Few lures have hit the fishing industry as rapidly as chatter-style baits. Their initial success on the bass tournament trail led competing manufacturers to develop their own chatter-style offerings quicker than an office worker grabbing a free doughnut.

With the dust now settled, the opportunity exists to determine what niches chatter-style baits fill. The current variety lends itself to application beyond the pursuit of largemouth bass.

Smaller versions have proved themselves worthy of use by anglers targeting panfish, particularly during late spring and early summer, when warming water temperatures warrant the use of a moving bait.

A metal non-rotational blade, which varies in shape among manufacturers, is what gives a chatter-style bait it chatter.

The blade doesn't revolve; rather, it's hinged to the trailing bait. As the bait is retrieved, the blade's bite in the water transmits an irregular pull, resulting in a random action that can be an intense trigger.

Most chatter-style baits incorporate a leadhead jig design, with plastic trailers of several shapes, including minnow-shaped bodies and synthetic skirts. More recently stickbaits employing a chatter-style blade have hit the market and they have a place in panfishing as well.

Indiana, Pa., lure maker Joe Renosky has been on the chatter-style bait scene since the beginning, helping the manufacturer of the original version keep up with the intense initial demand.

Since then, he's been a driving force in expanding the chatter concept to other shapes and sizes. In-the-field experimentation is a constant aspect of this process, the results of which, panfishing-wise, he shared with me.

The connection of springtime crappies to wood cover is a strong one. On most lakes, it's likely that the majority of the fish taken during the year come from such stuff, most often by folks soaking a small fathead minnow beneath a bobber.

As the water warms, though, a more active presentation can increase crappie catches in and around shallow wood cover. Chatter-style baits can be part of the formula for success.

"I think the vibration is the biggest factor," said Renosky, referring to a chatter-style bait's bite-triggering attributes. "The vibration is so much different than that of more conventional baits."

Smaller jig-type chatterbaits made for panfish and trout are most appropriate for crappies, as well as other panfish.

Where most early spring wood-related tactics call for getting back in the thick stuff holding crappies that are reluctant to move, by late spring it pays to work the fringes of the cover, as well as the open water near brushpiles, beaver lodges and shoreline laydowns.

Chatter-style baits have a built-in erratic action, one likely to generate strikes on their own. Still, it can pay to experiment a bit, including a bit of stop-n-go, as well as bumping into cover, where possible.

In regard to trailers, the standard dressing on most baits is a skirted one, sometimes married to a straight split-tail grub.

Renosky, though, said he's had the best success with a simple soft minnow-shaped trailer. Consider switching out the skirt on a bait for a soft-bodied minnow if it's not generating strikes.

Summer's arrival will bring more than just warmer water temperatures. By now submerged weeds will be developed enough to serve as a significant draw, not only for larger gamefish, but for panfish as well. It's well known that on clearwater lakes healthy stands of coontail and broad-leafed pondweed invite crappies, bluegills and yellow perch.

While these fish sometimes will be located right along the edges of this cover, at times they will suspend out away from it a bit, perhaps to separate themselves from larger gamefish that might be holding on the edge.

Chatter-style baits are ideal for covering these zones. Since the smaller versions are available in sizes from one-sixteenth to three-sixteenths ounce, an angler can tailor things to the conditions of the day.

On a clearwater lake that has weed lines out to 12 to 14 feet, start with a heavier version, relying on the faster drop rate to allow the lure to reach greater depths in a reasonable time.

On a darkwater lake, like Pymatuning or Arthur, it might be necessary to go lighter, since the weeds grow out to depths of only 5 to 6 feet.

Size matters as well in relation to the species present. Crappies have pretty big mouths, capable of accepting a larger lure.

Bluegills, however, have rather tiny mouths. If bluegills are the targeted species, and the lake or pond isn't known for holding bronco-sized versions of them, stick to the smallest baits.

Jay E. Hewitt is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle.