chatter help

[goldrod]

I'm getting hit constantly since I changed setup to my trap rod and reel
Problem is, I'm getting about 55% of the fish in.
I try skiing some in , double hook sets but nothing has worked...any suggestion?
Just gaining momentum with chatterbaits especially since I got the new conquest200 hg

[goldrod]

set is lame 705s 15 contest 200hg

[GOOD YEAR 71]

First thing to hit my mind is line stretch, which sounds like too much. Try a low stretch option, it should offer a much better hook set. Good luck.

[goldrod]

going to adjust.. thanks.

[Bassmar]

I use a spinnerbait rod for my chatterbaits. G Loomis SBR 813C (MH, XF). No problem landing them. However I do not use the Z Man chatterbaits. I have used various others. I found the now discontinued Gambler version to have the best hook and land ratio.

[John Puckett]

I found the now discontinued Gambler version to have the best hook and land ratio.

I don't have much to add to what the other guys already suggested I just wanted to agree 100% about those old Gambler baits. I only have 2 left but so far they've easily been the best chatterbait I've fished. Great great baits if you can find a few. Good luck.

[smalljaw]

I make my own bladed swim jig (chatterbaits) and I too have lost fish on them at a pretty high rate until last year. I was throwing them on medium, and medium heavy fast action rods and also the same thing in moderate action rods and it didn't matter, same rate of loss no matter what. Then I dropped down to shorter rods and that seemed to really work well, but I'm using mono, when I tried braid with the glass rod, that seemed to work but not as well as the shorter fast action with the mono. I'm thinking either the angle or the amount of line I move with the longer rod is doing something that doesn't allow the hook to set properly, but when using a 6'9" or 6'6" rod, the landing percentage goes up to almost 100%, it may be worth a try to use a shorter rod.

[goldrod]

i caught a bowfin on one of the original chatter baits and its totally destroyed but it brought the toothy monster in.
I was using my IMX 843 rod

[Seph]

Chatterbaits drop fish because of the design of the bait itself. IMO going to a softer rod is going in the wrong direction. I would recommend boating hooked fish as quickly and as forcefully as possible because with as many bites as these baits produce you are going to lose a few fish the longer the fish is in the water.

[toddmc]

It all depends on where you are fishing. I fish vibrating jigs in open water around rock a lot and I use a 7'-7'3" HF action graphite rod with 20lb. Sniper. Sniper seems to have just the right amount of stretch. I'm making long casts and the longer rods help with this application. I throw a 6'9"-7'MHF with the same line when close quarters target fishing. Use a 1/0 trailer hook if at all possible because it will help bring up the land ratio. The 1/0 size will snag less than a large size, but it still is too much trouble around grass and heavy wood.
Even though Brett Hite has won just about as much money as anyone on the vibrating jig, and he fishes a 7'3" heavy glass rod, I've had horrible experiences with glass rods and large single hook baits.
The spring presents a different challenge with the vibrating jig. The fish around beds will often bump or nose the bait without ever getting the bait. Your hook up ratio is just going to be less then.

[njbasscat]

It's one of the few techniques that I like braid, but if there's no grass, I won't use a chatterbait. I use a MB X4 Destruction and a Zillion 50th. I don't lose many but I did lose a monster last summer at the boat. It wasn't the baits fault though.

[hungry_cow]

For chatterbaits and other bladed baits like spinnerbaits and buzzbaits I really like a MH composite cranking rod. This year I used the Cabelas Tournament ZX Crankshaft 7ft 5 Crankshaft composite rod for chatterbaits and bladed baits with Flourocarbin line. I have top of the line Megabass and Loomis rods but that setup just flat out casts, hooks, and keeps hooked fish pinned with those baits. I imagine any similar setup would do the trick. Make sure not to yank to hard or quick, when you feel a hit more load up with a sweep set and keep pressure.

[Pen3]

Its weird that some prefer low stretch and pros like Hite like glass rods and flouro for stretch. It seems both work so you can't go wrong with either route.

[toddmc]

This category of bait has strong single hooks. You don't need a glass rod. I don't lose many fish on heavy rods. I would choose mono or a slightly softer graphite rod if the fish really aren't getting the bait. It is usually the small fish that are short strikes. Big largemouth don't have a problem getting the bait on the strike. I have found that smallmouth are a whole other deal. They miss the bait more often probably because their mouths are smaller. I have had many big smallmouth that I see in clear water take two or three strikes to get the bait.
I won a few night tournaments with double digit fish and 50lb. Power Pro when this bait first became popular. I quickly learned that braid isn't the deal during the day unless you are fishing over heavy grass. The braid does help when you want to clear grass from your bait in the middle of the retrieve. Unfortunately, the fish can also hear the braid noise from your guides. Be mindful of this if you are fishing in an area where this bait is popular. This can be a factor when you are fishing in heavy pressure areas. I fish fluoro for everything except heavy grass. I even fish fluoro on grass edges, but braid when I'm fishing over it and the fish can bury in it.

[big_gee]

First off the rod you are using is way to parabolic. Your using a very soft cranking rod and unless your using braid wiht a locked down drag you will continue to lose a lot of fish. I use that rod mainly for mid diving crankbaits. I myself use the ZMan chatterbaits. The new ones have a much better hook then those made in the past. I use a 7'2"MHRB rod and I don't lose many fish. If you try a different rod with a little more backbone it will make a big difference.

Brett Hite uses a MH cranking rod that is not very parabolic. The Evergreen rod he's using is has plenty of backbone. He also mainly uses the ZMan chatterbait now.