After almost 10 years fishing by boat, most of them as a “package” on good friends’ boats, I think I have enough experience to write this little article. The aim is simply to help you choose, whether you want to buy your first electric motor or a top of the range one, highlighting the advantages of each model. Of course, these are all personal opinions, as I am not sponsored by any motor brand. But many of you ask me questions and I think it can help you to be clear about a series of notions.

Characteristics of a trolling motor

Before we start, I’m going to talk about some basic concepts that can help us understand what we need. Nowadays engines have multiple options, which most freshwater anglers do not use… But there are others that we do and that can help us a lot in our fishing trips. Of course, if you want more professional advice than this, my friends at Centro Naútico Spain will be able to advise you even better than I can. Ismael, Lola and all their team have a great experience in this world and distribute motors of all the brands I am going to talk about.

Power

It is measured in pounds and measures the thrust of an engine. For a bassboat it is normal to buy an engine that has between 50 and 100 lbs, depending on the weight of our boat and the conditions in which we want to fish. The top of the range models can go up to 120 lbs. The windier it is, the more lbs you will need.

Voltage of a trolling motor

The more voltage our motor can support, the longer the battery will last (but also the more expensive it will be) and the more power it will be able to develop. The cheapest models can operate at 12 V, but today most of them work perfectly well at 24 or even 36.

Shaft length

This is something that many anglers don’t take into account. If your boat has a deep draft or you’re going to be sailing in heavy surf frequently, a long shaft can help you a lot.

Type of control

The most basic models are placed in the stern but normally we will have a petrol engine in the stern and the electric one in the bow. The stern engines are hand-held and the rest come with a foot pedal. There are more modern models that come with a remote control that can be hung around the neck.

GPS and anchor

Most of the latest models come with built-in GPS and the electronic anchor or Spot-Lock function. This feature allows you to keep the boat at a GPS point without having to set it manually. It is ideal if you want to fish a position for a long time.

Main trolling motor models

In this article I am going to talk about the models that I have logically tested. Luckily I have tested most of the models that I consider to be the best value for money on the market. Here I will highlight their main advantages.

Garmin force

Garmin force motor is the one I have installed on my boat and I am very happy with it, both as a user and as a fishing guide. It is brushless, fairly quiet and powerful motor. At 24 volts it has a thrust of 80 lbs and at 36 it has a thrust of 100 (I have not tested it at 36). It is a robust motor and has a remote control, especially useful for guides. Also the head turns when the motor turns and we can see where it is pointing even if we are sitting in the back of the boat. Its least strong point is the anchor. The anchor is not very accurate and the boat pitches and corrects its position frequently so it is not very comfortable to fish with.

Garmin force pro has recently been released with some improvements. The anchor is more accurate and has a reverse function (the propeller can rotate in both directions which makes it easier to rescue lures caught on the shore). It also has an indicator light on the motor head to let you know when it is running.

Lowrance

Lowrance Ghost is a trolling motor that has surprised us all since it came out. A tremendously quiet, brushless motor with an indicator light just like the new Garmin motor. It is more powerful, developing 97 lbs of power at 24V and 120 lbs at 36V. The anchor is really accurate, keeping the boat in one spot with almost no pitching, whether it’s upwind or against a moderate current.

On the downside, it does not come with a wireless controller as standard (although it can be purchased) and its head does not swivel when the boat changes direction. The latter is only a drawback for fishing guides, although it also makes casting a little difficult when fishing with a real-time sounder and the fish is not aligned with the bow of the boat.

The new model of Lowrance, Recon motor has recently come out, which I have no reference for but hope to try out soon. It comes with a built-in wireless controller and is saltwater ready. It improves its connectivity with sounders and in theory the electronic anchor is even more accurate.

Minnkota trolling motor

Minnkota is a brand that has been making electric motors for many years and therefore has a much wider range of models. If we are just starting out, have a small boat or our budget is not enough to buy an engine like the one from Garmin or Lowrance, Minnkota will be our safest bet.

