Bladed Jigs - Comparing Brands

[MCS]

With buzzzzbait88 on the KaRu Lures Vibrashock, I also like NuTech Crazy Blitz are both my go to. I just tried the Zman pro and took a longer to get the vibes going. I also like the split rings for range of motion both on the reel back/hops and with a fish on and the blade clanging on the football heads of the ones I mentioned is another plus. The NuTech has weed gaurds if you like those, to me it seems they benefit throwing around wood and limbs the most. The Picasso shock blade tungsten knocker would be one I want to try.

[Casslaw]

Do you guys use a trailer? I started a year ago throwing these with no trailer, basically treated them like a spinnerbait. I did well but when I wanted to fish over a grass flat I wanted some extra bulk so I used a fluke style trailer. I chose it over a boot tail because I didn’t want to interfere with the action, it worked ok, definitely caught fish. I’ve put a Rage Tail on a few times and religiously one of the twin tails caught the hook about once every 5 casts. This is on the Original Chatterbait, Z-Man.

So, what trailers do you guys use in open water situations when throwing over grass in 6-8’ of water?

[liljakec]

Do you guys use a trailer? I started a year ago throwing these with no trailer, basically treated them like a spinnerbait. I did well but when I wanted to fish over a grass flat I wanted some extra bulk so I used a fluke style trailer. I chose it over a boot tail because I didn’t want to interfere with the action, it worked ok, definitely caught fish. I’ve put a Rage Tail on a few times and religiously one of the twin tails caught the hook about once every 5 casts. This is on the Original Chatterbait, Z-Man.

So, what trailers do you guys use in open water situations when throwing over grass in 6-8’ of water?

Havoc Devils Spear rigged sideways is the trailer I have on 90% of the time

[buzzzzbait88]

Do you guys use a trailer? I started a year ago throwing these with no trailer, basically treated them like a spinnerbait. I did well but when I wanted to fish over a grass flat I wanted some extra bulk so I used a fluke style trailer. I chose it over a boot tail because I didn’t want to interfere with the action, it worked ok, definitely caught fish. I’ve put a Rage Tail on a few times and religiously one of the twin tails caught the hook about once every 5 casts. This is on the Original Chatterbait, Z-Man.

So, what trailers do you guys use in open water situations when throwing over grass in 6-8’ of water?

Depends on what they want. For the most hunting action and a the ability to fish it deeper faster I like a split tail spinnerbait trailer. Very little resistance and you can fish them deeper and faster. They also seem to have a lot more action. If they want a larger slower presentation I like the boot tail. Big bite cane thumper has always been good to me.

[MCS]

Do you guys use a trailer? I started a year ago throwing these with no trailer, basically treated them like a spinnerbait. I did well but when I wanted to fish over a grass flat I wanted some extra bulk so I used a fluke style trailer. I chose it over a boot tail because I didn’t want to interfere with the action, it worked ok, definitely caught fish. I’ve put a Rage Tail on a few times and religiously one of the twin tails caught the hook about once every 5 casts. This is on the Original Chatterbait, Z-Man.

So, what trailers do you guys use in open water situations when throwing over grass in 6-8’ of water?

I use flukes, DBombs and either the Missile craw father or Gambler burner craw. Not a fan of the boot swim baits. Flukes work like you mention....Dbombs are nice cuz the thin arms flutter alot with the vibes and hops. then if I want some extra action one of the craws that have the pulsating claws. Most of the time I am using a Dbomb as a trailer.

[Jeff Hahn]

Depends on what they want. For the most hunting action and a the ability to fish it deeper faster I like a split tail spinnerbait trailer. Very little resistance and you can fish them deeper and faster. They also seem to have a lot more action. If they want a larger slower presentation I like the boot tail. Big bite cane thumper has always been good to me.

Same for me. About 85% of the time I'm using a split tail spinnerbait trailer. About 10% of the time I'll use a twin tail grub or a craw with flapping claws. About 5% of the time I use a boot tail type trailer.

