do a whole lot more than a chatterbait can 🤷‍♂️

1 minute ago, LrgmouthShad said:

@NorthernBasser 😂 hey man I don't know what I'm supposed to do with it. I certainly may consider at some point working them again like a jig as @A-Jay suggests. I have before. There is certainly an argument to be made for them being a good night bait too. But other than that... on a straight retrieve if I hit some timber I'm donezo with a chatterbait but still a-okay with a spinnerbait. And I can trick out a spinnerbait to do a whole lot more than a chatterbait can 🤷‍♂️

 

Do you fish more clear or stained water? I rarely throw them in clear water (I will throw the Stealth Blade once in a while). And I hear you about wood. I won't use them in heavily wooded areas. 

 

As far as retrieve, I rarely ever just do a straight retrieve. I'm always popping it here and there. Pausing it and letting it fall. Slowing down and speeding up. Also changing directions during the retrieve by switch my rod to the other side of my body. 

@NorthernBasser well, tough to say what water clarity I fish. What I would call my "home" lake Stillhouse is absurdly clear and chock full of timber in some regions. Oh, and dominated by hydrilla. I will broaden to more lakes in TX soon. I have been doing some pretty extensive virtual recon of Lake Brownwood to the West of me. Just based on my past two seasons, I fished all kinds of water clarity and all kinds of cover. For all I know, that might continue to be the case. 

 

Appreciate your tips on working a chatterbait regardless

1 hour ago, LrgmouthShad said:

There is certainly an argument to be made for them being a good night bait too. But other than that... on a straight retrieve if I hit some timber I'm donezo with a chatterbait but still a-okay with a spinnerbait.

Oh boy. That's why Zman made the Project Z weedless. It's the only type I'm able to throw from June through December due to weeds. Here a spinnerbait doesn't get 2ft before it's totally bogged down. My brother had the same mindset as you do, but he finally changed his tune in June when I made him buy a few. Imagine my satisfaction over his astonishment of how they come through everything, especially since he'd resisted for the past 5 years. Some people are so hardheaded. Fish them like a jig, a crankbait, or a spinnerbait and big fish will eat them if you're in the zone. I've never lost one to a snag. Stop being a kitty and try one for 8 bux. You won't burst into flames if you do. I promise.

3 minutes ago, PhishLI said:

Stop being a kitty and try one for 8 bux

Never used a trailer on my spinnerbaits.

Chatter baits get a Zako trailer on it.

I dont buy trailers. I just use what I already have. The only time I add a trailer to a spinnerbait is when I want a little extra weight. A half Dinger will give me about a 1/8th oz boost. Dont use chatterbaits often but when I do a cheap Wal Mart swimbait that I bought a kit of on  clearance has sufficed.

@NorthernBasser nice detailed photos of the chatterbait trailers there. Some of those I haven’t even considered but will in the future. The chatter spike really intrigues me being that it’s elaztech and has more durability to the pack of pike teeth here.

 

My favorite trailer is the rage tail menace. I like to drop and yo-yo my retrieve through vegetation and around docks.

I rarely use a trailer on spinnerbaits, only if I'm getting short strikes and I usually try a trailer hook first.

 

For chatterbaits, I like the Lake Fork Live Magic Shad, 3.8 - 4.8" Keitech fats upside down or the X-Zone Pro Series Swammer. Yum Swim Dingers also work good for a lower profile.

4 hours ago, gimruis said:

@NorthernBasserThe chatter spike really intrigues me being that it’s elaztech and has more durability to the pack of pike teeth here.

 

 

Not sure if you saw my post a while back on them. I didn't realize that they have these 'cuts' in the body like this. Helps give it more action.

 

 

7 minutes ago, NorthernBasser said:

 

Not sure if you saw my post a while back on them. I didn't realize that they have these 'cuts' in the body like this. Helps give it more action.

 

 

I’ve already made up my mind that they are worth a try. Gonna have to wait until next spring now though.

If you haven’t already, grab a pack of switch blades and add your favorite vertical eye swim jig. It helps with the grass and the swim jig pointy head comes through grass pretty well. You still get the thump with them but it’s a little less click on the head.  
 

