I started fishing chatterbaits 10 years ago or so. The original color was the chartreuse white skirt with a gold blade. I fished this bait with the enclosed trailer for years and caught Plenty of Fish on Fayette.

Since watching various YouTube videos, I have purchased pumpkin green with a Black Blade, blue with a Black Blade, red and black with a Black Blade, and white with a white blade of various models are Chatterbait.

After watching One YouTube video, I added Lake Fork tackle swimming shad two trailers for various baits. I have not noticed any increase in performance.

I fished the big bass tournament at Conroe this past weekend. The North and the lake was muddy. I fished a chartreuse white chatter bait with a gold blade and a chartreuse green Zoom fluke as a trailer and caught 5 fish.

I would appreciate any insight and advice anyone can have in relation to their experiences with chatterbaits and different trailers.

Maybe they didn't want the chatterbait. I think they make all these crazy color combinations because they know we'll buy em. I have 3 chatterbait colors: white/chartreuse, black/blue, and a watermelon. My trailers match the color but i don't really get hooked up on what trailer vibrates more or which company infuses real gold and diamonds into their plastics. I just pick the one I like (currently reaction innovations skinny dipper) and chunk it.. Gerald Swindle said it best, "Fish are stupid. They got little tiny brains." They bite because they're reacting to it or they're hungry.

Just my opinion. Take it for what it's worth.

I killed them last year in a chatterbait chartreuse white gold blade bought a bunch this year and haven't even caught a fish on em. water isn't as muddy this year is all I can think

Typically I like just a swimbait (Reaction Innovations Skinny Dipper) as a trailer. But there are times when I'll use a fluke if the fish don't want a ton of action. Then there are times when using a flappin' craw or double tail grub can be killer; something like that will slow down the bait and keep it tracking true.

One epic day on Monticello a few years ago one late winter/early spring day(warm water Monticello) myself and two friends absolutely killed the bass on Chatterbaits. On several large spawning flats we threw chatterbaits blindly over the areas. We caught sooo many really good bass that day. I had a 4-1/2" LFT Magic Shad I and a 5" Yum Money Minnow both in white. The other two guys had the little white twin-tail trailer that came in some of the Chatterbait packages. They consistently caught almost 2-1 more fish than me all day long but I consistently caught the biggest fish all day. So many 4 to 7 pound all day. It wasn't a one time fluke but consistently all day. Just me but I never throw a chatterbait without at least the slim twin-tailed trailer attached and anytime I feel there is a good chance at a big one I attach a 3-1/2" to 5" swimbait. Magic Shad's are hard to beat as a trailer. I really like the bluegill colors but white is probably consistently as good as it gets.

Bass like shinny. I build mine with Nickle Blades and they are Diamond Dusted. I want it to vibrate at maximum from the blade not the trailer. I use the straight flat twin tail trailer in a contrasting color. The best I have found is the white trailer with the tip of the tails in RED.

I build the Living Rubber Skirts for the weather and lake conditions always using 3 colors. I use the same trailer but dye them for the conditions.
- Light Earth Tones for clear water on a cloudy day. Pale green trailer
- Light colors with one scale pattern for clear water on a sunny day. White/Red tipped trailer.
- Darker Earth Tones for stained water on a cloudy day. Orange Trailer
- White, Chart., one scale pattern for stained water on a sunny day. Chart. trailer/Red Tipped.
- Black, Blue/Black Stripe and White/Black Stripe in Muddy Water. Black/Red Tipped trailer.

Ok so you would likely throw green pumpkin w orange trailer in stained water on overcast day?

Yes or at least, Orange or Red tipped trailer. I just dip the white trailer in the orange dipping dye. They already have the orange tips so the tips come out a little darker which is good for me on a cloudy day.

Fish the color, in which, you have the most confidence. If you catch fish with a chart/white skirt and a nickle blade in muddy water....keep throwing it.....shad/baitfish don't change color in muddy water....bass find them anyway....IMO....

Good call red.....its easy for me to forget what I should be doing and think too much.....i got lost in the rabbit hole of you tube experts and fish guides giving "advice" on what to throw.....

Thanks for everyone's input.....

dull greens and browns work best for me, trying to mimic a shady bluegill.

This past Saturday I fished a sunfish colored Phenix with matching Zako trailer. My partner used black/blue Chatterbait with black/blue Little Dipper and matched me fish for fish.

Just a quick perspective from the manufacturer's side. I offer the Thumper in 20 color combinations. That's a bunch, and at times, a challenge to keep all of the colors in stock. Certain colors tend to work better on specific lakes or at least that is what I've gathered from listening to my customer base over the years. I bet I was asked 100 times last year to add a Bluegill color to the lineup, so this year I did. I have yet to discontinue a color in the Thumper line, because they all seem to be attractive to anglers when you consider all of the conditions fishermen face over the years (water clarity, forage, weather conditions, etc.) and the complexities of different lakes. I've seen some very talented anglers order a variety of colors. I'm pretty sure those guys know what they're doing when it comes to color selection, and figure they're probably doing it to be ready for changing conditions on the lakes they fish.

With that being said, my all-time personal favorite color will probably never change and that is black/blue.

I went with a gold blade due to the dirty water on Conroe. The chartreuse zoom fluke probably helped

I buy only shad and bluegill patterns but I really don't throw a chatterbait much. Those colors seem to do the job though when I do throw one. I will usually put a Rage Swimmer or a Big Bites Cane Thumper on it.