The 3 Best Chatterbait Colors
The chatterbait, or bladed jig, has become one of the most popular lures in all of bass fishing. And with that massive popularity, has come tons and tons of different color options.
But that huge variety is really just to sell more baits. All you really need is 2-3 different colors. Here are the 3 best chatterbait colors that you need.
1. Green Pumpkin
As a mostly shallow, warm water lure, the chatterbait is a great way to imitate bluegill. And the larger bluegill that are about the same size as the chatterbaits, are pretty much always some sort of dark greenish color.
Additionally, perch and baby bass are usually the same dark greenish color. And over the course of decades of bass fishing, Green Pumpkin has become the staple lure color for imitating those types of forage.
When to Use Green Pumpkin
- Clear Water
- Imitating Bluegill
2. White
A white colored chatterbait, (or white with a bit of grey/black on top which is what I prefer), turns your chatterbait into a very natural shad imitation.
If you are fishing a body of water that has shad in it, chances are that shad are the primary forage of the bass, especially during the spring and fall months.
And if you aren’t using shad imitations, you are missing out big time. White can also be a good crappie imitation if you don’t have shad, so it isn’t only limited to shad lakes, but imitating shad is certainly the primary role of a white chatterbait.
When to Use White
- Imitating Shad
- Clear or Muddy Water
- Spring and Fall (Although still works during the winter and summer, just fish it a bit deeper)
3. Black/Blue
Black and Blue is a staple color for skirted and soft plastic lures. The dark black creates a very clear and visible silhouette in darker or muddier water.
And the blue just adds a bit of contrast and texture to the chatterbait, making it look a bit more realistic.
That dark silhouette is easier for the bass to see in low visibility water, but still looks just like a bluegill, perch, or baby bass.
So whenever you are imitating bluegill/bream in low visibility water, go with a black/blue chatterbait.
When to Use Black and Blue
- Imitating Bluegill
- Muddy Water
- Overcast Days
- Night Fishing
What About Red?
So red is a very popular color choice for the chatterbait. Lots of guys love fishing red chatterbaits, so why isn’t it on the list?
So the big role of red chatterbaits is for fishing the pre-spawn time period during the early spring months.
And for the most part, that limited time period is the only time when red chatterbaits perform very good.
But all the other three colors are year-round colors that will work on just about every body of water in the country. So because red is much more limited than the other three colors, it didn’t make the list.
When to Fish a Chatterbait?
Best Times of Year
- Early Spring (Prespawn) & Late Fall: The intense shaking action works exceptionally well in colder water temperatures to draw reaction strikes from less active fish.
- When water is above $50^{\circ}\text{F}$: While they can catch fish below this temperature, they are generally most effective when the water is warmer than $50^{\circ}\text{F}$ up through summer and fall.
Best Fishing Conditions & Cover
- Around Grass and Vegetation: This is where the chatterbait truly shines. Its design allows it to slice through grass and vegetation relatively cleanly.
- Tick the tops of grass: Retrieving the bait so it lightly makes contact with the grass can trigger reaction strikes.
- Rip it free: Letting the bait snag momentarily in the grass and then quickly “ripping” it free is a classic and very effective retrieve.
- Stained or Dirty Water: The intense vibration and sound from the blade help fish locate the lure when visibility is low (e.g., less than 18 inches).
- Windy Days / Ripples on the Water: The added surface disturbance and the natural “chatter” of the blade make this a great choice when there is some wind.
- Shallow Water: They are excellent for targeting fish up shallow (2-6 feet) around various cover.
- Around Docks and Laydowns: You can skip a chatterbait under docks and fish it around submerged brush piles and wood (though it can snag on wood more easily than grass).
🚀 Best Retrieve Techniques
- Covering Water: A chatterbait is an excellent search bait for covering large areas quickly and finding aggressive, active fish.
- Reactionary Bite: The lure is fantastic for triggering reactionary bites from bass.
- Steady/Fast Retrieve (“Burning”): A fast, steady retrieve maximizes the blade’s vibration and is great for active fish, especially over submerged grass.
- Simple Cast and Retrieve: Often, simply reeling it in steadily at a consistent pace is all you need, as the blade provides all the action.
- Pump and Pause / Jigging: Varying your retrieve by giving your rod or reel a quick pump can change the bait’s direction and speed, often enticing a following fish to strike.
Reeling this In
Don’t let the dozens of options overwhelm you. When it comes to the highly effective chatterbait, simplicity is key.
By focusing on three essential colors—Green Pumpkin, White, and Black/Blue—you cover the primary forage and water clarity conditions you’ll face year-round.
Forget the hype and focus your efforts on these versatile mainstays.
