What does a Chatterbait do that a Spinnerbait can't do better? 2024
tcbass reply :
So I bought some Zman Chatterbaits last year and didn't get a bite. I was determined to catch something this year. It's the end of the season for me so the other day may have been my last day out. We went out and I told my friend that I wanted to catch a fish on this lure and that I hadn't had any luck with it all last year.
Well, 1st cast I caught a small bass which was pretty cool. After that, nothing. But I did get caught up on weeds a lot, in places that a spinnerbait would have been able to rip through or gone through without getting hung up as much.
So, what does a Chatterbait do that a Spinnerbait can't because I can't see a time when I would want to run a Chatterbait over a Spinnerbait?
A-Jay reply :
I am a vibrating jig user & abuser.
I also throw a spinnerbait quite a bit, however I'm looking for the vibrating jig to do 'less'.
What I mean by that is, by using a model vibrating jig that has a painted blade (insert Z-Man Jackhammer),
I can usually run these baits low & slow, while still getting a decent vibration & action with out so much flash.
Granted I could opt for painted spinnerbait blades, but I've not experienced any where near the success with them.
Finally, I am also always fishing a vibrating jig around some type of vegetation.
While certainly not in the thickest slop, but in & around some medium to lighter bottom weeds.
YMMV
A-Jay
MIbassyaker reply :
Two advantages that I notice, both situational:
1. The greater vibration of a bladed jigs give additional and valuable feedback when fishing around certain kinds of vegetation... I can tell better when I'm starting to hang and need to rip, and I can tell better when I get a subtle strike.
2. People often talk about preferring bladed jigs in murky water because of the vibration, but I prefer them in clear, calm water over spinnerbaits, where flashing blades may just be too much. I also seem to be able to fish them slower than spinnerbaits.
MickD reply :
If the fish want it slow, the chatterbaits easily allow you to give them slow. I've found them very effective in shallow areas for LMB, if the vegetation allows them. I've not found them as effective on SMB.
WRB reply :
I am not a fan of Chatter/bladed jigs and prefer spinnerbaits. However I consider them 2 very different lures. Chatter baits are a noisy lures with little blade flash, spinnerbaits are a quite lure with a lot of blade flash and water displacement with a wide range of blades availble in serval sizes.
Chatter/blade baits to me are a choice where crankbaits can't go easily. My preference is Scrounger jig or crank bait over a chatter/blade bait. If lots of baitfish are attracting bass then a spinnerbait shines.
The Chatter/blade bait that worked for was Karu Vibrashock with a football head that was sent to me try out about 10 years ago before ZMan bought the Chatter bait patent.
Tom
The Bassman reply :
Never understood the comparison of a chatterbait to a spinnerbait. I see them as not having any real similarity. To me a chatterbait can both serve as a jig or a crankbait depending how it's retrieved. I like to let mine drop a little then give it a light jerk then vary the retrieve. Sometimes I let it drop and it gets bit on the fall. I caught a nice one around 4 lbs. this afternoon doing just that. You really can't do that with most spinnerbaits. Strike King used to make a short arm for drop fishing.
zell_pop1 reply :
I catch more bass on short arm colorado blade spinnerbaits than chatterbaits or double bladed spinnerbaits. Most people only use them in black for night fishing and I think that is a big mistake. Having said that at times the chatter bait is what they want just have to experiment.
JediAmoeba reply :
Chatterbaits to me are far superior at night. I get less misses than I do with a spinnerbait at night.
Big Rick reply :
Chatter baits get hung up WAY more than spinnerbaits.....
On a side note, it appears the patent for the blade mounted directly to the jig head has expired. I am seeing copies all over now with the blade directly mounted to the jig tie.
Bird reply :
I have several variations of the chatterbait and much prefer the black/blue with painted blade but it falls well short of the spinnerbait for overall effectiveness......if that's what your asking.
Chatterbait will land some good fish though.
Bluebasser86 reply :
Bladed jigs are more similar to squarebill than they are a spinnerbait IMO, at least that's more how I fish them and the bait they've basically replaced. Not a lot of flash, but a good vibration. A bit of a more natural profile versus a spinnerbait. Easier to fish in grass than a spinnerbait since the blade doesn't spin and get bound up and can usually be ripped free of all but the heaviest grass.
I like to fish both, but on a majority of days the bladed jig is far going to outproduce the spinnerbait for me. Clear water, heavy wood cover, and cold water (below 45*) are times when a spinnerbait will outshine the bladed jig typically.
A-Jay reply :
All very interesting responses here so far.