There are currently 4 models available for bass boats. Powerdrive is the most basic, it can operate at 12 V at 45 and 55 lbs and at 24 V at 70 lbs. Then there are Terrova, Ulterra and Ultrex. The 3 are equally powerful: 80lbs at 24V and 112lbs at 36V. All of them have electronic anchor function included. All of them can be purchased in the Quest version, which is brushless and quieter. In addition, this version gives a little extra power (90 lbs and 115 lbs) and is more efficient when there is algae.

Power drive is the most economical. Terrova stands out for its ease of use. Ulterra is launched by simply pressing a button that can be installed anywhere on the boat, or you can even press it with the wireless remote control. Ultrex is the top of the range motor and stands out for its GPS anchor which is more accurate than the previous models.

In short, if you want to buy an electric motor, here is some basic information that I hope will help you. But if you need more detailed information, I insist, contact with Centro Náutico Spain, they test these engines every day and will be able to help you choose better than I can. Cheers and good fishing.

Why hiring a fishing guide? Why do it in Extremadura? Here I am going to give you a series of tips on how to do it. Whether it is the first time for you hiring a fishing guide or if you have already done it more than once, I hope this article will help you.

Hiring a fishing guide Why?

At this point I will try to answer the first question. I can think of several excellent reasons for doing so, and I will describe them below. Although I am currently working as a fishing guide (of course, if you are interested in hiring my services, go ahead), the aim of this article is to give you a better understanding of the advantages of this service. Whether you decide to hiring Top Fishing as if you decide to hire another guide, I hope that the experience will be satisfactory and that you will want to repeat it.

First of all, you have to be clear about your objective: what species do you want to fish for, do you prefer quantity or quality, do you have a preference for a specific reservoir, are you flexible with your dates? It is very important that you are clear about all this before you start in order to be able to focus the shot and enjoy the experience to the maximum.

It is not the same to try a 3000 in Orellana in February as it is to enjoy a multi-species day in April in Alcántara.

In the first case you will probably have very few bites during the day and the zero is a real possibility. In the second case you will enjoy a day with multiple bites of different species but you will hardly be able to catch a really big fish.

Which do I choose first: the lake or the guide?

Once you have decided this, you can choose either the lake or the guide. There are guides who have a good knowledge of several lakes and others who are very specialised in one in particular. For me it is important to have several “controlled” lakes in order to be able to adapt as well as possible to the client’s needs at any given moment. The lakes undergo cycles and there are even times of the year in which, in a particular reservoir, it is really difficult to enjoy. In my case, I work in Orellana, García Sola, Zújar, Alcántara and Alqueva. Of course there are guides today who have a better knowledge of some of these reservoirs than I do. However, I have preferred to differentiate myself by my versatility, both in terms of lakes and species.

The best guide for you

If we want to fish in a particular place, either because we want or because we know that there are huge specimens of a certain species in its waters, it is probably best to hire a specialised guide. If there is a guide who gives us a good vibe, a good feeling or we believe that we can learn a lot from him in a day, we will also be right if we choose him.

It does not mean that a more “versatile” guide will not control the lake, all the guides know the best spots of each lake. Simply if a person fishes all year round in X lake and fishes there for 150 days, for example, the chances of “catching more fish” may be a little higher than hiring a guide who fishes in 3 different scenarios, 60 or 70 days in each one. But fishing is not an exact science, you have to make decisions and there are days when no matter how well the guide does his job, the fish just don’t bite and the results may not be what you expected.

Best areas and times

First of all I am going to talk about Extremadura. Today there are specific spots on the Iberian Peninsula where you can probably catch more or bigger fish. However, at a regional level, Extremadura is still by far the region with the highest number of quality venues both in qualitative and quantitative terms. You have lakes in which you can catch really big pike, reservoirs in which you can do numbers…. And the same goes for black bass, barbel or zander. Extremadura is the region with the largest number of km of fresh coastline, but also the region with the largest surface area of navigable reservoirs in km2.

