Just as the name says. I want to learn this thing. Yep, TylersReelFishing has once again planted a lure seed. He does well with them cranking them slow at the bottom. From watching him, he uses them more like a spinnerbait than a jig, but I know they kinda can be used like a jig.

 

I also know that there are some here that detest the things. I want to hear from you too. Also, how popular are they? I mean.. do they fall under some people's radar? Or are they the popular lure whereas spinnerbaits have fell out of favor?

 

I'd never heard of them until about 2 years ago when someone I was talking to at the lake suggested using one on the riprap.

20 minutes ago, Bazoo said:

Or are they the popular lure whereas spinnerbaits have fell out of favor?

 

I think in some locales they've been over used and fish have become pressured by them.  I know for a fact that some anglers have basically stopped using spinnerbaits and use these instead.  For that reason, I think spinnerbaits have been more effective in recent memory because the fish haven't seen them as much.  I use both, quite frequently.

 

The advantage a CB has is that you can fish it slower and deeper than a spinnerbait.  In colder water, this is a big advantage.  Just a few degrees in the fall makes an enormous difference for me.

 

I would buy one, try it, and then decide if it's something you would use and whether it would be effective.  There's lots of brands and colors out there to choose from.

I was one of those who detested a bladed jig, couldn't get a sniff.

Fished a lake last year that had stained water and couldn't keep the fish off of it.

 

I'm no expert with this bait but did start to grow fond off it after it started to produce.

I throw it almost exactly like a spinnerbait. 

Comes through grass quite well and entices a bite around wood like a spinnerbait.

I use 1/4 3/8 and 1/2 with various trailers and colors.

 

I have one tied on 100% of the time. It’s one of my biggest confidence baits and it catches numbers and big fish. My biggest fish ever submitted in a kayak tournament was on one of my homemade blue bladed jigs. About the only places I don’t like them are open water or heavy timber.

At first I didn't have any luck with bladed jigs, because I fished them to fast.  They felt like a square bill when I retrieved them, so I fished them fast  with lots of jerks, and pauses like I did a square bill.  At a a fast retrieve the vibration feels great but it seems to be to much for the bass.

 

Once I started reeling them with a slower steady retrieve just fast enough to feel a good mild thump, adding just a few mild rod twitches and pauses, I started catching not only lots of bass, but bigger than average ones. 

They’re one of the baits that I just never think about.
I have a few and been fairly successful but then I forget about them again. 
 I always feel there are better choices to be made for me and the majority of the waters I fish. 
 

Now that said, I have no doubt those things can be deadly in certain conditions with few exceptions.
 @Bluebasser86 and others on here are masters of them 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

Here's a comprehensive video about chatterbaits:

 

 

Chatterbaits are something I’ve wanted to get confident with for a while, but I just struggle to find a place for them in my lineup that wouldn’t better be served by a spinnerbait or a jig, two of my most confident baits. 

I see the damage done by some folks on here with chatterbaits. I’ve never been able to recreate their success to any degree. Maybe I need to accept @DogBone_384’s 1 Lure Challenge and leave everything but the bladed jig at home. 

8 hours ago, Jar11591 said:

Chatterbaits are something I’ve wanted to get confident with for a while, but I just struggle to find a place for them in my lineup that wouldn’t better be served by a spinnerbait or a jig, two of my most confident baits. 

I see the damage done by some folks on here with chatterbaits. I’ve never been able to recreate their success to any degree. Maybe I need to accept @DogBone_384’s 1 Lure Challenge and leave everything but the bladed jig at home. 

Spinnerbaits not doubt are a killer bait.

But letting them sink a bit in soft cover can find the blades getting a little bogged down with weed which usually makes that cast ineffective.

This bait is at it's HIGHEST POWER (at least for me) when I can deliberately run it slow enough to find the bottom get a little bogged down and then just ever so gently, pop it out and continue the retrieve.

Bites come soon after or even immediately after the pop and as soon as it continues on it's way.

Perhaps think of it as a jig that you fish like a moving bait.

Folks that struggle with it IMO, are often fishing it too fast and too shallow.

I say you're missing out on something that's effective and a wicked fun bite.

Good Luck.

A-Jay

 

 

I think everyone above covered it off pretty well.  It's just another bait that has a time and place.  For me, that's largely early season when the grass is more sparse and the water chilly.  I'm like Ajay in targetting the bottom.  I'll let it sink on the cast until it hits bottom and then crawl it.  Every now and then kill it and let it sink back down to make sure I'm close to the bottom.  I know a lot of pros do, but I've never had luck throwing one at docks or riprap.  

@A-Jay thanks for the advice. Gonna try this method as soon as my truck is back from the shop and I can take the boat out. I have a dedicated rig for chatterbaits and it’s always in the boat with me. Just a matter of keeping it in my hands. It’s hard to put the spinnerbait rod down sometimes. 

I bought a good 6 or so Jackhammers and have hardly used them.

 

There's just sooooo many lures to choose from these days. Paralysis by analysis.

 

I love spinnerbaits and I'm currently loving swim jigs. Seems like a chatterbaite would be the perfect blend right?

 

Would be so nice if we had 4 arms.   

I appreciate all the insight.

