Unlocking the true potential of the ultra-versatile bladed jig.
There are a few things that come to mind when I tie on a bladed jig: big bass and a powerful wrecking ball of a lure it’s so diverse and it’s definitely a utility knife of your bass arsenal. But, like with anything else these days, there’s always the “fine print” and in this case, that means paying attention to detail. In other words, you’re not just grabbing any old Chatterbait of the rack and chucking it out there. I mean, you could do this, and you’d catch some fish, but you’d fall well short of unlocking the true potential of this hyper-versatile bait!
If you want to really connect with some of the biggest bass of your life, then you will need to take a deeper dive into the “realm of the blades” with me to give you some greater intel on how this lure unlocks some of the secrets of what makes big bass tick and why it’s my all-time number one choice for bass fishing. Trust me, it really is a weapon of bass destruction! I have pulled a lot really big fish off deep rock structures alone with a bladed jig that even some really good crankbaits couldn’t entice.
Now let’s dive in on the bladed jig, or what is often referred to as a “chatterbait.”
Believe The Chatter
Combining the flash and vibration of a spinnerbait with the profile of a jig and the powerful versatility of a swimbait… bladed jigs have become must-have weaponry when chasing trophy largemouth bass. These simple baits consist of a jighead with a six-sided metal blade (some are made from carbon fiber to achieve a different pitch to the vibration and sound) some blades are attached by a split ring to the jighead itself, others are thru-wired directly into the jighead attached at the line tie. When retrieved, the blade rapidly kicks side-to-side and produces a strong vibration while also moving a ton of water, these actions work together to draw the senses of the bass, sometimes it seems that big bass can’t help it, they have to track it down! That heavy vibration will call in big bass in the dirtiest water and through the darkest nights.
There’s something about that constant vibration that seems to get reactions from largemouth bass, regardless of whether they’re in an aggressive or passive state; the bait triggers something in them that makes them react with a strike. The hits on these baits are crushing and, you’ll see, the results speak for themselves.
The vibration and water displacement draw the fish in to investigate, but the action of the skirt and trailer (if used) in combination with the profile of the jig and the flash from the blade almost seem to present as sensory overload, ticking all the boxes that make a bass want to kill. And since they come in many sizes, colors and blade finishes, and that they can coupled with so many trailers, chatterbaits can mimic a massive selection of forage including; perch (of both hues), shad, herring, shiners, bluegill, catfish, crawfish, small trout, frogs and more.
I like to say, “Bulk up for big bass,” meaning you want that bait to look like it’s worth the effort, so add a craw or creature trailer to make it too good to pass up.
Environmental Advantages
With the chatterbait, darkness/low-visibility is your ally. Trophy bass love to hunt in the dark or in dirty water but under these conditions, their eyesight is severely limited, and this is when the bladed jig becomes a real difference-maker. Trophy bass are cautious hunters, they don’t achieve these large sizes by being careless, and while dirty water or darkness provides hunting advantages, it also puts them on alert. The key is to play to the senses they are using instead of their eyes; their hearing and their lateral line. Let the blade do the talking (chattering) and the bass will find it.
I like to stick the natural colors as much as possible, and white or chartreuse may get the call when the water is super-stained. The trailer is what brings the bladed jig to life and really gets those fish to commit to the strike. Matching the trailer to the forage in your lake is important too, for example, a white swimbait trailer pairs well when you’re fishing around shad or herring, while green pumpkin craws shine when fishing deep rocks, or around vegetation and in dirty water. Swimbait/paddletail trailers are best when you want a natural baitfish look. Creature baits add bulk and replicate a crawfish on the run, while also adding a little more thump to the overall vibration. Fluke-style trailers give a subtler profile and create some added darting action when twitched or ripped.
