The cane
There are two potential casting rods you can choose from for chatterbait and spinnerbait fishing, depending on your type of fishing. The first is a short rod, 2 metres or 2 metres 10, ideally in 5-21g and with a very parabolic action. This rod is ideal for precise casts close to a cover, a pontoon or when you want to fish a bank perpendicularly.
You can also choose a more powerful rod, 7-28g for example, with a longer length of at least 2.20 metres. This allows for longer casts, which is very useful when fishing in open water, on the edge of weedbeds or simply for power fishing to cover as much ground as possible. The parabolic action of these rods is very important in converting bites into catches. Carnivores often seize these lures by coming from behind, and the parabolic action allows the rod to load slowly to let the fish engorge the lure before striking.
The reel
Baitcasting reels for chatterbait and spinnerbait fishing also need to be adapted to this type of fishing. For this purpose, a size 100 or 200 with a very high ratio and good line capacity is used. The high ratio counteracts the pushing effect created by predators arriving at full speed from the rear of the lure. The aim is to recover the slack in the line as quickly as possible before striking.
When using these lures, it's not uncommon for the fish to start turning a few moments after biting to return to its hiding place, so it's important that it has the lure firmly in its mouth. A reel with a fast ratio is also more effective for short-range fishing where only the first few metres of a cast are effective, especially when the fish are in the edges. Quickly reeling in the lure when you're out of the right fishing zone can save a lot of time over hundreds of casts.
Braid or fluorocarbon?
80% of American and Japanese chatterbait and spinnerbait fishing is done with fluorocarbon to add extra elasticity to that already present with the rod. However, we European anglers don't have a casting set for every type of lure and our custom is to fish with braid. The main disadvantage of full fluoro is that without a high-ratio reel, it's almost impossible to retrieve the slack when casting.
It is therefore possible to fish with braid, although I recommend that you use a leader long enough for this technique, at least 2 metres. Braid is very effective when the water is dirty and discretion is of little importance, but also when fishing in heavy vegetation. The abrasive side of braid and its rigidity make it much easier to extract fish from thick cover.
