Let’s talk bladed jigs Please.

[Ham]

I have historically had some success with bladed jigs like Chatter baits. Most of this was further south where there is more flooded cover and aquatic grasses. 

I’m going to try to force fed them to Bass since I have flooded bushes st BSL. 

I primarily have 3/8 oz and 1/2 oz baits. I like dark colors for heavily stained waters, Bluegill colored ones for Post Spawn, and I have some shaddish colored ones. 

I’m using paddle tail swim baits for trailers mostly, but I have used straight tail worms in a pinch and I got some GYCB Zakos that I’m trying. 

I bought the High Dollar Evergreen version Chatter Bait and it is first class, but only marginally better. I don’t think I will be buying more of them. 

I throw mine on 15-20 pound fluro with a MH spinnerbait rod. I think it is 6’8” with a soft tip. 

This has been such a slow spring, but my efforts so far have been fruitless. Maybe water temp has not been sufficient yet. What water temp is required for this bait to be most effective? 

Anybody else using these type lures?

Details?

 

[Dutch]

I've yet to catch anything on it this spring.  I make my own and use 1/2 most of the time.  It was my fall go to bait most days.  I use a Curado E7 on a Falcon low rider 6.6 mh with 20# fluorocarbon line.  I use a lot of different trailers as I haven't really settled on one being better than the other.  I have them on old spinner bait heads, Arke heads, football heads and Troker swim jig heads.  As it looks, I haven't settled on one head being bette than another.

I'm leaving tomorrow for a 2 week trip.  I've got a whole box of bladed jigs ready to go.

[Unimog]

I caught a bunch of fish on my own pond with a bluegill pattern Z-man custom chatterbait this past week.  I typically use a GYCB swim senko for a trailer.  I bought some picasso ones from tackle warehouse (the price on those evergreen ones at BPS is crazy) and threw in at LOZ prefishing for the bash with no success at all.  I'm planning on throwing it at stockton once i get down there soon.

It's a bait that's relatively new for me but fishing it locally has given me some confidence in it.  The picasso is nice, I also like the Z-man project z series that has a nicer skirt on it.

[Quillback]

I just can't get into them, if I was going to fish one, I'd probably do more of a lift and let fall retrieve than swimming it.  

[fishinwrench]

I thought for a short while that they were going to be the bomb for bass suspended under docks, but as it turned out a regular jig with a swimbait style trailer outperforms the chatterbait (for ME) 5 to 1 in every condition imaginable.  

What I feel like I miss out on, with a chatterbait, are those hits on the fall, and the bites on the initial drop, which in my style of fishing is pretty substantial.   I'm on the verge of culling them out of my arsenal of baits to make more room for something more consistently productive.  I just can't find the niche for them.

[moguy1973]

I've done ok with them in ponds for smaller bass but I've never really had much luck with them elsewhere.  The Project Z Freedom versions look so good and seem like they would work well but I haven't caught a thing on them.  I typically use a regular super fluke as a trailer on them.  I really want to try the Zako trailers as they are supposedly made to use with chatterbaits.  Do the paddle tail swimbaits add a lot to them?

[Gavin]

Usually fish a swim jig through garbage weed, tree tops, swim bait trailer. 1/2oz mostly sometimes 3/4. 

[AlexFish1]

Chatterbaits have sorta replaced spinnerbaits for me. Some days the fish prefer spinnerbaits but I always feel more confident throwing a chatterbait. I've had luck in smaller ponds where i can cast out to the deeper parts so far. Also lipless cranks have been good for me while its still been cold

[mixermarkb]

Ham, I've had one tied on at Bull every day I've fished this spring, and yet to catch a fish on one there. I keep thinking it will work when everyone else is throwing spinnerbaits or warts, and be something a little different for fish that can name the color numbers on the baits they have seen all week. I've caught enough fish on them when we lived on the private lake a couple years ago that I have a certain amount of confidence in them, and the BASS guys seem to like them in cold, colored to dirty water. I just haven't had any luck on them at Bull. They should work, it's a great idea, but I'm done with that experiment for this year. 

I'm hoping to be down Weds/Thursday, and I'm looking for topwater fish. I think by then things will be warmed up a bit.

All in all though, I have a lot of pent up anger at the green and brown fish in Bull this winterspring. They haven't co-operated very well for me, and I'm ready to poke holes in as many of their faces as I can!!!

[Ham]

The lake HAS to warm up eventually. I’m so ready for TopWater bites and just more willing fish in general.