A Chatterbait, also known as a Bladed Swim Jig is a popular bass fishing bait that flat out catches fish. It’s an extremely versatile lure that covers a lot of water and can be an effective way to catch fish year round. When fishing a Chatterbait one of the most important components of this setup is your trailer. Having the right Chatterbait/trailer combo can be a key contributing factor to your fishing success with this bait.
Here is a quick guide of the best Chatterbait trailers as well as some information on how to choose the right one. Hopefully, you can take this information and be able enjoy fishing a Chatterbait with even more success.
Types of Chatterbait Trailers
In my mind there are two main Chatterbait trailer categories. A craw style trailer and a swimbait style trailer. When to use each of these will depend on what you are trying to imitate and how much action and vibration you are wanting your bait to have. With that in mind, below I have put together a list of trailers that work extremely well when paired with a Chatterbait.
Best Chatterbait Trailers
There are many different trailer options available and brands to choose from. However, there are some baits that just seem to work better than others. Here is a list of the best Chatterbait trailers (in my opinion) and some information about each bait.
1. Yamamoto Zako Swimbait
The Zako Swimbait is a great bait that really excels as a vibrating jig trailer. This bait features a large belly, baitfish profile that is perfect for mimicking small bait fish such as blue gill and shad. It also comes in a wide variety of colors to help you match the hatch at your home lake. The Zako Swimbait is the perfect Chatterbait trailer for imitating bait fish and should be a staple in every angler’s tackle box.
Make sure to check out My Recommended Bass Fishing Gear and Tackle Guide to ensure you have the right gear for your next fishing adventure.
2. Strike King Rage Trailer
The Rage Tail by Strike King is the perfect craw trailer to fish with on a Chatterbait. The Rage Tail has some amazing under water action. It’s a high quality bait that comes in a variety of different colors, that work pretty much any where. What I like most about this bait is the big old claws, these claws really give it some nice action. This soft plastic trailer works wonders on a Chatterbait.
3. Keitech Fat Swing Impact (4.8)
The Keitech Fat Swing Impact is a quality soft plastic bait that has some great underwater swimming action. This is one of my favorite swim-baits and can be rigged in a variety of different ways, but works especially well when throwing it on a Chatterbait. One of the Swing Impact strengths is that it can maintain a perfect swimming motion at any retrieval speed. This versatility helps you meet any challenges and terrain you may face with a Chatterbait. If you haven’t already, I would highly recommend adding this one to your tackle arsenal.
4. Yamamoto Swim Senko
The Yamamoto Swim Senko is a killer finesse Chatterbait trailer. The Swimming Senko is another deadly version of an already proven winner. You get all of the same benefits of the original Yamamoto Senko with an added tail, which gives the bait a little more kick in the tail section. This trailer will catch bass on a Chatterbait when others simply won’t. If you haven’t already be sure to give this trailer a try.
5. Yamamoto Cowboy
Another great Chatterbait trailer is the Yamamoto Cowboy. This bait gives off some killer underwater action and has quickly become one of my favorite all around jig trailers. This bait especially works great on vibrating jigs and comes in some solid colors. The Yamamoto Cowboy simply catches fish even in the toughest of conditions.
6. Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw
The Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw is another fantastic Chatterbait trailer. It’s big floppy claws really dance around underwater and will be sure to grab the attention of any nearby bass. It’s great action, scent and creature bait profile make it a great trailer for imitating crayfish. You can’t go wrong by fishing a Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw on a Chatterbait.
Best Chatterbaits
One of the other key components of a Chatterbait is the jig head and blade. I always like to have a few different sizes, blades, colors and styles to choose from when I am out on the water. Each one seems to excel in different conditions and terrain. Here are some of my favorite bladed jigs that I have the most confidence in with links to help you find out some more information about them.
- Evergreen Jack Hammer Chatterbait
- Z-Man Project Z Chatterbait
- Strike King Naked Rage Blade
- Picasso Shock Blade
- Picasso Undressed Shock Blade
Where to Fish a Chatterbait
Bladed jigs are one of the most versatile bass fishing baits and can be fished just about anywhere. However there are some conditions and areas that are ideal for a ChatterBait. Here are some high productive areas that I think are ideal for the ChatterBait.
- Submerged vegetation
- Docks
- Stumps
- Hard bottom areas
- Ledges
- Points
How to Fish a Chatterbait
A Chatterbait is one of those technique where it’s tough to find a wrong way to fish it. This bait is so versatile and its really about experimenting and finding what areas and retrieves work best at your home lakes. In my experience the Chatterbait excels when getting bumped into structure or when ripped through grass. Here are some of my favorite ways to work and fish a Chatterbait:
Basic Retrieve – Cast it out and have your rod tip down and to the side. Reel it in with a steady retrieve and give it an occasional jerk or bump. I like to mix up the retrieve speed until I can figure out which the most effective one.
Slow Roll – This can be a great method when bass are holding to the bottom. Chuck your bait out there and just slowly reel it in, while allowing it to just tick the bottom.
Snap Retrieve – Chuck and wind and give it some snaps. This technique works really well when fishing in grass. The blade and hook tend to get caught up in grass every now and then and giving it a good snap will get rid of this and the bass will love it.
Flipping and Pitching – A bladed jig isn’t often thought of as a pitching and flipping bait. But it can be an extremely effective way to catch them. You can pitch and flip a Chatterbait in just about any situation you would throw a regular jig.
Skipping – Skipping under docks is another great way to fish a Chatterbait. It’s bigger profile makes it easier to skip, plus it give these fish another look that they don’t often see. Next time you come across a dock be sure to give this bait a chuck.
Bump & Grind – The Chatterbait is at its best when you can bump and grind it into things. The fish can’t handle when its ripped through the grass or bumped up against a rock or sometime type of structure.
A Chatterbait can be a super simple and effective way to catch bass. However, some anglers often make some missteps along the way. Check out this article written by Wired2Fish to help you avoid making some common mistakes.
Final Thoughts
Whenever I hit the water I make sure that I have a Chatterbait tied on. It’s versatility, ability to cover water and effectiveness make this bait tough to beat. Any of these Chatterbaits and trailer combinations we mentioned will be a great way to catch some bass in any situation. I encourage you to get out there and try some of these Chatterbaits and trailers for yourself.
Tight Lines!