If you want more information on which are the best scenarios for each species you can click on the article fishing in Extremadura. In this one I prefer to focus on the advantages of hiring a guide. A guide will offer you personalised advice on which are the best areas at any given moment. They will also advise you on the best lures to use depending on the conditions. Of course, I’m the first person who likes to investigate, explore and discover… But there are times when our time availability is limited, we don’t have a boat with which to access less pressured areas? Or we simply want to enjoy a day without pressure and learn with a great fisherman.

Hiring a guide, an experience

For me, fishing with a guide is a learning experience. Of course the chances of having excellent results will increase exponentially but seeing how he goes into the positions, what lures he uses and why are very enriching details.

I remember one day in January when I fished together with Dani from Entrerríos Boats in which the target was black bass. It was going to be very difficult to catch any that year, but I still decided to choose that date. I know that he is a very good guide, that he knows a lot about Orellana and that I could learn a lot too. In the end we didn’t catch any black bass (we caught a handful of pike and zander and had fun) but I considered the trip more than satisfactory, as I learned a lot about winter black bass fishing, which at that time was not my speciality.

Another interesting option if we hire a guide is the possibility of fishing with him, especially if we go alone. For me, fishing with a guide will always be an enriching experience. However, the most logical thing to do is to hire between 2 or 3 people to make it more economical and in this case the guide will just take us to the best spots and give us the best indications.

Conclusions: list of advantages of hiring a fishing guide in Extremadura

If you still have any doubts, I hope this list will clear them up for you.

1. You will be able to fish in a region with an incredible biodiversity, as well as enjoy a great day of fishing. If you like wildlife and nature in general, the scenery in Extremadura is simply spectacular.
2. Extremadura is the region with the largest offer of fishing guides in the whole peninsula. We are currently more than 40 guides in the region, I am sure you will find what you are looking for here.
3. Extremadura has been, is and will continue to be a reference for predator fishing. Black bass, pike, barbel, pike-perch, catfish… whatever your favourite species, you will find incredible scenery here.

   

4. If you are looking for really big black bass, few communities will offer you this. Orellana, García Sola, Cíjara, Alqueva… in all these reservoirs you will have a real chance of catching a +3000. And if you are looking for a fun day with multiple catches between 1.5kg and 2.5kg, there are few places like Alcántara.
5. Extremadura is the region with the best barbels on the peninsula. Due to the large number of bait fish, the barbel is practically just another predator here. You can find the Common, Iberian, Andalusian or Small-headed. Reservoirs such as Cíjara, Alqueva, Alcántarta, Alange, Zújar or La Serena will make for an unforgettable day out.
6. If you want big pike you have a great offer again: Cíjara, García sola, Orellana or la Serena have been, are and will continue to be reference reservoirs for the fishing of these predators.
7. Fishing is not just about fishing, it is also about enjoying the landscapes, the villages and the gastronomy. Extremadura is one of the regions with the richest and most varied gastronomy, and why not say it, at a very good price. In several lakes there are restaurants on the shores of the lake where you can have breakfast, lunch or even dinner while your boat is parked just a few metres away.

If you have any questions, I’m here to help you with whatever you need. Whether it is to hire myself or to ask me for advice about other guides or reservoirs, this is still an informative website where we will try to help you as much as possible. Cheers and good fishing!

Do you want to fish for pikes in Extremadura? Extremadura is one of the best communities in the Iberian Peninsula for pike fishing and other predators. Here are some tips based on my experience of the last few years: What are the best areas? What lures should I use? What are the best times of the year? If you want to know exactly where, when and how, the best thing is to hire a fishing guide. Logically I am not going to give you such specific information, but if you are not an expert in pike fishing or do not know very well where to start in Extremadura, I hope this article will help you.

