Top 3 ChatterBait mistakes
Pro tips to catch more fish on vibrating jigs
By Andy Crawford
ChatterBaits are lures fish love to smash. Whether you’re targeting bass on your local reservoir or snatching redfish from coastal marshes, these vibrating jigs force reaction bites that are vicious.
But FLW Tour pro Brian Latimer said he sees anglers making mistakes that lower the productivity of ChatterBaits.
Here are his Top 3 mistakes, along with ways to avoid them:
1. Using rods that are too stiff —
Latimer said your hookup ratio will definitely suffer if you use a rod with too much backbone.
“Use a softer rod and it’s going to let the fish get that bait better,” he said. “It’s going to prevent missing a lot of short strikes.”
2. Not Adjusting trailer size —
Trailers do matter, because the choice you make affects how deep the lure swims in the water.
“If you’re trying to fish really shallow around submerged grass, fishing around docks, and you want to keep that bait high in the water column, use a boot-tail or a little bit bulkier plastic,” Latimer said. “It’s going to keep that bait up high.
“If you want to get that bait down, if you’re trying to fish a submerged grass line … and you really want to get that bait down, use a little bit slimmer plastic (because it has) a little less resistance.”
3. Reeling too fast —
Faster is not better when it comes to the ChatterBait, this pro said, because it will just mess up the action of the lure.
“A ChatterBait is a real erratic bait,” Latimer said. “It actually does all the work by itself. You don’t really have to use the rod tip a whole lot; you don’t want to reel the bait really fast.
“If you want to, use a bit slower reel. It’s going to let the bait do the work, you’re going to hang up less (and) you’re going to catch a lot more fish.”
Pro tips to catch more fish on vibrating jigs
By Andy Crawford
ChatterBaits are lures fish love to smash. Whether you’re targeting bass on your local reservoir or snatching redfish from coastal marshes, these vibrating jigs force reaction bites that are vicious.
But FLW Tour pro Brian Latimer said he sees anglers making mistakes that lower the productivity of ChatterBaits.
Here are his Top 3 mistakes, along with ways to avoid them:
1. Using rods that are too stiff —
Latimer said your hookup ratio will definitely suffer if you use a rod with too much backbone.
“Use a softer rod and it’s going to let the fish get that bait better,” he said. “It’s going to prevent missing a lot of short strikes.”
2. Not Adjusting trailer size —
Trailers do matter, because the choice you make affects how deep the lure swims in the water.
“If you’re trying to fish really shallow around submerged grass, fishing around docks, and you want to keep that bait high in the water column, use a boot-tail or a little bit bulkier plastic,” Latimer said. “It’s going to keep that bait up high.
“If you want to get that bait down, if you’re trying to fish a submerged grass line … and you really want to get that bait down, use a little bit slimmer plastic (because it has) a little less resistance.”
3. Reeling too fast —
Faster is not better when it comes to the ChatterBait, this pro said, because it will just mess up the action of the lure.
“A ChatterBait is a real erratic bait,” Latimer said. “It actually does all the work by itself. You don’t really have to use the rod tip a whole lot; you don’t want to reel the bait really fast.
“If you want to, use a bit slower reel. It’s going to let the bait do the work, you’re going to hang up less (and) you’re going to catch a lot more fish.”
