This is probably a topic that had been covered a bit but I was wondering about all the hype around the jackhammer. I am an avid chatterbaits style fan and was wondering if the jackhammer is supposed to put out more "thump" than the average bladed jig.
Too many pike around here for me to risk that kind of coin on one to find out, though I have experimented with different ways to get more thump if you're interested in that (and given that you throw them a lot, probably everything I'm about to write is old hat for you at this point). Far and away, aside from making sure your trailer isn't "buffering" the thump, bending the blade itself is the best way I've found of accomplishing this. If thump is all that matters, removing the skirt completely and using only a fluke or something similar is the best way to get maximum thump. The skirt absorbs a lot more of that than most could imagine. The flip side of that is that the profile of the bait is reduced pretty substantially which may work against what you're trying to accomplish with getting more thump in the first place.
Lastly, and this should come with the caveat that I haven't tried them yet, I've read from folks who've tried them that football head bladed jigs will hunt and thump more than a regular bladed jig. Board sponsor North Metro Bass Academy (user bonebaby0) sells these. LINK for those.
Hopefully I haven't taken your thread too far off track.
2011 Skeeter ZX225
225 Yamaha HPDI Series 2
Minn Kota Ultrex 112 52"
Console: HDS 16 Carbon
Bow: HDS 12 Carbon, Solix 12 G2, Mega 360, Garmin 106 SV, LVS 34
I have used them. They are everything they're said to be! If that means anything to you, then you will like them.
I've only used a few. First one, wore the skirt off the bait after 40 or so fish, including 6 over 5lbs. 2nd one, O got 3 or 4 cranks on the first cast and lost the lure to a Northern. Third one still in action!
This was one day.
The Jackhammer has very, very good blade to head contact. More so than anything in the rest of the current Z Man line up.Originally Posted by DrewFlu33
Those baits with the split ring connection will get severely outfished by this bait.
Wonder if the bass know this. Hilarious!
Thanks for the responses guys.
For you folks in pike country...take the snap off of the bait. Then, cut the snap off of a wire leader. Replace the snap on the leader with the snap from the chatterbait. You can open up the top loop with a set of pliers to do this. Then, reinstall the snap with the leader on the blade of the chatterbait. Easy peasy...no more lost baits. And,t he bass don't seem to mind the leader, even in super clear water.
"The man of system is apt to be very wise in his own conceit; and is often so enamored with the supposed beauty of his own ideal plan of government that he cannot suffer the smallest deviation from any part of it…He seems to imagine that he can arrange the different members of a great society with as much ease as the hand arranges the different pieces upon a chessboard.” Adam Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments
Great bait with only one problem. The skirts need to be wire wrapped. My few that I have used only lasted 5-8 fish before the skirt fell apart. You would think that for $15 a piece, they would already have that taken care of for you.
2006 Skeeter ZX225
I agree!
Yes sir-completely agree. For the price the skirts should be wire tied. I have always been hesitate about Z-man baits. Bought some of their first baits they released and they just fell apart while I was using them--not catching fish. See it has not changed much with them except the price of their chatter-baits. Myself I will not put that kind of money out again. Bought kind of as a test to see if they had improved and to me the only thing "improved" was the price but that is JMO
[QUOTE=kadas;8462058]Yes sir
From what I understand, Evergreen and not Zman makes the Jackhammer; from what I have read. I agree they should be wire tied but easy enough to do myself.
[QUOTE=wtrwsel;8467308]I totally agree with you on it is pretty easy to wire tie them but I guess my thinking keeps going back to the point that for that price point we should not have to wire tie them because they should be tied coming from the Evergreen or Zman or who ever is making them that's all
This may or may not apply to the Jackhammer (as I mentioned before I haven't used it) and I hope I'm not hijacking, but does anyone else get the feeling that anybody making lures would be best served to just manufacture them in Japan so they could make a killing on them? It seems that being able to land yourself in the "JDM" section on Tackle Warehouse is a license to charge 4 times what something would cost otherwise. Then if you only stock a little bit of that item and it becomes out of stock, you can really jack up the price as you've now created even more demand!
I know a lot of the JDM stuff is high quality so maybe I'm being a bit too cynical here. At the same time, maybe even more often than not, I've been sorely disappointed with JDM tackle. These complaints about Jackhammers falling apart seems to fit in that category of disappointment.
2011 Skeeter ZX225
225 Yamaha HPDI Series 2
Minn Kota Ultrex 112 52"
Console: HDS 16 Carbon
Bow: HDS 12 Carbon, Solix 12 G2, Mega 360, Garmin 106 SV, LVS 34
I use a small zip tie on "all" lures with skirts, problem solved.
Reply With Quote