 

I'm not super confident with a spinnerbait, though I have had some success with them. I think that might be one reason I want to learn the bladed jig. 

Another item that I would add here.  They tend to target bigger fish.  I rarely catch 12 inchers on them.  Some of my bigger largemouth have come on them in recent seasons.

1 hour ago, HawkeyeSmallie said:

I love spinnerbaits and I'm currently loving swim jigs. Seems like a chatterbaite would be the perfect blend right?

 

 

Kinda.  Maybe more like if you crossed a lipless crankbait with a swim jig.  A vibrating jig is still a jig, it just had a weird clicky-thump sound to it that's not dissimilar to what a lipless crankbait can put out.  A spinnerbait is a different animal and different sound signature in the water.  

 

While I will never give up my spinnerbaits, I use bladed jigs a lot too.  One thing they do differently than spinnerbaits is that you can get more erratic "hunting" action out of them.  With the right trailer, whenever there is a change is speed (either popping them out of grass or just giving the handle a quick pump every now and then), they will jump off to the side.  Some do it more than others, and I've found a straight tail trailer (spunk shad or similar) top work the best.  Most of my bites are doing this.

 

The other two retrieves I use are straight retrieve (it can work but its so-so) or hopping it off the bottom.  More of a lift and drag than a sharp pop.

I’ve had success with them.  Two things:

first, play around with different retrieves.   I think a lot of folks (myself included) get locked into just burning it back.  Sometimes that works  it a lot of times it doesn’t.

Second, experiment with different sizes.  Most folks where I’m at use the standard bladed jig or bladed jig in 3/8 or 1/2oz and the fish were getting accustomed to them.  So I switched to the mini max with its smaller blade and it got me more bites. 

I never liked fishing them….until I discovered the mini max.

 

Absolute fish catching machines for me. Black/blue or White/Chart minimax with a matching mini spunk shad as a trailer has become my confidence lure. Catches em all big and small.

I too favor Chatterbaits though I much prefer the smaller 1/4oz size.

 

These are really fun to fish and get bit! 

 

Vary your retrieve, change speeds, add in pop and twitches, etc...or just slow roll it. You can also yo-yo it or even fish it just like a jig.

 

Once you feel the blade stop, you're either 1) in grass 2) have a fish. So just give it a firm pop to either shed the grass or set the hook.

 

A preferred trailer is the Spunk Shad.

 

 

13 minutes ago, RRocket said:

Once you feel the blade stop, you're either 1) in grass 2) have a fish. So just give it a firm pop to either shed the grass or set the hook.

 

I've encountered this frequently.  Quite often a hangup on a weed will feel the same as a fish and if you don't give it a good pop you don't get a good hook set.  Then you realize it's a fish and it becomes unbuttoned.  It's not always going to be a violent strike.  The key is vibration of that blade.  Once that stops, then it's time to yank up.

13 minutes ago, gim said:

 

I've encountered this frequently.  Quite often a hangup on a weed will feel the same as a fish and if you don't give it a good pop you don't get a good hook set.  Then you realize it's a fish and it becomes unbuttoned.  It's not always going to be a violent strike.  The key is vibration of that blade.  Once that stops, then it's time to yank up.

Indeed.

 

You (somewhat) fish this the opposite of "normal" tackle. With "normal" tackle, you're setting the hook when you feel "something" (a bite).

 

With the bladed jig, you set the hook when you feel "nothing" (blade not moving).

 

Also..no need to swing for the fences with the hook set. The same motion for freeing the lure from grass is usually sufficient to set the hook.

8 hours ago, Mike L said:

They’re one of the baits that I just never think about.
I have a few and been fairly successful but then I forget about them again. 
 I always feel there are better choices to be made for me and the majority of the waters I fish. 
 

Now that said, I have no doubt those things can be deadly in certain conditions with few exceptions.
 @Bluebasser86 and others on here are masters of them 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

What would be the better choices you would use? 

7 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Folks that struggle with it IMO, are often fishing it too fast and too shallow.

I might amend this to too fast and not close enough to cover. Spinnerbaits will work in open water, but they are far better reeled slow and tight to cover. I believe the cover can act to obstruct a fish’s view of the spinnerbait, enhancing the illusion appeal. 

It was my confidence moving bait for a good while and caught me many nice fish but I sort of adopted the spinnerbait/lipless/swimjig holy trinity and began to use it less - but believe it our not I have a Siebert Fogy in 1/2 oz tied on right now.  It was my favorite moving bait in the dead of summer the year it exploded for me.

 

Did great on rip rap and ledges with grass and rock around.

 

Ive caught plenty of fish around wood on them but it's definitely not good around wood.

 

I definitely think it's best kinda yo yo ing or moving it small increments near the bottom and I feel it is best in that 4-12 ft range.

I made it a goal to learn the bladed jig this year, after trying a few times with no luck over the previous years. It quickly became my favorite lure during the prespawn here in St. Louis. I had the best luck varying the speed of the retrieve during each cast, but didn't find it necessary to jerk or pop it. One thing I noticed early on: some fish would absolutely crush it, but many would just be on there. Many times I thought I was in weeds or had run into a log, but it was a big bass. Anyway it's clear to me now: the bladed jig is an awesome lure and it probably should be part of every bass fisherman's arsenal.