This article is the ultimate guide to jigs and chatter bait. These are ideal baits to use when fishing for bass in particular. You can use a jig to drop down through the water and mimic the prey items of bass. They’re a great option when there are lots of overhanging features, fishing near docks or where there’s lots of wood in the water. Using a chatter bait is ideal in murky water with lots of grass.
Both jigs and chatter baits are customizable for the conditions you’re fishing in, the location, and the time of year. They offer reusable tricks that can save you money. Although they won’t last forever, they will save you money over fresh or commercial bait. You tend to get through many of these on a fishing trip, and the cost can add up.
You’re going to need to put much effort into fishing with a jig because you have to move the jig up and down in the water, and you may wish to use it as a swim jig and move the jig along the river or lake bed to represent a swimming prey item. When you’re using live bait or commercial bait like pellets, for example, that’s going to be doing a lot of the work for you, and it may make for more of a relaxing fishing trip.
A chatter bait might be a good in-between option. You’ve got the money-saving aspect and the adaptability of a jig, but by using the vibrations of the blade, you have a lot of the work done for you. As the blade cuts through the water, it vibrates like a prey item, which can attract the bass—many pro anglers like using the chatter bait and have great success with it in competitions.
Using a jig, swimbait, or chatter bait can be fun and rewarding. Once you have got the hang of this method of fishing, you will have a real sense of achievement that you have mastered a unique fishing skill. There are, of course, with all aspects of fishing lots of different opinions on how it all works, what the best method is, or the best choice of gear or tackle, so hopefully, this article has covered a wide range of options for you. If you can think of anything we’ve missed or you have any top tips to share when bass fishing, let us know in the comments!