The chatterbait has taken the world of bass fishing by storm recently and has emerged to be a must have bait for any angler. Several big tournaments have been won while using this lure and its now more effective than ever.
A chatterbait excels when fished around heavy grass and vegetation, making your line selection a key factor in your overall success. Without the right line you’ll have a hard time hooking and landing bass consistently.
The best line to use for a chatterbait is 50lb braid paired with a 15lb monofilament leader in murky water. When fishing in clear water or lighter grass the best chatterbait line to use is 15 to 20lb fluorocarbon.
With that being said, there are a ton of different line options out there and some simply aren’t very good and are a waste of your time and hard earned money.
For that reason, I have tested a bunch of different fishing lines over the years have put together the following buyers guide of the best line to use for chatterbaits.
In this article you’ll learn exactly what lines) to use when throwing a chatterbait in every scenario so you don’t waste time, money and most importantly ensure you catch more bass.
Let’s get started.
Types of Bass Fishing Line
When deciding on what line you should use while throwing a chatterbait its important to understand the differences between each line and when you should use one over the other.
There are three main types of line used in bass fishing; fluorocarbon, monofilament and braided line. Each of these lines have their own advantages, disadvantages and application.
Let’s take a closer look at these three bass fishing line types and discuss the different strengths and weakness of each.
Fluorocarbon
Best for crankbaits, finesse techniques and when fishing in clear water conditions
Fluorocarbon is one of the most popular and versatile fishing lines. Fluorocarbon is a sensitive and strong fishing line used in a variety of bass fishing techniques. It’s less visible when compared to monofilament and braid, making it the perfect choice when fishing in clear water conditions. It does tend to be a bit more expensive and has some stretch to it.
Monofilament
Best for topwater lures and as a leader material when paired with braid
Monofilament is another popular bass fishing line used in a variety of fishing applications. Monofilament is an inexpensive line known for being a great leader material due to its stretch and shock absorption. Another unique quality of mono is that it floats. It’s commonly used for topwater lures, crankbaits, soft plastic baits and as a leader material for braid.
Braid
Best used for big baits or when fishing heavy vegetation and murky water
The strongest fishing line used in bass fishing is braid. Its strength makes it an obvious choice when using big lures or when fishing in heavy structure vegetation. It’s a super sensitive line that has very little stretch. This combination makes it easy to detect bites and allows you to get a good hook set in even when your bait is far way. The disadvantage of braid is that its highly visible in the water.
Now that we have a basic understanding of the different lines used in bass fishing, let’s talk about which ones are the best to use when throwing a chatterbait.
Best Line for Chatterbaits
The best line to use when fishing a chatterbait will depend upon the type of structure/vegetation you are fishing and the water clarity.
Here is a quick chatterbait fishing line guide that will help you make sure select the right line and size for the different conditions you may face.
Chatterbait Line Guide
| Fishing Conditions | Line Size | Line Type |
| Clear Water + Light Cover | 12lb to 15lb | Fluorocarbon |
| Clear Water + Heavy Cover | 50 lb Main Line 20lb Leader | Braid (Main Line) + Mono (Leader) |
| Murky Water + Light Cover | 50lb | Straight Braid |
| Murky Water + Heavy Cover | 50lb | Straight Braid |
In clear water the best line is going to be fluorocarbon. It’ sensitive has little stretch and hides in the water really well. It also works well in heavy cover when you use 20lb test.
When you don’t need to worry about the fish seeing your line or your fishing around thick grass or heavy structure braid is the way to go. If the water is really murky, I’ll use straight braid. If the water is slightly stained, I like to use 50lb braid and a 20lb monofilament leader. This gives you the best of both worlds (visibility + strength & sensitivity).
Now that we have covered the basics, let’s talk about the specific fishing line brands and lines I would recommend using.
Top Chatterbait Fishing Line
Over the years I’ve tried and used a ton of different fishing line brands and products. Some have been great while others I wouldn’t buy again. To save you some time and money here is a list of the best fishing line to use while throwing a chatterbait.
