Chatter bait skirts

[WALLEYE WACKER]

Has anyone used buck tail instead of skirt material on your chatter bait’s.

[efishnc]

Although I have not, I've made (and fished) so many different chatterbaits and bucktail lures that I can say this with confidence: with all other things equal, conventional bucktail dressing (alone) will not get a chatterbait to chatter.

There has to be enough water friction to balance whatever sized blade you are using; and given bucktail (alone) has less friction than living rubber and/or plastic trailers, you would have to use an unconventional amount of hair or tie the hair in an unconventional manner... and as for tying in unconventional manner, tying it backwards is what I mean.  I doubt I would have ever thought of tying bucktail backwards on my own, but I was fortunate enough to be exposed to DreamCatcher Lures (http://www.biggametackleco.com/dreamcatcher-lures.html) when I was working the sport show circuit in the early 2000s.  I had used several of Bill's bucktails before I started tying my own, and the reverse tie on bucktail has a CRAZY amount of water friction (plus it gives the bait a bulkier profile).

So, if you want to use bucktail on a chatterbait without a trailer, I would recommend using a reverse tie (because I don't think anyone could get enough hair on them with a conventional tie).  The only ways to compensate a chatterbait with a "conventional" bucktail dressing would be to use a larger than normal trailer (to provide for additional water friction), or to shrink the blade size to (match the lack of friction).

[ctom]

I'm not a chatterbait guy but as efishnc has just stated about water resistance, I'd go ahead and do bucktail but cut it long and when you mount it on the head to tie it leave it protrude beyond the head a bit. Really cinch down on the thread and you get a serious flare that will give plenty of water resistence. If its so long it interferes with the blade, simply trim that portion back a bit but as long as the hair butts are flared up over or beyond the heads diameter the head, water resistance will be max. This I am well schooled in after years and years of tying walleye bucktails and was something I did intentionally on many many occasions.

I think this is one of those instances where trying is more to the point than over thinking it.

[21xdc]

Both of these guys have the right idea.

[efishnc]

And even though it is shorter in length, body hair flares much better (than tail hair) because of its hollow design.

[WALLEYE WACKER]

Hopefully when I get home I’ll show you what I mean because like everything you tie hair to that less hair used gives you a lot more action

[21xdc]

It's all about the resistance/drag of the body/skirt etc in relation to the blade/conection and fastening point. Not enough drag, The blade wont work right. The hair/flashabou etc might have more action, But it don't have resistance/drag.... Unless you tie reverse or add a flare at the head. And that still may not be enough.