While the vibrating jig has come on strong relatively recently, it's actually in it's infancy stage when compared to the spinnerbait. Despite some disagreement about who may have really marketed the first spinnerbaits that started the craze, many bass fishing historians believe that the overhead clothes pin design first came on the scene sometime in the 1940’s; and built momentum into the 1950's. That's quite a head start. So we may still have a lot to learn about the vibrating jig.
Admittedly, I've only been throwing the thing for perhaps 3 seasons now and I went mostly fishless with it the whole first one. I have many years on the water with a spinnerbait in my hand and I'm still learning.
Where the OP was looking for what one bait can do that perhaps the other one can not ?
There may not be much but for me the one characteristic that sticks out is speed.
I can burn the heck out of a spinnerbait - just under the surface and it's killer !
Conversely, I can really crawl a vibrating just on or even just off the bottom - and that's been very good as well: especially early & late season.
A-Jay
Glenn reply :
Different tools that have similar uses. Both have their merits, and are better than the other depending on the conditions.
Kinda like arguing an open-end wrench is better than a crescent wrench and vice versa.
stratoliner92 reply :
More vibration in dirty water gets me more bites. Also like ripping it over the top of grass on flats.
MassYak85 reply :
I generally fish spinnerbaits faster or when the fish are looking for that flash. Chatterbaits I like more fishing slower, or on hard bottom where I can hop them like a jig. I treat spinnerbaits like an all-terrain-vehicle of bass fishing and will throw them around ANY type of cover cause they are very good at coming through pretty much anything. Chatterbaits not so much but if I ma fishing more open water or flats with less cover I might try a chatterbait. If they want neither I try a swimjig or crank. I usually try and dial in one of those four lure types as my go-to search bait of the day to gauge their interest level. Doesn't always work out that way though.
Big Rick reply :
On 9/28/2019 at 9:09 AM, A-Jay said:So we may still have a lot to learn about the vibrating jig.
This is so true. In just a few short years there have been several "sub-species" of bladed jig come out the really shine in one area that the others generally fail in. Like speed, for instance. Some types will blow out when you really crank on them. Yet the Jackhammer will run true no matter how fast you crank it, at least in my experience. And speaking of Jackhammer, due to a slight difference in the blade and how it relates to the head this bladed jig has a very unique vibration that has caught me more fish than all the other in my box combined. And this is just scratching the surface of the differences in even the bladed jig community.
Now that it appears that Z-Mans patent has expired we will see a TON of new innovations on the bladed jig in the coming years because this bait is definitely a winner and therefore will continue to be improved to drive sales of "new" variations, colors, sizes and blade types. And I'm not even going to try to delve into the Booyah Melee with it's totally different approach on the blade position..
primetime reply :
I still have not truly figured out the chatterbait, so I would say it is not an easy lure to fish if just chucking and winding which is basically what I do with a spinnerbait. I find chatterbaits better in weeds and try to rip it out similar to how you would fish a trap or squarebill, so it is more weedless. With Spinnerbaits, I kind of keep it simple and because I have been using them since a kid, I like to simply cast and reel or bulge along weedlines and structure or bump and run it, and it is easier to use in my mind as I don't feel the trailer makes a huge difference.
I find with a spinnerbait, If I try to put on a bigger trailer or soft bait, it gets it off balance, so I stick with the basics like split tails, small ribbon tail, or grubs.
One thing I notice with a Chatterbait, is the trailer is often the difference, and using a fluke vs. Swimbait, vs. Creature bait gives it a completely different action. I have caught fish using a fluke which gives it a large profile aggressive action and then some days I would only get bit using something without action like a critter craw or Salt craw.
One thing I like to do is color the blades black or sand them down to take away the flash. I feel like the flash is often too much in shallow water or near surface in areas I often fish. I actually catch most of my fish either at night simply waking it near the surface or letting it tick weeds with a stop and go almost like swimming a jig basically. The one trailer that I always have confidence in is the Lake Fork Segmented swimbait without a boot tail, or a 4" Finesse worm which for some reason works well for me.
I guess my point is Chatterbaits take time to learn and are not always easy to fish since they still catch weeds where you want to fish them often, and ripping out of grass etc. is not always easy. Guys that catch big fish down here on chatterbaits fish them with big boot tails and use them as a main tactic since the water is stained. In muddy water they are really good cause easy to find.
I plan on putting in more time this year to get more confidence. They certainly work extremely well for bigger fish and the bigger fish are usually in nasty places or deep which makes them harder to fish imo.
