Z-Man Remasters Colors for the JackHammer Chatterbait
New ‘Jack’ City’ Four fresh color patterns enliven Z-Man’s® celebrated ChatterBait® JackHammer™
It’s no stretch to call the ChatterBait JackHammer bladed jig the hottest big bass lure of a generation. Tourney box scores and 5-star angler reviews tell the story. Consult any online tackle retailer and settle in for hours of glowing reports, piles of monster bass pix attached for good measure. There’s authentic excitement behind anglers’ words— the sort of language that can only result from epic days on the water. Check Rufus from Indiana, Trey from Texas, BankfishVince, Guy from Montreal, Git’r Dun from Guntersville. Lots of . . . BEST bladed jig on the market! Caught my PB! Worth every penny. When the blade stops thumping, set the hook! What else can I say? Actually, with four newly minted JackHammer color patterns, plenty.
Five years and goodness knows how many tournament wins and personal best bass have passed since Z-Man pro Brett Hite and Japanese bass legend Morizo Shimizu helped EverGreen International build JackHammer no.1, equipping it with the finest hand-picked terminal tackle on the planet. The lure also inherited Z-Man’s patented head-to-blade connection and exclusive hex-shaped ChatterBlade®—two of the sport’s more underrated tackle innovations.
Soon, the ChatterBait JackHammer became known variously as The One, Vibe Machine and even, unnamed bladed jig by tourney-winning anglers sponsored by other companies. By now, endless unsuccessful attempts to mimic its easy-starting, vivid vibrating, hard-hunting, bass-attracting attributes have only increased the JackHammer’s street cred.
The man behind the JackHammer, Hite recently took a deep dive on the lure’s origins, divulging four new color patterns along the way. “The JackHammer is quite simply the Ferrari of bladed bass jigs,” says Hite, the Phoenix, Arizona bass pro who has won over a million dollars on ChatterBaits alone.
“Everything about its design is high-level and ultra-refined,” he notes. “We’ve always insisted on primo, refined components, line-tie to hookpoint. Like the sharpest Gamakatsu® heavy wire flipping hook. A double-wire trailer keeper that locks soft plastics tight to the jighead. Even the line-tie is tricked-out— a high-grade Decoy® Egg Snap. Like I said, Ferrari,” Hite laughs.
Substantiating the lure’s patented direct blade to head connection, Hite explains the mechanics and the outcome. “No other bladed jig jumps around and hunts so erratically on the retrieve,” he believes. “Nor does any lure start vibrating so quickly and thump the water with such intense fish-attracting vibrations.
“Consider the lure’s flat-bottom, low-center-of-gravity head and specialized channel groove for blade protection. Examine the hex-blade itself: Its shape and slightly upturned lip, the thinness of the stainless steel, as well as its connection point to the eyelet—no extra split ring or other novel workarounds. Modify any of this critical engineering and you’re left with an entirely different lure that misses the mark—the main reason anglers and big bass continue coming back to the JackHammer, tournament after tournament.”
Ready to churn the water with four invigorated lure patterns, Hite explains the subtle appeal of each new ensemble. “We build JackHammers using only the choicest strands of silicone skirting, all hand-tied and color-matched to the jighead and blade,” he expounds. “All four of these super-charged patterns offer delicately different hues, each one purpose-driven to put more bass in your boat.”
Ghost Baby Gill: A high-gloss gunmetal blade accentuates its pale, muted skirt—combinations of natural orange, green pumpkin and blue/purple sparkle. Jig head features sunfish-resplendent body patterns, including telltale black vertical bars. Hite: “This might be my favorite bluegill pattern yet, just a really sweet looking ‘ghost’ ‘gill color for clear water. You get the perfect subtle flash off the black chrome blade, but not an overwhelming amount. I throw this pattern a ton around bream beds in clear reservoirs and lakes with grass. Match it up with a green pumpkin trailer for an ultimate bluegill imitation.”
The pre-eminent vibrating jig today, the ChatterBait JackHammer is the result of a comprehensive project between Z-Man Fishing and Japanese luremaker, EverGreen International, designed by MLF angler Brett Hite. Available in 3/8-, ½-, ¾- and 1-1/4-ounce sizes, the ChatterBait JackHammer features eighteen color-matched patterns, compatible with a variety of ElaZtech® trailers.
Watermelon/blue sparkle skirting across the spine overlays a pearl white belly for a surprisingly accurate blueback herring match. Chrome blade adds to the flash effect of blueback scale arrays.Hite: “Seems like more and more lakes in the south are getting bluebacks, making this an increasingly valuable ChatterBait pattern. Fish it at Lake Murray, Lanier or any other place with spotted bass. This is also a super potent clear-water shad pattern, with hints of what I call ‘Smurf blue,’ resembling the natural coloration of blueback herring.”
Dirty White: Belly strands of pearl and white/sparkle underlay a spine of clear/black silicone, creating a vivid baitfish pattern. A contrasting gold blade activates like a strobe in stained water environments.Hite: “This one’s for all those JackHammer fans who’ve begged us for a super visible, gold bladed baitfish pattern for stained and dirty water. We’ve learned that white shows up better in dark water than chartreuse, just as a gold blade offers a bit more flash than silver in off-colored lakes. Dirty White’s a sneaky-good pattern that really catches ‘em in classic squarebill (crankbait) situations, often around timber.”
Blueback Herring: Watermelon/blue sparkle skirting across the spine overlays a pearl white belly for a surprisingly accurate blueback herring match. Chrome blade adds to the flash effect of blueback scale arrays.
Hite: “Seems like more and more lakes in the south are getting bluebacks, making this an increasingly valuable ChatterBait pattern. Fish it at Lake Murray, Lanier or any other place with spotted bass. This is also a super potent clear-water shad pattern, with hints of what I call ‘Smurf blue,’ resembling the natural coloration of blueback herring.”
Hite: “When I want to go even louder and more aggressive in super muddy water, Fire Craw-Orange Blade maxes out the attraction factor. It’s a super early season pattern, particularly in Texas or any off-colored southern reservoir. In January to mid-March, I rely on this pattern a ton for big mamma prespawn bass.”
The pre-eminent vibrating jig today, the ChatterBait JackHammer is the result of a comprehensive project between Z-Man Fishing and Japanese luremaker, EverGreen International, designed by MLF angler Brett Hite. Available in 3/8-, ½-, ¾- and 1-1/4-ounce sizes, the ChatterBait JackHammer features eighteen color-matched patterns, compatible with a variety of ElaZtech® trailers.