Before starting

Fishing for pike in Extremadura is a lot of fun but you must be very careful when handling them. I recommend that you use a net to be able to handle the fish correctly and avoid accidents. You can watch this video in which our friend Marcos from BO Fishing explains it in detail. Pike have sharp teeth and gills, and although they will never try to bite you, they may twist and cut you when trying to break free from the hooks. Whether with the teeth or the gills, you have to be very careful because the cuts can be deep. In addition, pike secrete anticoagulant, so the wounds may be bleeding for many minutes until the bleeding stops.

I don’t want to take away your desire to fish for pike, but it is important that you know all this before you start, because it is one of the species that usually causes the most accidents. On the other hand, I recommend you to use long pliers to be able to extract the hooks without risk. And lastly, please do not use the bocagrip or similar tools. If you learn to handle pike well from the beginning and grab them where you should with decision, the risk is minimal. And the fish will not suffer. In the event that the fish twists hard while you are handling it, the most that can happen to you will be a few slight cuts on the back of your fingers.

Fish for pikes in Extremadura, Lake or river?

Before choosing one or the other scenario, it is important to know if we have the possibility of using a float tube. Most of the rivers have very inaccessible banks, so the use of a float tube is highly recommended, almost essential. Unless you want to spend some time in a small dam or a concrete spot, most of the time the pike will be in areas not accessible from the shore. If we opt for the float tube, we have several interesting scenarios: the Guadiana river, the Zújar, the Zapatón, the Gévora… And in the province of Cáceres we could highlight the Tiétar.

If we fish from the shore or we are lucky enough to be able to do it from a boat, our best option will be the reservoirs. Either big lakes like Orellana, La Serena, Zújar, Garcia Sola, Cíjara, Sierra Brava or smaller ones like Valdeobispo, Horno Tejero, Proserpina, Piedra Aguda, Ruecas… However, it is very important to consult the confederation pages before navigating, as some of these lakes or some sections may not be navigable depending on the season.

Of course, the level of the lakes will influence their “fishability” from the shore. Normally the ideal will be that they are not completely full, since advancing along the banks will generally be complicated. But neither is it usually good if they are too empty.

Pikes love the vegetation present on the banks, either underwater or submerged trees and bushes.

Ideally, all of these things should be taken into account before you start: lake level and current trend. If a lake is rising it will always help to have more pike near the shore.

What is the best time of the year?

Many times we hear “theories” that say that pike only bite in winter, theories that I do not share. We can fish for pike all year round, it will depend on the scenery, the time of year, if we can fish in a boat or not… Logically, if we want to catch big specimens: January, February and March will always be interesting, due to the spawning season. During the pre spawning and spawning season the big females will be closer to the shores and will be more accessible.

Spring is also a good time as there will be pike scattered throughout the water layers. As we get closer to June, most of the pike will go to deeper areas and summer is the time when they are more inaccessible from the shore. However, in cut areas we will be able to fish them perfectly well, because pike in summer eat a lot, despite popular beliefs to the contrary.

If we are in the river we can also fish them, mainly in pools, but it is not the best season. In summer they also suffer a lot with temperature changes, so if we catch one, we must release it asap. If we are also fishing in reservoirs at a considerable depth (for example between 10 and 12 meters), we must be even more careful. The ideal is to fight them calmly, so that they do not rise quickly to the surface and release them quickly, especially if we fish in the middle of the day. Finally, autumn is also a good season, especially when the rains start. Pike at this time also approach the shore to feed.

Fishing for pikes in Extremadura, top lures

If you ask people of a certain age, they will tell you that the red wool spoon is the best lure for pike. And I am not going to deny that it is a lure that gives very good results, however it has many limitations and is very easy to hook. Nowadays we can fish for pike with a huge range of lures, everything will depend on the scenario and the size. I have left the lures for the end, because many of you ask about them first…. But for me the choice of lure is the last thing. If we don’t know where the fish are, we may be casting the best lures that will eat bowling pins like castles.

Where am I going to fish? Why do I choose this scenario? Is the level high or low? Rising or lowering? Is the season good for this particular scenario? Do the weather conditions favor us?