PhishLI reply :
I can't fish spinnerbaits in my spots at this time. Even if I find a few open lanes, one rub past weeds with algae on them and the blades foul instantly. On the other hand, I can throw chatterbaits here with far less pain than a spinnerbait. I can clear the veggies most of the time where it would be impossible with a spinnerbait. Wednesday I was targeting stands of weeds that were just poking through the water about 40ft off shore. I'd overshoot by 20ft and would slow roll it right in. Got a bunch of good bites and lost one 4 pounder. It ran, came back, did a full jump then spit. I couldn't convert any bites, but was satisfied that I got some action. Went back the next day under nearly identical weather conditions, but got blanked on the chatter. Got blanked on everything else too.
All of that said, I treat a chatterbait like a crankbait that's far more weedless than a treble bait. I can slow roll it on the bottom with a less resistive trailer or add a boot tail which allows it to be slow rolled higher in the water column. I can pitch it and let it drop. The best thing about it is that I can throw it much closer to heavy grass where they're hiding during the day without ending up blowing up the spot like I would with a crank if I get caught up. One plus about a chatterbait: They really try to kill it. The bites are intense.
ChrisD46 reply :
On 9/28/2019 at 7:36 AM, The Bassman said:Never understood the comparison of a chatterbait to a spinnerbait. I see them as not having any real similarity. To me a chatterbait can both serve as a jig or a crankbait depending how it's retrieved. I like to let mine drop a little then give it a light jerk then vary the retrieve. Sometimes I let it drop and it gets bit on the fall. I caught a nice one around 4 lbs. this afternoon doing just that. You really can't do that with most spinnerbaits. Strike King used to make a short arm for drop fishing.
*Probably better to compare a vibrating jig to a swim jig ...
tcbass reply :
On 9/29/2019 at 12:10 AM, PhishLI said:I can't fish spinnerbaits in my spots at this time. Even if I find a few open lanes, one rub past weeds with algae on them and the blades foul instantly. On the other hand, I can throw chatterbaits here with far less pain than a spinnerbait. I can clear the veggies most of the time where it would be impossible with a spinnerbait. Wednesday I was targeting stands of weeds that were just poking through the water about 40ft off shore. I'd overshoot by 20ft and would slow roll it right in. Got a bunch of good bites and lost one 4 pounder. It ran, came back, did a full jump then spit. I couldn't convert any bites, but was satisfied that I got some action. Went back the next day under nearly identical weather conditions, but got blanked on the chatter. Got blanked on everything else too.
All of that said, I treat a chatterbait like a crankbait that's far more weedless than a treble bait. I can slow roll it on the bottom with a less resistive trailer or add a boot tail which allows it to be slow rolled higher in the water column. I can pitch it and let it drop. The best thing about it is that I can throw it much closer to heavy grass where they're hiding during the day without ending up blowing up the spot like I would with a crank if I get caught up. One plus about a chatterbait: They really try to kill it. The bites are intense.
Why does a crankbait ruin a spot? The way it lands?
Pickle_Power reply :
On 9/29/2019 at 11:05 PM, tcbass said:
Why does a crankbait ruin a spot? The way it lands?
I think he meant that getting a crankbait caught up in 5 lbs of salad will spook the fish in the area.
Dens228 reply :
On 9/30/2019 at 12:18 AM, Pickle_Power said:I think he meant that getting a crankbait caught up in 5 lbs of salad will spook the fish in the area.
I concur.
Koz reply :
Both the chatterbait and spinnerbait hold prominent places in my arsenal. One thing that I like about the chatterbait is its versatility. I can drag it or hop it along the bottom, use a straight retrieve, or give it a rip and have it change direction. Also, by varying the weight of the trailer I can change the fall rate and skirt action on the fall.
If I put a trailer on a spinnerbait it's usually a Keitech Swing Impact, but with a chatterbait I've had success with paddletails, craws, and creatures.
Each has it's time and place, but in the spring I rely more on the spinnerbait and the rest of the year I rely more on the chatterbait.
PhishLI reply :
On 9/30/2019 at 12:18 AM, Pickle_Power said:I think he meant that getting a crankbait caught up in 5 lbs of salad will spook the fish in the area.
That's exactly what I meant. I don't believe that dragging a vegetable mop through the area I'm targeting will help my cause. The grass is still so rediculously dense at my primary spots that certain large sections are barely fishable. The picture below is 2 weeks old. It's actually worse now.
tcbass reply :
On 9/30/2019 at 1:14 AM, PhishLI said:That's exactly what I meant. I don't believe that dragging a vegetable mop through the area I'm targeting will help my cause. The grass is still so rediculously dense at my primary spots that certain large sections are barely fishable. The picture below is 2 weeks old. It's actually worse now.
Ah. Ic.
How does topwater work there?
