rattles?!?!?!
hmmmmmmm......
in clear water i only use rattles if the fish are really aggresive. if the bite is tough, i wouldnt throw a rattle to better my odds of catching fish. your chances of spooking the fish are greater in clear water.
murky water is another story. if the fishes sense of sight is hindered ( 20 points for use of the word hindered) i would use a rattle to my advantage to give the fish a way of hearing my bait better.
as far as clair goes, i only use a rattle when the fish are extremely active.
heres a tip. instead of paying extra money for tube heads equipped with rattles, buy worm rattles bulk from bass pro shops and rubber band them to your tube heads.
i have used tubes weights with rattles already on them and i find that they will break off after 1 fish. not always the case, but it happens.
if your fishing some darker water tho, i would suggest rubber banding a worm rattle to your favorite tube head and fishing extremely close to any kind of bottom cover you can find. it has payed off for me in the past.
madman himself