These and many other questions are the ones we should ask ourselves before choosing the lure. And the answer to these questions will only come from experience. If we are lucky enough to have a friend to accompany or advise us, we will have a lot to gain. Even so, if you want to learn how to fish, I recommend you to try to draw your own conclusions. It is the only way. If you don’t do it, there will be days, the least, when you catch a lot of fish without knowing very well why, and others when you don’t catch anything and you go home thinking that they didn’t bite. Having said that, I am going to describe the best lures.

HARD LURES

If pikes are in the shallows, hard lures like jerkbait or crankbait can give us very good results. I usually use big lures, because pike have a big mouth and if we use very small lures we run the risk of the pike swallowing them too much. At certain times we can even catch pike on topwater, especially in spring and autumn on a rough day. I try to avoid lures with treble hooks as much as possible, as they tend to cause quite a few injuries to the fish. Many times there will be other equally effective options, which are less harmful to the fish and also better for our physical integrity. It is much easier to stick a treble hook than a large single hook of a spinnerbait, for example.

Fishing for pikes in extremadura, spinnerbait & chatterbait

Generally these are the lures I use in similar situations to the hard lures. Of course they won’t always work, they will never be able to replace a long stop of a suspending jerkbait, but on many occasions when we are simply sweeping the bank they will be effective. As effective, if not more so, than a hard lure. I don’t know what it is about chatterbaits but pike love them, and spinners will give very good results on rainy and windy days. In terms of size, I would also go for large sizes, between half an ounce and an ounce.

Swimbaits, SOFT OR HARD?

Especially if we are looking for big pike, the swimbait will always be a great option. The advantage of the hard swimbait is that we can make stops and keep it longer in the strike zone. Also the fact of having treble hooks will give us a greater effectiveness, the good thing about this type of trebles is that being bigger they will generate less wounds and tears. The soft swimbait will allow for more subtle presentations, both in the river and in the reservoir. It also offers us the advantage of being able to bring up pike from great depths in cut areas, or we can use leaded swimbaits to fish deep.

FISHING FOR PIKES IN extremadura, jigs

The jig, although it has traditionally been a lure more used for bass, can give us very good results with pike. It will be appropriate if we are in scenarios where crawfish is an important part of their diet. But it is also an appropriate lure for attacking submerged trees, algae areas or very apathetic fish totally attached to the structures. Whether at shallow depths on rocky steps or at deep depths doing the same or standing on the bottom, the jig will always be a good choice.

I could talk about many more lures that can be effective: big spoons, big vinyl jerkbaits, lipless, unleaded vinyls… Practically any kind of presentation can be used, as it is a predator with quite a big mouth. But I don’t want to make too long an article and I don’t want to give you too much information that could get lost. I prefer you to have a solid base to start with and then, little by little, go deeper into those aspects that interest you the most.

I hope you have found it useful, interesting and that you can enjoy great days in search of this species. It is one of the most intriguing, most sportive and most exciting species…. Having a pike over a metre on the other side of the line is an exciting moment for any lure angler and Extremadura is one of the best places to experience it. Cheers and good fishing!

The barbel is one of the species that I have been most passionate about fishing. Since I was a child when I started fishing with the typical fly strings or with a rudimentary coup, barbel were always the fish I was most excited about. I remember when I was a teenager, when we “discovered” that barbel could be fished with lures…. At first we fished them with simple spoons. Later we started with small hard lures that we bought the few times we had the opportunity to go to the city. Nowadays bass occupy 90% of my fishing trips. However, since I am a predator angler, there hasn’t been a single one in which I haven’t spent several days barbel fishing in Extremadura.

Techniques, barbel fishing in Extremadura

Despite the fact that we can catch barbel with practically any of the existing modalities: fly, feeder, match, carpfishing, coup, lure fishing, etc… In this article I am going to focus on lure fishing and the different techniques we can use. Also within lure fishing we can fish in multiple ways: with hard lures, soft lures, on topwater, suspended fish, close to the bottom… It is a fish whose behavior, mainly in the summer months, becomes quite predatory.