Tim Kelly reply :
Spinnerbaits don't skip well, so a chatterbait can get you much further into trouble, if you need to.
PhishLI reply :
On 9/30/2019 at 1:16 AM, tcbass said:
Ah. Ic.
How does topwater work there?
They haven't touched a frog since the dragonfly mating ended. But for a while they were very willing on certain days. The trouble is that bending the hooks enough to get a good hookset also means that I'm contantly reeling back grass. Leaving the hooks in a more weedless postion means far fewer hooksets. Like embarrassingly fewer hooksets. Lots of screaming "NOooooo!"..."Whyyyyyy!"....
tcbass reply :
On 9/30/2019 at 1:41 AM, PhishLI said:They haven't touched a frog since the dragonfly mating ended. But for a while they were very willing on certain days. The trouble is that bending the hooks enough to get a good hookset also means that I'm contantly reeling back grass. Leaving the hooks in a more weedless postion means far fewer hooksets. Like embarrassingly fewer hooksets. Lots of screaming "NOooooo!"..."Whyyyyyy!"....
Looks a lot like where we fish.
We fish Whopper Frogs (Booyah Padcrashers) and do well. We don't bend hooks out since it might not be as dense as where you fish. You might want to give it a try! The Whopper Frog has just really produced better than the regular hollow body frog for us and doesn't get hung up as much.
Columbia Craw reply :
Provide a side to side wobble with a subtle flash.
primetime reply :
On 9/30/2019 at 1:14 AM, PhishLI said:That's exactly what I meant. I don't believe that dragging a vegetable mop through the area I'm targeting will help my cause. The grass is still so rediculously dense at my primary spots that certain large sections are barely fishable. The picture below is 2 weeks old. It's actually worse now.
I would be throwing a Zoom Speed worm on top of those weeds and add a light bullet weight to the front maybe 1/16-3/16 to let it fall into some holes after swimming it for a stretch for any followers or to see if they are underneath and not committing. You could swim any plastic like a Paddle tail swimbait, Gambler EZ, Rage Craw, Horny Toad and play around with different profiles or actions until you find where the fish are concentrated.
Once you get some strikes, I would focus on that area and work it slower by pitching a soft bait, Senko, or working a hollow body toad slowly since you can let it soak and sit still. That looks to sloppy for me to be using anything but a weedless plastic of some sort. Just keep the rod high and you don't need a weight on some of the heavier buzzing or swimming plastics so keep the rod high and you will avoid all the slime and accumulation of weeds on line.
I like those pockets in the back where you have the green Pads growing well. That looks like most of the marshes and swamps I fish around here. Depending on depth and bottom composition, Pitching a soft bait on heavier weight once you find them even if in the heaviest stuff would be worth it. Find some hard bottom and you should be good to go. Place looks good.
Koz reply :
On 9/30/2019 at 1:14 AM, PhishLI said:That's exactly what I meant. I don't believe that dragging a vegetable mop through the area I'm targeting will help my cause. The grass is still so rediculously dense at my primary spots that certain large sections are barely fishable. The picture below is 2 weeks old. It's actually worse now.
I'd throw a Booyah frog or a Teckel Sprinker Frog out there.
moguy1973 reply :
I've found that if it's a really windy day it's a lot easier to throw a chatterbait. Spinner baits will catch the wind and and can't be thrown as far typically, especially if you are casting into the wind.
Catching though, I've caught fish on both and both have their place.
Yeajray231 reply :
Wow this thread jumped way off track ????.
Chatterbait vs spinnerbait
And how I'd attack floating vegetation
What do you guys think goes best on chicken wings ? I think a medium buffalo but sometimes I get conditioned to the heat so I just take a nice honey BBQ. Ya know. Gotta keep me guessin.
MIbassyaker reply :
On 9/30/2019 at 9:40 AM, primetime said:I would be throwing a Zoom Speed worm on top of those weeds and add a light bullet weight to the front maybe 1/16-3/16 to let it fall into some holes after swimming it for a stretch for any followers or to see if they are underneath and not committing. You could swim any plastic like a Paddle tail swimbait, Gambler EZ, Rage Craw, Horny Toad and play around with different profiles or actions until you find where the fish are concentrated.
YES. ???? ????????
tcbass reply :
On 10/6/2019 at 1:43 PM, Yeajray231 said:Wow this thread jumped way off track ????.
Chatterbait vs spinnerbait
And how I'd attack floating vegetation
What do you guys think goes best on chicken wings ? I think a medium buffalo but sometimes I get conditioned to the heat so I just take a nice honey BBQ. Ya know. Gotta keep me guessin.
They tend to do that sometimes. lol
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