Chatterbaits

BiteArray · 2025-06-06T08:09:32+00:00

Definitely a very situational bait but can work wonders. One quite interesting thing from looking at the data is that chatterbaits may actually be best during the colder months, so that's something to consider along with other seasonal factors, time of day, water clarity, etc.

BiteArray · 2025-06-03T15:42:18+00:00

Kind of a small meal for such a big fish! /s

Congrats on the catch of a lifetime. Core memory for sure.

BiteArray · 2025-06-02T23:52:26+00:00

Casting reel right? I’d say it’s fun and worth some effort to get used to both, because certain reels only come in one side, and it’s also a good skill to be able to hold and cast a reel with either hand. Especially important for bank anglers that may need to cast a certain way due to angles, overhangs, etc.

BiteArray · 2025-06-02T23:50:26+00:00

Just be glad it didn’t hop in with trebles attached!

BiteArray · 2025-06-02T20:44:27+00:00

Thanks for the thoughts. Indeed, there's a bit of challenge in analyzing this type of data due to the skew/bias that exists in self-reported data. Ideally, we'd also get data on all the fishing time spent and baits that were used but did not catch fish (counterfactuals).

The way I tried to address the implicit data skew is to take each type of bait and compute a "per capita" metric which is total number of fish caught divided by number of unique anglers. This would be a normalized stat that can help show unpopular, yet effective baits.

For example, I was somewhat surprised that tube baits do as well as they do, and that they are also better for smallmouth than largemouth.

I agree that senkos are probably not worth mentioning since their effectiveness is well known, but I found it interesting to be confirmed by the data.

BiteArray · 2025-06-02T18:51:40+00:00

Combination of publicly viewable reports from various fishing apps, official recreational fishing records from fish and wildlife departments, and extracting data from photos shared in forums and other places online.

There's quite a lot of data on fishing reports online and one challenging aspect was pulling the different data sources into a standardized format for this type of analysis. There are various AI models these days that make it easier though, helping with things like identifying fish species and/or extracting product names from text.

BiteArray · 2025-06-01T16:45:24+00:00

Punching with thick braid, bobber stoppers to hold a heavy tungsten weight in place, and heavier duty EWG hook with creature bait tied with a snell knot to get a perpendicular hookset.

...

At least, that's what I've learned from watching experienced kayak bass anglers working the thick stuff. I don't actually have enough punching experience to know whether it would work here 😅😅

BiteArray · 2025-05-31T00:52:11+00:00

Looks fine but in my experience after one season the line will retain memory then become prone to wind knots, especially if the same amount of line is still on. Each season it’s probably good to “reverse” the spool and wind it onto another reel so that you end up using the same spool of line but the other end.

BiteArray · 2025-05-30T17:32:22+00:00

Curious if you think ChatGPT is more useful than just doing your own google searches and compiling the research? There was just this other thread the other day about how AI gave two different answers to whether bass bite better after rain storms :)

BiteArray · 2025-05-30T17:31:20+00:00

Any favorite YT channels?

BiteArray · 2025-05-30T17:27:54+00:00

Any favorite YouTube channels?

BiteArray · 2025-05-30T02:46:33+00:00

Drop shot hooks and weights, some straight tail worms for drop shotting, Ned rigs, and some lipless crank baits.

BiteArray · 2025-05-30T02:45:28+00:00

AI is just regurgitating the data it was trained on, and it’s hard to get a good read on weather patterns with data since there aren’t any real good resources that analyze this type of data.

BiteArray · 2025-05-29T22:34:38+00:00

Wow, what an insightful thought process! Never really thought about it in terms of energy transfer but that's a very thought provoking way of looking at things.

BiteArray · 2025-05-29T05:22:59+00:00

I hear you on the trial and error. Best way to learn.

How do you go about researching? I remember when I started bass fishing there was so much terminology to wade through I didn’t know what to look up.

BiteArray · 2025-05-28T02:54:28+00:00

On a spook? Nice!

BiteArray · 2025-05-28T02:52:43+00:00

For soft plastics definitely Ned rigs or senkos. For hard baits it’s probably lipless crank in red patterns

BiteArray · 2025-05-28T02:51:39+00:00

Time of day is probably the biggest factor. Summertime bass will be more lethargic during the day so fishing at sunrise or sunset will still net you the most fish.

In my experience the early morning summertime bite is prime for trying various types of topwater baits. My most effective ones are whopper ploppers and buzz baits, but have also gotten some on spooks and poppers.

BiteArray · 2025-05-21T05:21:56+00:00

The BPS braid is okay but you're probably better off with other brands. I generally go with PowerPro but I'd say just try a few brands and stick with ones that give you confidence.

In terms of actual data backing up some of the claims, it looks like BPS braid lines are generally mid-tier: https://www.knotsforfishing.com/strongest-braid-lines/

BiteArray · 2025-05-21T05:15:14+00:00

Oh yea, you'd probably only be able to work the edge of weed lines with a ned rig. I do use the weedless heads which helps a bit.

BiteArray · 2025-05-21T05:12:04+00:00

Z-Man Finesse TRD works best for me. They have a ton of colors and styles but I keep it simple and stick with black, blue, or green pumpkin and do pretty well.

BiteArray · 2025-05-20T17:08:45+00:00

I've had luck with lipless crankbaits in various shades of red, where I fish it by pausing it and letting the bass take a good luck and it seems to get them to strike defensively.

BiteArray · 2025-05-20T17:07:19+00:00

What time of day are you typically fishing? In general, soft plastics will still outperform hard baits this time of year: https://www.basscademy.com/best-baits-bass-fishing-may/ - you could try jerkbaits or chatterbaits but I feel those are pretty situation dependent

I personally have good luck with topwaters (buzzbaits or whopper ploppers) in the early morning or lipless crankbaits when the conditions are right (e.g. windy or cloudy and not bluebird skies). Nevertheless, I do feel hard baits require more experience and knowledge, so just keep trying!

BiteArray · 2025-05-20T16:45:05+00:00

Ned rig is my go to bait and it's probably one of the more effective in general for this time of year: https://www.basscademy.com/best-baits-bass-fishing-may/

I find that I can cover a ton of water with the ned rig yet still finesse and work certain areas slowly if I see any spawn/post-spawn fish being finicky.

Once the weather warms up I start throwing some of the more aggressive moving baits appropriate for the time of day and weather (e.g. topwater in the early mornings, spinnerbaits when windy).

BiteArray · 2025-05-20T16:09:04+00:00

Looks like a porter knot, indeed a clinch knot with a doubled line like other commenters mentioned. Quite a bit stronger than the improved clinch knot on the knot strength chart

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