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nofish
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Not a ton of experience with chatter baits. I do have 1 or 2 in my box but haven't fished them heavily. What i will comment on is my practice of bringing one unknown bait with me on trips. I fill my BWCA box with all of the proven winners and baits I have a lot of confidence in and then I like to bring 1 bait that is either new or I think has potential but hasn't had enough time in the water to prove itself. Its a great way to test out new baits and see what works and what doesn't. So with that in mind I say bring it and put it through its paces. You never know it may prove itself to be your new go to or you may dislike throwing it and it gets relegated to bench warmer status.
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rayljr1
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So, I got a few highly recommended chatter baits, stuff everyone on the internet is talking about, to add to my lure selection.
I did not get them specifically for my upcoming trip August 12 (going in on East Bearskin).
Anyone had any luck using chatter baits in the BWCA?
I typically don't bring a lot of tackle, in an effort to keep our pack weights lower.
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cyclones30
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I've got a handful and have used them sparingly. I've caught a fish here or there but they haven't made it into my "go to" arsenal yet so....they still don't get thrown that often. I like the looks of them in the water
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JD
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They're great for bass when the water gets warmer in spring, but pike love them all year round. Vary your retrieve, pause them every now and then, burn them and then go reeeeal slow... they'll strike on the slowdown/pause most of the time. Very fun when they're hitting them! They call fish in from a long distance so they are a good search bait.
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QueticoMike
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I would much rather use a chartreuse, 3/8oz double willow spinner bait with chartreuse blades. I've caught the grand slam one day on it. Mostly use it for searching smallmouth, but pike don't mind hitting it. Oh course a pike will hit just about anything.
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carmike
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They're dynamite for pike -- a bit like a spinnerbait, but I think more versatile (just my .02). Smallies do like them, but they've gotta be pretty aggressive to hit them (maybe that's because I tend to use them primarily when targeting pike, so I use big ones with big trailers).
They're wonderfully weedless, so they work very well through cabbage if you can find it. You'll catch walleyes and even trout on them, too, if everything lines up, but did I say they work great for pike?
For trailers, you have a few options. I like a swimbait most of the time, but craw-type lures work, too.
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shock
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some people love'm others not so much , i've never tossed one but my son has and it took awhile until he got his first fish on it ,
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cyclones30
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carmike: "QueticoMike: "I would much rather use a chartreuse, 3/8oz double willow spinner bait with chartreuse blades. I've caught the grand slam one day on it. Mostly use it for searching smallmouth, but pike don't mind hitting it. Oh course a pike will hit just about anything. "
What do you like more about the spinnerbait? I always take both, but I've grown to prefer the chatterbait as a search bait because they cast so much farther and I have an easier time fishing them in a variety of depths. They also can be fished very much like a "regular" bass jig on the bottom, which can be nice when the smallies are deep.
I've also had times when the spinnerbait outfishes the chatterbait, so I think they both have their place. "
Again, not a ton of experience with the chatter....but I prefer spinnerbaits in like 8' or less or really 6' or less. Weeds, rocks, or whatever. The chatter I seem to prefer more in the 6-12' or so. Anything deeper and I'm probably throwing something different or a different style.
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hookset
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I have caught a lot of fish on them on a dusk bite. Never tried in the BWCA with them but I packed a couple for my trip this week. The one night I really love them is a full moon, for some reason I have had great luck with them on full moons.
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GickFirk22
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I'm a big fan of chatterbaits. Especially in stained and dirty water. I always add a trailer, either craw/creature bait or swimbait. I caught my PB LMB fishing one down in florida (27" HAWG!)
That being said, I haven't fished it much in the BWCA for a few reasons. One, we're often targeting walleye, two they create a lot of drag and tend to pull the boat around on long casts (I don't have this problem with spinnerbaits), and three, I prefer throwing jerkbaits and topwater techniques up there. I did spend an afternoon throwing a chatterbait in the BWCA and had fun doing it. Had lots of pike hit it and the occasional SMB. Bring it! Throw it and see how it goes! Let us know.
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carmike
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QueticoMike: "I would much rather use a chartreuse, 3/8oz double willow spinner bait with chartreuse blades. I've caught the grand slam one day on it. Mostly use it for searching smallmouth, but pike don't mind hitting it. Oh course a pike will hit just about anything. "
What do you like more about the spinnerbait? I always take both, but I've grown to prefer the chatterbait as a search bait because they cast so much farther and I have an easier time fishing them in a variety of depths. They also can be fished very much like a "regular" bass jig on the bottom, which can be nice when the smallies are deep.
I've also had times when the spinnerbait outfishes the chatterbait, so I think they both have their place.
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QueticoMike
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carmike: "QueticoMike: "I would much rather use a chartreuse, 3/8oz double willow spinner bait with chartreuse blades. I've caught the grand slam one day on it. Mostly use it for searching smallmouth, but pike don't mind hitting it. Oh course a pike will hit just about anything. "
What do you like more about the spinnerbait? I always take both, but I've grown to prefer the chatterbait as a search bait because they cast so much farther and I have an easier time fishing them in a variety of depths. They also can be fished very much like a "regular" bass jig on the bottom, which can be nice when the smallies are deep.
I've also had times when the spinnerbait outfishes the chatterbait, so I think they both have their place. "
I guess what I like more is that I catch more fish with a spinner bait compared to when I tried throwing a chatter bait. I just never had that much luck using one, so I don't even bother to take them anymore. Maybe it is just a confidence thing, but the spinner bait has worked well for me?
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