Good Vibes
All chatterbaits are not equal! And it’s important to pay close attention to the pitch or frequency of the vibration put out by each manufacturer, along with blade material and size. Just looking at Z-Man alone, you’ll see stark differences; the Z-Man Jackhammer has a brass blade that gives off a higher-pitch knock than the Z-Man Original Chatterbait, which features a tin blade that’s extremely loud and – honestly – just not as effective, most of the time. Some other companies use carbon fiber to tone down the frequency of the vibration, giving off a quieter, lower-frequency hum. Then we have the Berkeley Slobberknocker, which is unique, because the blade is fed through jighead, instead of being attached using a split ring, the result is, yet another, unique pitch that’s more like a low tapping. And I do like a lower frequency, the bigger bass definitely seem to like it too. Then there’s the Strike King Thunder Cricket, which has almost a cricket-like, chirping pitch to it, hence the name, I like to use for this bait situations where speed is required.
I fish bladed jigs deep and shallow and have excellent success, the depth is going to dictate the weight I use; for shallower water like weeded flats, I use 3/8-ounce (If I need more finesse, I will go even lighter), for deeper structure, I go up to a half-ounce. The key is to fish them in places where big bass are likely to ambush prey and in those situations where dirty water or low-light/darkness are forcing the bass to key in on vibration. When choosing areas to fish, look for deeper rock piles, laydowns, stone walls, or transitions between mud or sand to rocks. Rocky points are great spots in the late-fall and early spring. Another great place to sling a bladed jig are windswept banks where choppy water is kicking up lots of mud and silt. Late-fall and early-spring are my top times to throw these baits, but they work all year, even crawled in the dead of winter.
As with any versatile bait, there are many ways to fish the chatterbait and finding the right retrieve for the moment or situation is going to make all the difference, so experiment. The bread and butter presentation is the steady crank, keeping it swimming just above, or beside cover or structure and waiting for the hit. Sometimes a ‘stop-and-go’ retrieve will draw strikes, pausing causes the blade to flutter slowly downward and sometimes that’s the secret. Yo-Yoing also crushes when the fish are hunkered down in deeper structure. You’re basically fishing it like a lipless crankbait, getting those short zzzzips of vibration on the lift and letting is settle back down, this is a great tactic in colder water. “Burn and kill” is another tactic I recommend trying, reeling it fast and intermittently adding in sudden stops.
A deeper variation of this is something I do specifically with the Thunder Cricket, getting it down to the bottom and rapidly hopping and skipping the bait along the bottom, giving lots of short “chirpy” vibrations as it scoots along the bottom.
Terminal & Technical
Gear selection matters if you want to get the most out of a bladed jig. I typically use a crankbait rod, and you can use either spinning or conventional, whatever you’re most confident in. I like a parabolic, moderate-fast action rod the forgiveness in the rod keeps the fish pinned on aggressive strikes. I like a 7- to 7-1/2-foot rod, my go-to’s for conventional are the St. Croix Bass X 7-foot, 6-inch medium/heavy and the 7-foot St. Croix Premiere (medium). For spinning I like the 7-foot Daiwa Procyon, medium/heavy.
When choosing a reel, I stick to moderate gear ratios between 5.4:1 and 7.4:1. For spinners I use a Shimano Vanford 4000 (5.4:1) this reel is best for colder water. Baitcasters: I use an Abu Garcia Black Max (6.4:1), or a Penn Fathom 300 (7.4:1). For line, I use 30-pound PLine Never Fade braid which I will tie direct in heavy cover or at night. When I need a little more stealth or when it’s cold, I will add a 4-foot leader of Opsin fluorocarbon, 12- or 15-pound test. I will also opt for the fluoro in lakes where the fish see a lot of fishing pressure.
The bladed jig is a popular bait because it catches fish, but in the hands of someone that puts thought into their presentation and location, it becomes a deadly weapon for catching trophy bass. Remember to play to their senses, fishing dirty water and low-light conditions. Remember to bulk up the profile and match the forage in your lake to tempt the biggest bass. And don’t forget to mix up your retrieves to unlock the bite. If you master this bait, you’d better be ready for some of the biggest bass of your life!