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Queen_Tackle_Switch_Blades_3pk/descpage-QSB.html

 

 

 

Chatter bait:

It really depends what I'm doing. The chatterbait is by far my most used and consistently producing bait. Saying that, I fish this bait every way possible. For pitching and flipping a chatterbait in shallow brush, I like a rage craw to obviously match craws. For pitching and flipping docs, rip-rap, and other structures that you might pitch that have a high concentration of shad I like a big bite suicide shad. Take into consideration that depending on water color, water temp, or wind, these may change. Sometimes the fish want a chatterbait to be reeled fast and have a slower sink, then i use something with tons of drag. If the fish are very active and feeding I'll throw something that closely resembles the action of the bait that they are chasing. For skipping, I only use one trailer for my chatterbaits, this is a beaver style bait, the obvious reason is because they are very flat. And finally for covering water quickly, purely trying to get a reaction strike, I'll throw a suicide shad. But mainly the thing to remeber is to do trial and error for whatever specific situation you are in and find out what those fish really want, lots of drag or barely any.

 

Spinnerbaits:

I have no clue, they're useless in my opinion. I can do more with a chatterbait and get the same fish to bite.

On 10/20/2023 at 8:53 PM, NorthernBasser said:

This one is a winner.  The size, profile and plastic density helps doesnt make the bait rise like some other trailers.  Another good is A3s crazy tail shad.  Its like a thinner Hf pintail if it were elaztech.  

I REALLY want to try a SwimOn with the Minimax!! Those who've used it, do you prefer over Zako or do you use in addition to? 

 

I've used this Decoy Zero Dan Flash Offset with much success. It's basically a bladed Jika Rig (Full disclosure: I'm a big Jika Rig fan). And with the EWG (I use the #1 hook), it's as weedless and snag proof as you can find. Use it like a Jika or swim it like a chatterbait. 

 

That being said, I still LOVE the Minimax and look to throw it at every opportunity. The only problem is the cost and my fishing areas can be snaggy. $12 for a lost lure is no joke to me! 😢

There is a school of thought that says using any sort of soft plastic as a trailer on a spinner bait helps a bass suck in the spinner bait taking it better and give the bass something more substantial to bite down on (i.e. soft plastic trailer) . If it gives you a second more time and helps the bass take the spinner bait better - then I'm all in with a soft plastic trailer !

There is a school of thought that says using any sort of soft plastic as a trailer on a spinner bait helps a bass suck in the spinner bait taking it better and give the bass something more substantial to bite down on (i.e. soft plastic trailer) . If it gives you a second more time and helps the bass take the spinner bait better - then I'm all in with a soft plastic trailer !

7 hours ago, ChrisD46 said:

There is a school of thought that says using any sort of soft plastic as a trailer on a spinner bait helps a bass suck in the spinner bait taking it better and give the bass something more substantial to bite down on (i.e. soft plastic trailer) . If it gives you a second more time and helps the bass take the spinner bait better - then I'm all in with a soft plastic trailer !

There is a school of thought that says using any sort of soft plastic as a trailer on a spinner bait helps a bass suck in the spinner bait taking it better and give the bass something more substantial to bite down on (i.e. soft plastic trailer) . If it gives you a second more time and helps the bass take the spinner bait better - then I'm all in with a soft plastic trailer !

I agree that needed saying twice, LOL. I use a spunk shad. While it does provide slight movement it mostly provides bulk and weight. This really helps when I downsize to a smaller bait and need the casting distance and a little more weight for accuracy while pitching a spinnerbait. I am also in the camp that the added bulk helps with the bass engulfing the bait. 

Everybody and their brother throw spinnerbaits around here so I usually stay away from them.  For a bladed jig I believe you want a trailer that doesn't have "much" action.  Too much action will take away from the blades action.   I usually use a Manns Classic Spinnerbait trailer.   I believe a Zoom Split tail is the same basic trailer.   

I thought I’d be the first to say this, but I’m definitely not… the 4” Fluke. Great trailer. 
 

I’ve also had success with a Keitech swing impact that’s had the paddle tail ripped off. The tails rip off all the time and using it tail-less as a trailer is a great way to give it another use. 

Zako ~ has been berry berry good to me. 

A-Jay

I use nothing but Zako paddle tail.