To Rattle, Or Not To Rattle?

[Shimano4Life]

Got a question for anyone willing to answer.

I put a rattle on my jig for sure when the water is stained and muddy. Most of the time I leave it off in clear water, unless I have fished it for hours without a bite and I'm trying to get the fish to look at it.

Do you think adding a green pumpkin or natural color rattle in clear water hurts my chances of getting bites? Maybe the sound is too much in clear water. Just wondering what you guys think.

[mhall]

I don't like a rattle in real clear water, it's probably just a mental thing. I like to be more subtle with Gin clear water, maybe I'm messing up?

[DJD]

I follow your method most of the time. But have been rattleless with jigs lately and have been doing well.

[kyjake]

Fish jigs about 95% if the time in fall and winter but don't know anything about putting a rattle on a jig.
Jake

[elnutsmalljaws]

Fish jigs about 95% if the time in fall and winter but don't know anything about putting a rattle on a jig.
Jake

Night fishing no matter where, me 100% rattle.

Day Fishing stained - off color - muddy water, me 100 % rattle.

Day Fishing Clear Water, start with no rattle but if not much is happening and I think that the jig is the bait that I need to be using then I will switch to a rattle. I have several different rattles from single tube glass or plastic rattles that can be inserted in the body of the trailer which put off a subtle tick, to an aluminum chamber rattle that attaches to the trailer for a bit more louder tick, to twin chamber rattles that I thread over the hook and attach to the jig head that really bang and make a lot of noise plus the move around and look like pinchers on a crawfish. I start with the quietest rattle then move up if needed and even that depends on how deep I am fishing, the more depth I am fishing the louder I want my rattle. Just what I do.

[kyjake]

Thanks,I will give them a try.A lot of my fishing is either night or in stained water..
Jake

[apb]

Does a rattle on a jig really make much noise, if any, most of the time? Seems like to make any noise the rattles have to be shaking. If you are pitching to timber, for example, the rattle might make a sound as it hits the water and when it hits bottom. Same if you shake the rod tip when the jig is on the bottom. As it falls, there should be no sound. Given these, would having a rattle make that much difference on a jig? I'm pretty new at throwing jigs for bass, so just asking. Striper jigs, I might know a little something about

Andrew

[elnutsmalljaws]

Just me but I think a rattle on a jig is supposed to sort of imitate the pinchers of a crawfish clicking. Dragging a jig with a rattle will make the rattle tick, tick, tick at different intervals depending on what you are dragging it thru, bumping against and gives the fish something else to hone (sp) in on when they are trying to find the bait. Just adds another sense that the fish can use to find it. Just me but I think tick.... tick................................ tick - tick.....................tick..................... ..............tick and then the fish finds it and sees the trailer with the tails standing up sort if a crayfish in a defensive position with his back on the bottom and pinchers in the air just makes too much sense for me, but I know the fish are way smarter than me.

[Ruffneck]

I really only rattle if I know there are a lot of bucks in the area and the competition for hot does is on.

[Ruffneck]

Oops...wrong forum.

[mhall]

Andrew they put out quite a bit of noise really, I've got some I can shake and you can actually hear them when reeling up to recast.

[Les Young]

Very rarely that I'll throw a jig without a rattle. The one time is in gin clear water & the bass are aggressive enough that they're chasing the jig with a swimming chunk & hitting it on the retrieve. I see a very big part of these fish & I just let it fall & bam they get put in the boat. They'll do this when they chase one & don't get caught & run under the boat. I let it fall & they nail it most times. This is the only time I don't use a rattle as their definitley going by sight.