Jackhammer Chatterbait Discussion

[FishInTheDesert]

So....

what is all the hype about? Maybe because I havent fished it, but I just dont understand how it can be drastically better (2 or 3x the price is drastic to me).

This sums up the replies when ive asked this question...on fb bait pages

It rises slower
its louder
if you have to ask how much it costs, its too expensive for you

It rises slower....so cant I just throw a 3/4 oz zman custom for the same effect?

Im sure the bait can be a little louder...but I cant imagine it being an exponential difference over a regular chatterbait...plus how much louder does it need to be? I usually fish some sort of target or cover, I dont troll the lake with a chatterbait. If im casting it into a target, I figure I just need it loud enough to call in the fish in the target area...not fish 100 yards away. Also....is louder really better. Doesnt a smaller sound let the fish hone in more? that last question is just me thinking as I type

And the people that make me seem like a cheapskate for being critical about a bait that JUST SO HAPPENS to be getting heavily hyped at the moment....well thats wrong with me at least. I own some vision 110's....yea it hurt spending 80 bucks for 3 baits but its a good bait that isnt matched by any competitor, alternative or knockoff.

the current jackhammer hype reminds me of the whopper plopper hype that swept the entire bass world....whopper plopper is a good product, but not the game changer or a good enough bait to match its crazy hype it got in years past. Ive seen people point to GMan promoting them at the classic even tho its not his sponsor, and how it killed and ALL the pros use it and used it in the classic....WELL....who won that classic, and throwing what? Lol I think the lee brothers were both on an entirely different bite...so I guess the jackhammer is top 10 good...but not championship good! lol....and with that price tag it better be championship good! I understand improved hooks, skirts, etc... but again, how much better are they? Cant be that much better cuz then thatd mean that all other zman is chopped liver and sub par.

end of my rant! lol lets discuss it! I prolly wouldve bought ONE by now to try, but theyre (prolly luckily) not available locally.

[Jeff Hahn]

I don't get the "It rises slower" response that you got. The Jackhammer isn't a floating bait!

I have not purchased a Jackhammer yet, either. Based on just looking one over, I don't see how the expensive price is justified, compared to other vibrating jigs on the market, including the other Z-Man models. Yes, it has a better keeper, better line tie clip, fancy eyes...but those features cost pennies more to add. Frankly, the only vibrating jig I would spend $15.00 for would be some original RAD Chatterbaits.

[FishInTheDesert]

I tend to burn my chatterbaits more often then not, so that did make sense to me. When I burn them I have them surfacing pretty far out, and have to slow down to keep it lower. SO...im gathering that itll stay lower in the water column if reeled at same speed compared to other zman chatterbaits.

But with that said....cant a 3/4 oz achieve the same thing? I cant see how a slightly tinkered with head design, or upgraded hardware can cause the bait to be more of a "deep runner" just doesnt compute....but i havent thrown it yet. Just here to discuss....and I mean discuss not just hype! All I hear is hype....just like the whopper plopper

[Tarheel14]

[Jfish]

I don't get the "It rises slower" response that you got. The Jackhammer isn't a floating bait!

I have not purchased a Jackhammer yet, either. Based on just looking one over, I don't see how the expensive price is justified, compared to other vibrating jigs on the market, including the other Z-Man models. Yes, it has a better keeper, better line tie clip, fancy eyes...but those features cost pennies more to add. Frankly, the only vibrating jig I would spend $15.00 for would be some original RAD Chatterbaits.

I agree with Jeff. It is just the latest "you gotta have this bait" craze, just wait until another tournament is won with one of the cheaper zman's or another brand and the hype will die down. I don't disagree that it might be a little better mousetrap, but I seriously doubt that it is ten dollars better to the average weekend warrior.

[rbreedi1]

I don't like the price, but it is on another level as far as components/build, so much better quality than the originals. Worth $15.99? Maybe not, but you can find them cheaper during sales.. I'll gladly pay for it from my experience fishing them. They flat out catch fish! If you like to fish the best of the best, then its for you. If your ok with average then it may not be for you. I was a skeptic until I fished one. It has a different sound as well, the blade contacts the head harder.. hence "jackhammer". There's a youtube video of underwater comparison between 3 or 4 models of chatterbaits, Worth a look. Also, when you see the slough of tournament anglers that are trying to make a living fishing and pay the bills have these tied on over others, that shows something too and the majority are non sponsored by Zman.

