Jan 13 • General discussion
Chatterbait Tactics for Shallow Water
Anyone who's ever fished with me knows that I'm a bladed jig fanatic. No matter the time of the year, I have one tied on. Even in the dead of winter. Over the past 5 years over 70% of the bass 5+ pounds that I've caught have come on a chatterbait, usually a 5/8 oz Big Blade in either green pumpkin candy, black and blue, or fire craw. I will throw other types of bladed jigs. I have a healthy selection of Rage Blades (discontinued), Crosseyes, Mini Max's, Thundercrickets, and who doesn't love a Jackhammer. All of them have their place and honestly, I don't think any are necessarily superior to the other. Just like any other bait it's about confidence. For me, that's the Big Blade.
My favorite way to fish a bladed jig is around some sort of shallow cover. Rocks, docks, bushes, submergent (and even emergent) vegetation, and my personal favorite-lily pad stems. I prefer the water be 5 feet or less with at least some stain and I like for there to be some wind disturbance on the surface. That doesn't mean that I HAVE to have those conditions to fish a bladed jig-I'll throw one just about anywhere, but if those conditions are present you can bet that a bladed jig is what I'm throwing.
A bladed jig is an excellent way to cover lots of water. Unless I'm fishing specific targets, my bladed jig casts are among the longest casts I make. I start with my rod tip high, employing short, sharp jerks should it get fouled with weeds (Many times this is when the bite occurs). As I'm reeling in I slowly drop my rod tip to keep the jig roughly at the same depth throughout the cast. Even on a super-long cast the whole thing takes about 30 seconds from release to next cast. Employing this method I can cover an entire flat in a hurry!
When you get a hit on a bladed jig, you'll increase your hook-ups dramatically if you treat it like a topwater. Give it a 2 count and let the fish turn before you set the hook. This is especially important after the spawn when there's clouds of tiny fry swimming around in what look like little clouds. The bladed jig's skirt perfectly mimics one of these clouds and is deadly this time of year. However, if you've ever seen a bass attack a ball of fry, there's no real rhyme or reason to it. Normally when they attack a baitfish they go for the head. When they attack one of these fry clouds they attack from any direction, barreling through the tiny school at 90 miles per hour with their mouths open like a whale swimming through a school of mullet. This inconsistency makes hook-ups difficult, but nearly impossible if you set the hook too early.
After you hook up on a bladed jig it is imperative that you keep a tight line. Keep the rod bent and let it do the work for you. I am 6'6" and use a 7'6" rod and set the hook like I'm swinging for the fences. I move a ton of line on the hookset. That said, I can cast a bladed jig over 70 yards. When a fish hits out that far getting good hook penetration is sketchy to say the least. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten the fish in and the jig comes out as soon as it's in the net or the boat. Keeping a tight line at all times will help mitigate that issue.
As I mentioned, I throw a bladed jig on a 7'6" Medium-Heavy rod with 17 pound flourocarbon. I have 3 identical rod setups. I use the same setup on spinnerbaits, bladed jigs, big texas rigs, jigs, swim jigs, and anything else with a single hook. Not to mention the occasional lipless crankbait or blade bait. This is my workhorse combo. If I were to only have one combo, this would be it.
I could literally talk for days about the things I like about a bladed jig. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. I did a YouTube video in the 3 Minute Fishing series about a bladed jig if you care to watch. If you have any other questions about a bladed jig, what trailers to use, where I fish them, how I use them over emergent vegetation, or anything else feel free to ask!
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Chatterbait Tactics for Shallow Water
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