Hey guys! I have been writing monthly articles and I figured it wouldn't hurt to post them on here. Hope you find some useful info here.
"Bladed Jig Basics"

If you happened to follow the Bassmaster Elite Series tournament results this year, you noticed that one lure dominated the first few events of the season. We had an unusually cold spring across most of the country, and this very effective cold-water lure stepped back into the limelight. I'm talking about bladed swim jigs, or �chatterbaits�. A chatterbait can be one of the toughest lures to gain confidence in because you don't get a lot of bites on it. It's more of a quality over quantity compromise.

The chatterbait became wildly popular for the first few years of its existence. Tournament anglers and guides were clamoring to get their hands on them as huge tournament stringers were coming out of bodies of water like Lake Okeechobee and the California Delta as a result of this bait. Then, it wasn't long until you just didn't hear that much about them anymore. Those of us here on Lake Fork know that the chatterbait never lost it's big fish appeal.

One thing about the chatterbait that I cannot fully explain is it's ability to trigger strikes from big fish... Really big fish. I have seen quite a few 9 and 10 pound fish caught on this lure. It definitely is not the technique for catching under the slot tournament fish, however. I believe there is something to the vibration of the bait that intimidates small bass, but triggers bigger fish to attack.

I like to throw a chatterbait in colder water, but it can work great during the summer as well. I prefer to fish it in stained or off-colored water because it just seems a little too gaudy in clear water. Wind blown areas where fish should be active, or where surface clarity is broken up are good areas to look for, but I have caught plenty of fish on it when there was no wind at all. The presence of aquatic vegetation such as hydrilla is always a huge bonus, although fish will still eat them in areas where there isn't any grass at all.

Bladed swim jigs are most commonly thought of as a shallow water presentation, but this year some heavy models have emerged to fish on deeper, offshore structure. For fishing cold water on Lake Fork, the 3/8 ounce and � ounce models cover all the bases. A 3/8 ounce chatterbait is perfect for depths down to 4ft, and the � ounce size is great for fishing down to 8ft or when implementing a faster retrieve.

The most important part of the a chatterbait in my opinion, is the type of trailer you add to the lure. The original chaterbaits come with a twin tail trailer that may work fine, but there are some better options out there. I like to use a Swimming Senko, a LFT Swimming Slug, or a LFT Live Magic Shad. I know fisherman who have good results using Super Flukes or Sweet Beavers as well. I have seen many occasions in my guiding experience where the trailer choice made all the difference.

Rod, reel, and line choice are also very important when it comes to this technique. I prefer to use a 7ft medium/heavy rod with a fast tip. Its important not to go too heavy in my opinion because you don't want to take the lure from the fish when they hit. If I use a real stiff rod I feel like I miss a few I should have caught. A 6.4:1 ratio reel is my choice because it has a medium speed retrieve. With high speed reels it can be difficult to slow the bait down enough, and a slow speed reel doesn't take up enough slack on hookset. As for line, 15 pound fluorocarbon is what I prefer because it allows the bait to have more action and will let it fall a little faster. I will step up to 20 pound fluorocarbon in heavy timber. The fluorocarbon is important because it has a much more sensitive feel to it, and you need to feel the blade �chattering�, even at super slow retrieves.

Hopefully this information gives you some ideas to try this winter as you fish. There was a time I had zero confidence in bladed swim jigs. For the longest time I just couldn't seem to get a bite on one. However, because I listened to some wiser fishermen the chatterbait has become one of my favorites.

Thanks,

Nice article and thank you for posting it on here, I doubt I would have read it otherwise. I was almost bankrupt after it first came out as every one of them I fished would wind up hung in a tree and forever lost.

I didn't give up on it and have had some fantastic trips because this lure produced when nothing else would work.

I'm beginning to like them more and more. Thanks for the tips!

Do you usually cast past a target and hope to get a strike as you come by the target? Such as standing timber in 10-15ft? Does the strike come at the timber in this case or will they chase when the water is colder?

Agree on all counts. This thing can produce on days when bites on other lures are hard to come by.

Great article Andrew!

I don't usually throw it that deep. Right now, because we don't have grass up north where I fish for prespawn fish in the winter, I target stumps primarily in 8' or less. I cast past the stumps and reel it just enough to feel the chatter. The bite usually comes as it passes the stump. You get hung up a lot but its worth it.

Thanks

Thanks for posting this, I haven't fished this bait much, but starting to.
Good tips on the trailers too, that may have been my problem.
Will try a different one, for sure.

Great report, thanks for sharing.

Thanks for posting. I have zero confidence in them. I tried them last week in 30' water. They wouldn't touch a spoon or the chatterbait. I'll keep at it. When fishing in shallow water, I throw them for a while, then end up picking up my square bill rig. I think I need to catch a few to gain some confidence...

Good read, thanks for sharing!

Andrew, thanks for the info.. I'm a newbie to chatterbait fishing. You didn't mention any color recommendations.. what is your take on color?

thanks
BD

I use solid white in murky water, or Bluegill with a watermelon trailer in clear water or spring time. In more clear water I try to go with a more translucent skirt color.

Great article Andrew.