[Winstondry]

His follow up comparison:

[kstephes033]

I have quite a few of them, and while I am not a fan of the skirts as they do tend to fall off quite easily, I have a hard time buying any other Chatterbait now. I don’t know about the sound, but the action of it I have found to be much better than any other Chatterbait I have tried. It seems to hunt and be more erratic vs other baits, and seems to be easier to burn while not blowing out. Also I personally feel like I catch more fish on it, which may be a mental thing but when tournament fishing that can make the difference in catching fish or not as you will be more attentive to it if you believe you are going to get more strikes. Is it for everyone, no, and I don’t think it’s worth $15, but it is far and away the best Chatterbait I have used so I pay for it. Like you said, there is a reason we buy Megabass Jerkbait as well, just sucks spending that much on it. Try one out, see how you like it, if you don’t feel the need to get another than you just saved yourself $10 per bait which is I wish was the case for me haha.

[Jeff Hahn]

I tend to burn my chatterbaits more often then not, so that did make sense to me. When I burn them I have them surfacing pretty far out, and have to slow down to keep it lower. SO...im gathering that itll stay lower in the water column if reeled at same speed compared to other zman chatterbaits.

But with that said....cant a 3/4 oz achieve the same thing? I cant see how a slightly tinkered with head design, or upgraded hardware can cause the bait to be more of a "deep runner" just doesnt compute....but i havent thrown it yet. Just here to discuss....and I mean discuss not just hype! All I hear is hype....just like the whopper plopper

Ah...now the "slower to rise" comment makes sense. I have found that the weight of the head is not the only influence on how deep a bait runs. How and how much the blade is bent also plays a major role. I have some baits of identical weights that run at different depth when fished on the same rod, reel, and line. The angle of the eye in the head may also play a role in how deep the baits run.

[DrewFlu33]

Putting a trailer on "up side down" is another way to stop them from blowing out, at least to the extent that you're using a trailer like a grub or swimbait that will swim on its own. What I mean by up-side-down is tip of the boot tail facing up in the same direction as the hook point, or the tip of the tail on the grub facing up. I'm not sure why people never talk about this as I've seen other people do it...maybe it's a "secret" in some circles or something. I do it all the time to get lighter swimjigs or even spinnerbaits down. I've not used it on chatterbaits very much due to the fact that I often use a different style trailer (either a split tail type or Razor ShadZ/Zako type), but it definitely works on them.

Haven't fished the Jack Hammer yet to comment on the bait itself.

[FishInTheDesert]

Putting a trailer on "up side down" is another way to stop them from blowing out, at least to the extent that you're using a trailer like a grub or swimbait that will swim on its own. What I mean by up-side-down is tip of the boot tail facing up in the same direction as the hook point, or the tip of the tail on the grub facing up. I'm not sure why people never talk about this as I've seen other people do it...maybe it's a "secret" in some circles or something. I do it all the time to get lighter swimjigs or even spinnerbaits down. I've not used it on chatterbaits very much due to the fact that I often use a different style trailer (either a split tail type or Razor ShadZ/Zako type), but it definitely works on them.

Haven't fished the Jack Hammer yet to comment on the bait itself.

Ive always thought of doing that...but never done it...TacticalBassin spilled the juice on that in a video last week! he mentioned that.....and also trimming the paddle on a swimbait (keitech iirc) and rigging it up normally! gotta try both


im ordering a jackhammer for all you haters!!!!

Why did I just call you all haters? SO i can justify ordering it just to "calm" the haters!!!! LMAO Im not gonna go GMan and buy $1500 worth, but ill give one a shot! Do you all like the shad colors (white) or the bluegill/black blues better? I tend to mostly buy the whites...but have been watching other chatterbait videos...and I think it was Ott Defoe, and he said all he basically throws are the darker bluegill/GP color chatterbaits. Plenty of shad in my lake...but there are bluegill too!

[rbreedi1]

Ive always thought of doing that...but never done it...TacticalBassin spilled the juice on that in a video last week! he mentioned that.....and also trimming the paddle on a swimbait (keitech iirc) and rigging it up normally! gotta try both


im ordering a jackhammer for all you haters!!!!