Anyone who has caught a single barbel of a certain size knows that the first few runs are unmatched, making it one of the most powerful freshwater fish. For me, along with black bass and trout, it is one of the most sporting species I have ever fished. Below I will focus on the main techniques for barbel fishing in Extremadura, or at least the ones that have given me the best results, either from the shore or from a boat. If you don’t know where to go, the reservoirs of Cíjara or Alange have a very good population of quality barbel.

Barbel fishing with soft plastics

I’ve mainly fished for barbel sight-fishing. It is true that we can use a texas rig, drop shot, carolina…. Practically any rig we use for bass can work with barbel. However, for me, the most fun way to fish is to see the fish and present the lure in its face.

The most effective is usually to use small weightless vinyls of no more than 4″ in the shape of worms or small shad jerks. Sometimes they prefer to take the lure on the bottom, in this case using micro jigs of up to 7 grams can also be very interesting. As for the type of vinyl, match the hatch, it will always be a winner. If they are feeding on fish, then fish-shaped vinyls, if they are eating small invertebrates, using any form of vinyl with a similar color will help us to have more bites.

We can practice this fishing both in reservoirs and rivers, as long as the water is clear enough so that we can see the fish and present our lure discreetly. They are very suspicious fish and if we fail in the cast, many times our chances of catching them will vanish.

Hardlures, barbel fishing in Extremadura

If we decide to use hard lures, we must keep in mind that there is a high chance that the trebles will open up, so I recommend taking plenty of quality trebles. As in the previous case, it is important to observe the behavior of the fish before choosing the lure. If the wind hits hard on a bank, muddying it, we can use almost any lure, but when we face rough water conditions, things get complicated.

Linear retrieves are very often effective with this fish, so carrying crankbaits or lipless is almost mandatory. As in the previous case, small size lures tend to work better. We can also catch them with chatters and spinners, although they are not usually the most effective lures. If we see the fish wandering along the shore looking for food, using small jerks can also be very productive, but always picking them up quickly. I have caught barbel with 17 cm jerks, but this is not usual, so I recommend the use of jerks between 7 and 10 cm.

However, if we are lucky enough to face one of those days when the barbel eat on top layers, topwater fishing is undoubtedly the most entertaining. Small stickbaits, propellers, poppers… will give us unforgettable casts. As basic tips regarding the equipment to use, I recommend M or ML rods, preferably parabolic and with the reel brake quite loose to avoid as much as possible the triple openings. Normally with spinning rods we can better cast really small lures at long distance, but we can use casting perfectly well.

Searching for the deepest barbel

As spring progresses and the water warms up, if we talk about fishing in reservoirs most of the barbel look for deeper, cooler and more oxygenated water. We can catch them close to the shore in the early and late hours of the day, but most of the day they will be more comfortable deep.

It is not a fish that suffers too much with depth changes, as it can happen to pike, black bass or zander, but I don’t like to fish them below 12 meters. I don’t like to fish the fish too deep, it seems to me that it is producing unnecessary suffering, the risk of them dying increases with depth and there is always a way to catch fish in less critical layers.

If we are confronted with a reservoir in which there are shoals of small fish, we have several options: fishing for suspended barbel or “scraping” the bottom in knobby areas.

vertical fishing

If we decide to catch suspended fish we can drop the lure at the right depth, move the boat very slowly and see if they react. Many times this technique is really effective but I personally don’t find it too “meritorious”. So I don’t usually use it, unless I’m really lost and I’m not able to get bites in any other way.

The few times I decide to fish vertically, I prefer to spin around with the lure in my hand and only cast it when I locate a fish with the fish finder. This way we will cheat less fish, but we will cheat them ourselves, moving the lure in the way we consider best until we get the desired bite.

suspended fishing

When fish are suspended in the middle of great depths, scraping the bottom is not an option so we have to use suspended fish techniques. What I usually do in these cases is to make a couple of passes with the sonar in the area to see how deep the fish are. We can also see if they are hunting or not. I then make long casts (usually with a pikie), let it go down to the depth I think is key and bring it back to the boat on a continuous retrieve. It’s very important to hold the depth to be more time in the “hot area”.