Sunline Assassin
This is my number one choice when fishing a chatterbait in clear water and light vegetation and cover.
If I had to choose only one fishing line to use to throw chatterbaits and other reaction style lures, I would easily choose the Sunline Assassin. Out of all the lines I’ve used and tested over the years this one is hands down my favorite.
The Assassin line by Sunline is a 100% fluorocarbon line that has advanced P-Ion technology. It’s super smooth, abrasion resistant and will give you high end performance and will last much longer than most fluorocarbon lines.
Where this line really shines is when fishing in clear water or medium to light vegetation and cover. I’ve found that the 12lb test works great for these and most other chatterbait applications. I’ll bump up to 15 or 20lb test if I’m throwing into heavy vegetation and structure.
If you like throwing straight fluorocarbon like most bass fishing anglers that specialize in fishing grass do than the Sunline Assassin line is the line for you.
Seaguar InvizX Fluorocarbon Line
This line is a great option to use for when fishing in clear water and light vegetation that is at a great price point but still offers high performance
The InvizX line by Seaguar is another high quality line to use on your chatterbait fishing setups. This line is battle tested and is one that I trust day in and day out. You’ll want to make sure you have this line spooled on when you hit the water.
This is a 100%% fluorocarbon fishing line with excellent strength and sensitivity. It’s virtually impossible for the fish to see in the water allowing you to go undetected and get more bites in tough clear water conditions.
It’s also a super soft line that’s abrasion resistant and gives anglers both power and sensitivity. Making it easy to detect bites and pull big bass out thick cover and into the boat.
If you’re looking for a great fluorocarbon line that’s at a fair price point, that’s readily available and won’t disappoint than check out the InvizX by Seaguar.
Power Pro MaxCuatro
This is a premium braided fishing line that’s ideal for fishing in and around thick grass and heavy cover.
When you are power fishing a chatterbait and fishing around thick cover and dirty water that’s where you’ll want to have braid spooled on your baitcaster.
Hands down the best braided line I’ve ever used is the Power Pro MaxCuatro. Power Pro is perhaps the most popular and widely used braided line company in all of bass fishing and for good reason they make some great lines.
The MaxCuatro is by far one of their best products that they have ever come out with. What makes this line special is its smaller diameter without sacrificing strength. This allows you to spool more line on to your reel and caster farther.
If you are looking for a more budget friendly option than the Power Pro Spectra is a great alternative that comes at a more affordable price tag. The main difference between the two is the diameter of the line.
I like to use straight braid when I’m fishing a chatterbait is murky and stained water where I feel the fish aren’t line shy or won’t see it.
In clear water conditions I like throwing 65lb braid with a monofilament leader. This gives me the strength and sensitivity of braid plus the shock absorption and less visible benefits of monofilament.
Maxima Ultragreen
The best monofilament leader line to use when fishing braided line in clear to stained water conditions.
Some anglers will throw straight monofilament when throwing a chatterbait, I’ve never found this to be effective for me. Instead I like to use braid and pair it with a monofilament leader.
This combination gives me the best of both worlds and allows me to power fish through heavy vegetation with the braids strength while still using the benefits of monofilament as the leader.
The best monofilament line to use in these types of situations is the Maxima Ultragreen 15lb test. This is a premium copolymer monofilament line that’s virtually invisible for the fish to see with its ability to match the surrounding water. It’s tough, durable and abrasion resistant and an overall great fishing line.
Final Thoughts
In this chatterbait fishing line guide. We have gone over the different types of fishing line, when to use each line type, as well as recommend some of the best specific chatterbait fishing line to use in each situation.
Whether you are fishing in a competitive tournament or just out to have a good time having the right line for your chatterbait setup is critical. I’d recommend using this article as a guide and picking up yourself one of the lines discussed in the article to ensure you maximize your chatterbait fishing success.
Tight Lines,
Aaron
