chatterbaits

Never thrown a chatterbait before and was looking at getting a couple. Any recommendations on a good brand and colors? Thanks.

z-mann works and is less expensive than the elite series ones. I prefer throwing just watermelon or green pumpkin with a matching swimming super fluke Jr as a trailer.

Z-mann... Anything white, chart, white/chart, chart/white and black/blue works good. I like the 3/8 oz over the 1/2 oz.

Buy some phenix vibration jigs from tackle warehouse and go nuts. Bluegill colors, white/black and white/chartreuse are my go to colors

white/chart is the king for me right now

Check out the CrazyJig at www.nutechlures.com

Great reliable bait, puts off insane vibration and has awesome action.
And I'm not just saying this to promote my sponsor, it really is a great chatterbait.
I prefer white/chrt

my biggest fish came on one but I think I coulda caught it on a spinner just as easy... I hate them, I cant EVER catch numbers on it big flipping tease... 6 fish and I have given it its fair shot...

Me too, chart/white or just white. Original Z Man chatter. They just catch fish.

I had the same opinion until this past winter and early spring. I made it my mission to gain some confidence in it, and 4 or 5 good trips with a chatter bait certainly did that. While I did have a few trips where I caught good numbers on it, it was mainly the size of the fish that impressed me. I caught a 9.5, 8.5, and a handful of 5's and 6's. Like with most "big fish" baits, you might not catch as many, but they should be quality.

I've had most success with the Z Man Elite, but have also liked the Phenix Vibrating Jig. I've done well with it around docks and ripping it out of grass. Very little luck if not throwing to some kind of cover.

Spend the extra bucks and get the Zman with 5/0 gammy hooks, you can thank me later.

Personally don't like the original Z-man ones, hooks suck plain and simply.


There are lots of guys making them (not too many companies since Z-man sues quickly)

Can't go wrong with Z-man.

Pumpkin, black, chart. & white, you get the picture.

Chatterbaits are definitely not numbers baits. Your biggest bass came on one for a reason.

I have been fishing a lot of ultra light stuff the past year and a half. Yesterday I broke out my heavier rod/reel combo and tied on a 1/4oz black and blue chatterbait. Fished several ponds that still have very stained water. Sprayed some shad scent on the lure. I took 4 bass up to 5 lbs and 9 mud cats in the 2-3.5 lb range. The mud cats hit harder than the bass. I would stick with the smallest size which I think is 1/4 oz. The larger sizes have hooks that are a bit large for my preference.

Chatterbaits can totally be a numbers bait if you know how to fish them! I've had several days where I have caught anywhere from 15-20 on chatterbaits. Well I say chatterbaits but my go to is a Strike King Rage Blade with the skirt off and a swimbait trailer behind it. Bass love it!

I fish a LOT and was in college then and could fish a lot more.... I call bs, I hit that bait off a stick, I am confident that I would have caught it; swimming a jig, spinner bait, or a square bill... 90% of the time they get hung up bumping timber... I'm out on them rather throw the swimjig or a spinner bait... I'm kinda out on them... maybe i'll get my butt handed to me on one and be forced to learn but until then I'm out

I'll volunteer to give Catslayer the chatterbait whippin

You haven't fished in so long you don't know what end of the rod to hold


edit: ps pat is PLUM FULL

And chocolate milk. Ate at the golf course today.

And for your info, I caught fish a couple weekends ago. They just had teeth and liked salt

I haven't had anything pull a big fish off a bed like a Chatterbait will. And I pitch them just like jigs around brush and stumps. If they don't hit on the fall they will hit it after just a few cranks. Very versatile bait.

D&M Pirahna Beast



I have good luck with these.

jakked baits makes a very nice chatter bait work awesome and have a great hook. If you can some original phenix chatter baits buy them they work really well as well.

Alex finch at finch nasty baits makes a great chatterbait I don't fish chatterbaits that much but the few times I have this year was his and caught a 4.8 and had another 7-8lber on over 18' of water that came up and smashed it. It has great vibration and strong hooks and a great looking profile. They are worth checking out and you are helping a local TFF'er.

http://www.finchnastybaitco.com/

Thank you for the kind words. I love it when I hear stories about catches or see pictures. I'm still making every one of them in-house, even if it means I'm up until midnight...or later. My website pictures were not taken by a professional photographer, so they leave something to be desired. If you have an opportunity to go to Lake Fork or Fun N'Sun in Hurst, I think you will have a different appreciation for some of the colors we've put together. On that note, Lake Fork Trophy Lures in Emory carries an exclusive line of colors that aren't on the website. And I gotta tell you, I wish I could sell them directly, because they did an incredible job on their custom selections.

As far as colors go, this time of year I like the Sun Perch, Bar Fish, Sexy American Shad, LFT Sun Perch, and LFT Albino/Melon. I also love White/Chartreuse and it seems everyone else does too, because they are on back order until mid-May.

Probably my only bait I fish at night is a black blue chatterbait normally with a berkely crazy legs chigger craw and hold on tight. It can be something else slow rolled along the bank

For brands I have done well with the D&M piranha's, SK pure poison and Rage blade and the phoenix baits both before and after the split rings were added. For trailers, the 5" single tail grub, such as those that come with the D&M baits are my most productive trailers. I also like KVD swim'n'shiners, yum swimmin' dingers and havoc devil spears. If I am doing a lot of lift and drop style retrieves I may go to a rage craw or twin tail grub. I avoid swimbaits that have a hard wobble in the head like a fat swing impact as the chatterbait will mess up its natural action and therefore mess up the tail action. The swim'n'shiner or keitech easy shiner types just have tail thump and their natural action compliment the chatterbait's action very well. For colors, my all time producer is black and blue with a nickel blade. I also like the chart./white with gold blade, all white with white blade and green pumpkin with any color blade. In the spring I will get into some with red/black craw patterns as well.

I agree with many of the comments here that these baits can be very frustrating if not confusing at times. They don't seem to be the kind of lure that is always going to catch a few, but when they are dialed in on them, they can be "the deal" no doubt about it.

I catch more numbers with white Zman with the trailer that comes with the package! 1/2oz is my favorite size. Doesn't matter the water color. Fished Arlington two weekends ago and it was pure milk....caught plenty. I fish it like a squarebill...crank 3x and pause, repeat....I like to flip it into deeper docks/marinas as well...

I've also had a ton of success with the version made by Jigs4bass....gold blades and different color skirts. I usually put on a fluke or craw for a trailer with that.

Can't go wrong with a chatterbait at all

I like the D&M version(piranha). The vibrate better IMO. But they are not allowed to make them the same way anymore. Z-man has the patent to attaching the blade directly to the jig head. So all vibrating jigs that are not Z-man have to add a swivel between the head and blade. Which from what I have been told affects the action. You can still find the original D&M, if you look hard enough, only because they are trying to get rid of them.

I guess I am just one of the few that just can't get bit on a chatterbait. I have caught 1 bass on it, 1 sand bass on it, and lots of stumps on it.