Some days they prefer fast retrieves, others slower, others sawtooth…. Sometimes they come after the lure up to the vertical of the float tube or boat. This is when our expertise comes into play to see what kind of movements they want. We can also use other types of lures such as lipless, blades or small spoons. It’s all a matter of trying and seeing with which lures we get the most bites.

SCRAPING THE BOTTOM,BARBEL FISHING IN EXTREMADURA

When the fish are deep and we can’t catch them in the first 4 meters of water, this is the fishing I like to practice the most. It is also important to make several laps with the fish finder to see if there are small fish in the area. If we cast where there is no food, the density of barbel will be lower and therefore the chances of a bite.

Using a small pikie is usually the most effective and easiest way, scraping the bottom or fishing as close to the bottom as we can. After a while of fishing we will locate the most productive depths and cast our lures there in order to provoke more bites. It is not the same to fish between 4 and 10 meters than between 6 and 8…

As in the previous case we can also use lipless, blades, small spoons…. But in this case, if the bottom has many hooks, we will lose valuable time unhooking. If this is the case, we can also use rigs in which the hook is not uncovered. We will miss more bites but we will also spend more time fishing and less time unhooking, so we will surely catch more fish.

equipment

In general for this deep fish fishing we will use a bit more powerful equipment than in the previous case. The use of braid is more than recommended. If we fish close to the bottom it is also practically essential to use a fluorocarbon leader to avoid breakage. The moment it is hooked, the barbel pulls to the bottom like a shot. It is probably the species that looks for the bottom the most, so it is important to use the right leader.

I hope these small tips will be useful and you will be encouraged to try barbel fishing in Extremadura. In the summer months when fishing for other species becomes more difficult, it is an excellent and very entertaining option.

Chatterbait fishing is currently in fashion… and it is no coincidence because it is one of the most versatile lures that exist. However, it is a lure that has been used for many years in competition, even a humble angler like me has been using it for more than 15 years…

For me the chatterbait is not a magic lure. It is a very versatile lure that will allow us to cover many meters of shore in a short time, mainly in the shallowest layers. Many times I have more bites with this lure than with another one simply because in the same period of time I make more casts and more meters of shore, period.

However, fishing with chatter is much more than just casting and retrieving, there are a series of details that many anglers overlook. The purpose of this article is simply to help you to take these details into account, as long as they are useful to you, of course, because as always, every master has his own book. I don’t want to go into the subject without thanking Manute and Fabriche, because a great part of what I know about this lure and about bass fishing in general is thanks to them.

Weights, chatterbait fishing

For me, as with most lures, the half ounce is the most versatile weight for chatterbait fishing. It allows us to make really long casts and play in a “comfortable” way with the depth of the lure. 3/8 oz is a weight more and more used, because it is very useful in shallow scenarios such as the river or big beaches… And also for fishing algae areas, more and more frequent in our rivers and lakes such as for example Orellana. The great advantage of the 3/8 is that we will “hook less” and thus gain precious fishing time.

I’ve only been using 3/4 oz chatterbaits for a short time, but I’ve found them especially useful in those situations where it’s necessary to go deeper. Mainly with pike, but also when the big bass are still a bit separated from the shore.

Even so, the half ounce, if we know how to play with lines and trailers, will be the weight that will allow us to cover 80 or 90% of the fishing situations. If you are going to start using this lure, I think you should start here. With 3/8 you will lose casting distance and depth and with 3/4 you will hook too much, if you are not able to adapt the retrieve rate to the depth.

Trailers, chatterbait fishing

There are multiple shapes and sizes of trailers that we can use, however I will focus on the ones I consider most useful, at least for the fishing scenarios I usually face. Most anglers simply take into account the “match the hatch”, the imitation of the predominant prey species. Of course this is important but I believe there are many other factors that influence chatterbait fishing and I will try to explain them below.