Why did I just call you all haters? SO i can justify ordering it just to "calm" the haters!!!! LMAO Im not gonna go GMan and buy $1500 worth, but ill give one a shot! Do you all like the shad colors (white) or the bluegill/black blues better? I tend to mostly buy the whites...but have been watching other chatterbait videos...and I think it was Ott Defoe, and he said all he basically throws are the darker bluegill/GP color chatterbaits. Plenty of shad in my lake...but there are bluegill too!

I fish on a TVA lake full of shad and am always throwing white.. I have thrown green pumpkin but white does the trick for me. If Im fishing around bluegill beds, I'll throw green pumpkin.

[kstephes033]

Color will depend on main forage type around you. We have mostly bluegill, perch, etc in our area here in MN so I tend to use the bhite delight or whatever it’s called, along with green pumpkin the majority of the time. If you have mostly Shad though I would go a white/baitfish pattern.

[FishInTheDesert]

ordered the white....and waited to damn long and now its backordered til the 18th! lol

I guess the upside of it being an expensive lure is that I can now justify an extra trip to the lake to test it! lol

[FishInTheDesert]

I think I was sold when they told me it didnt rise as much as others....I really like to burn them, and I feel the rise is unnatural when youre really burning them! Ends up turning into a workout for me cuz I twitch and jerk a lot while burning it to try and make it seem more natural. Just got into stroking it last few trips to try and get that speed while seeming a bit more natural. Really eager to see what the jackhammer offers!

Ill give you my review....itll be a review from a really cheap guy with really high standards anytime (relatively) expensive things are purchased!

[FishInTheDesert]

not a drastic savings....but every dollar counts if youre a tackle addict like me

Dicks has ZMan buy one, get one 50% off. Ends up working out to $14.99 per chatterbait. Saves a buck on TW and you can get free shipping if the total is over 50. I ordered 4 of them...but gonna keep the 2 colors I like most

[Phoenix Jim]

Chatterbait junkie here and tried them all but the jackhammer has been an amazing bait for me and extremely durable. Mention here before but it pays for itself in tourney winnings for me and there are places to buy them cheaper then the $15 price. Last season fished a rock pile with one and nonboater had a different chatter but same color. I had a limit real quick and won and he could not buy a bite. Say what you want but I have more coming in the mail

[FishInTheDesert]

ive never fished a chatterbait custom like I thought I had. I was REALLY impressed with it....and thought the head looked similar to jackhammer heads (in pics). I ordered 1/2 ouncers....and Im gonna compare them and really scrutinize them. I tend to lose chatterbaits relatively often....and i dont do tourneys (yet)....so the jackhammer is really gonna have to be $10 better for me to order any more. If its a difference...but nothing I consider drastic, or necessarily worth it (additional bites over a custom Zman)....i might just buy some when I do end up jumping into tourneys next year.

I know everyone mentions things like catching more, and things like that.....but confidence is a helluva drug in bass fishing! My lakes not the MOST productive, and people arent having 50+ fish days or 25 lb bags.....so (in MY opinion) a bait would have to be revolutionary and/or new(i.e. 1st time senko used, 1st time a bladed jig was used, vision 110 weight transfer) to really increase those numbers. I just dont see someone tying on a jackhammer, and it changing their day drastically on my lake compared to them just using a custom or OCB. It might be my lake....not grassy really. Some vegetation, but its cockleburs and smaller willow tree type stuff....no grass beds....so maybe thats shaping my thinking.

I did buy 2...1 white/chartreuse and 1 bruised pumpkin. So ill 100% eat my words and go G-Man and buy $1500 worth if I hammer them....or maybe even if I catch a few 5+ in a day! lol

[FishInTheDesert]

initial impression is that I over paid $8 for this bait! lol hardware and head seems nice tho....but I was really impressed with the custom when i got it last week for the first time. This is gonna have to make a noticeable difference for me to buy any more. Being a cheapass about it....but im keeping all 4 I ordered instead of just 2. Ill try and give them an honest assessment to see if I place my order for $1440 so I can have as many as GMan! lol Wont buy that many...but the bites tough at my lake, and if I feel this gets me even 1 more bite....ill buy it. Same thing I did with megabass 110s....I honestly feel it got me an extra bite or 2 over other jerkbaits ive used.

Tacklewarehouse is slacking and just keeps pushing back expected dates back.....if you need some ASAP, I can confirm that Dicks does have them in stock to ship. Tight lines

[db220]

Ive been throwing it for a couple of weeks and still haven't seen a bite on it, so it's been like every other chatterbait for me so far. I don't really blame the bait though.