Craw

For me, despite not being an excessively realistic imitation, if a chatterbait resembles any living being it is a craw. A craw emits vibrations when it swims, I don’t know if they are similar to those of a chatterbait or not, but more than those emitted by a fish. On the other hand, I quite like to use the chatterbait by dropping it to the bottom from time to time, getting quite a few bites even when stationary. For this and other factors I often use a craw as a trailer.

In turbid waters or windy days we can use craws that also vibrate “ultravibe” type. If the waters are rather clear or the conditions of the day are quite clear, without wind, I use more discreet craws. On the other hand, we must not lose sight of the fact that the larger the volume of the crab, the slower the sinking of the whole. So we will use large craws either when we want to give more volume or when we want it to sink less. The latter would be valid for any type of trailer and many fishermen do not take it into account…

Worm

Putting a worm as a trailer will always be a good choice, since we will form an “all terrain” set. There are times of the year when we want a set with a lot of mobility and here we will bet on long worms. Whether they have a vibrating “tail” or not will depend on the stage conditions as in the previous case.

Generally with a worm our chatter will go deeper than with a craw. The thinner and shorter the worm is, the deeper it will go. Therefore we will opt for this type of trailer when we need that “extra” depth. We must also keep in mind that if there is a lot of algae on the lake, a worm will “catch” less than a bulkier trailer such as a craw or a criature.

Shad

When there is a lot of shad or any other species of grass fish, using a small paddle tail or vinyl trailer jerk will always be a good option. If we opt for a paddle tail, it is important that it does not have too big a tail, as the whole would be unbalanced and would not swim well. If we opt for a vinyl jerk without a paddle tail, we will have no problem.

In this case I simply take into account the above: bulky trailers to give volume to the set, fish slower and go shallower, more discreet trailers to create a more compact set and be able to go deeper with the same retrieve speed and churn more water.

Colors and blades

In this case I am going to talk about the color of the vinyl and the skirts as well as the color of the blades for chatterbait fishing. In general I like to use natural and realistic colors, but with this kind of lures there are times when flashy colors are a plus. If we want to fish for pike or zander, we can play even more with this kind of colors like yellows, whites, bright greens?

If our target is bass I generally try to play with “matching” sets. When I put a craw trailer, I will use a craw color chatter. If I put a fish type trailer, I will use a fish type color and so on.

As for the blade, there are multiple opinions but we can play with 3 options. Black or dark paddle in very clear water and pressured scenarios. The theory says silver paddle on cloudy days and gold paddle on sunny days…. Besides, the golden blade is not usually used too much in our country so I consider it a plus sometimes.

Retrieving in chatterbait fishing

Lastly I want to talk about retrieval in chatterbait fishing. As I said at the beginning of the article, I believe that chatterbait fishing is much more than just casting and retrieving and I’m going to try to clarify that.

In 90% of the situations we will cast to a target (or not) and retrieve the lure. There will be times when the fish will want faster retrieves (usually happens post-spawn). There are other times when the key will be to retrieve at the minimum speed we can do it without the lure stopping vibrating. This speed is not exactly low, we can never retrieve at the same speed as we would with an unweighted paddle tail…

Different ways

However, if we do not have too many obstacles and the fishing is very slow, we can make periodic stops allowing the lure to contact the bottom. We can even stop it on the bottom for a few seconds. Anyway, if we want to make many stops on the bottom, there will always be better options such as a jig. I simply want to show the versatility of this lure. When I need to cover more water than with a jig, but I know the fishing is hard, this is what I do.

Finally, I would like to emphasize that the chatterbait is a pure power fishing lure. It is a lure that causes most of its bites by reaction and its main strength lies in its ability to sweep a large amount of water in a short period of time. With a chatterbait we will mainly catch the most active fish and leave another fish behind. But if there is a high enough percentage of active fish…. With a chatter we will cover much more water than with slower fishing and therefore we will be able to catch more fish.

Cheers and good fishing.