[iabass8]

I put my 3/8 oz. Jackhammer on a balance beam and put various other brands on the other end, one at a time. The 3/8 oz. Jackhammer balanced exactly with the 1/4 oz. of most other brands.

Jackhammer's weight is pretty spot on for the 3/8 at least. On a scale it's total weight (head, skirt, blade) is 13g. 3/8 oz is 10.5g. Didn't take the head or skirt off to weigh the head alone but 3g for the blade/skirt/wire holder is probably pretty close. Only real complaint, for me at least, is the skirt. I've started to wire tie all my Jackhammer's. I've had the skirt fall off on 2 of mine. Annoying but you can find these for 11$ pretty easily.

[WCCT]

Do you guys use a trailer? I started a year ago throwing these with no trailer, basically treated them like a spinnerbait. I did well but when I wanted to fish over a grass flat I wanted some extra bulk so I used a fluke style trailer. I chose it over a boot tail because I didn’t want to interfere with the action, it worked ok, definitely caught fish. I’ve put a Rage Tail on a few times and religiously one of the twin tails caught the hook about once every 5 casts. This is on the Original Chatterbait, Z-Man.

So, what trailers do you guys use in open water situations when throwing over grass in 6-8’ of water?

Zako

[Milehibird]

I put my 3/8 oz. Jackhammer on a balance beam and put various other brands on the other end, one at a time. The 3/8 oz. Jackhammer balanced exactly with the 1/4 oz. of most other brands.

This thread had me curious. So I dig out my digital scale and my chatterbaits.
Original ZMan chatterbait 1/2oz - 18g (0.63oz)
original ZMan chatterbait 3/8oz - 16g (0.56oz)
ZMan Jackhammer 1/2oz - 16g (0.56oz)
ZMan Jackhammer 3/8oz - 13g (0.46oz)

so even the 3/8oz jackhammer is heavier than 3/8oz, but it is lighter than the original $5 chatterbaits.

[RazorCat]

Do you guys use a trailer? I started a year ago throwing these with no trailer, basically treated them like a spinnerbait. I did well but when I wanted to fish over a grass flat I wanted some extra bulk so I used a fluke style trailer. I chose it over a boot tail because I didn’t want to interfere with the action, it worked ok, definitely caught fish. I’ve put a Rage Tail on a few times and religiously one of the twin tails caught the hook about once every 5 casts. This is on the Original Chatterbait, Z-Man.

So, what trailers do you guys use in open water situations when throwing over grass in 6-8’ of water?

Try pulling the skirt off and put on a large Lake Fork Magic Shad. It’s a killer in early Spring and late Fall.

[born to fish]

I have been using Strike King Rage Blade. Under $6 so not too bad. I use a plastic work as a trailer cut to about 4 inches long. Did way better than using the split trailer. Got my first Jack Hammer towards the end of last season. Well built, sharp hook and caught a fish on the first cast. Don't know if that was good luck or bad. I also have an assortment of the original in various colors and sizes.

[PolarKraft195]

I'm a big fan of the Picasso Shock Blades. These blades seem to get vibrating the quickest after letting it sit or stop moving which is why I like them so much.

^^^THIS^^^

[DrewFlu33]

Z-Man's Razor ShadZ are basically the same idea as a Zako or Magic Shad, but significantly more durable. The advice to use one after removing the skirt is really good (not that they don't work with the skirt on also). Flukes work well after removing the skirt as well.

[MCS]

Just tried the Booyah Melee...Not a fan, it looks nice but grabs the weeds not easy to get moving....Just ordered a couple Delta Lures thunder jigs gonna see how they compare to my KaRu and Nutech....

[dstep0]

This thread had me curious. So I dig out my digital scale and my chatterbaits.
Original ZMan chatterbait 1/2oz - 18g (0.63oz)
original ZMan chatterbait 3/8oz - 16g (0.56oz)
ZMan Jackhammer 1/2oz - 16g (0.56oz)
ZMan Jackhammer 3/8oz - 13g (0.46oz)

so even the 3/8oz jackhammer is heavier than 3/8oz, but it is lighter than the original $5 chatterbaits.

Really interesting and informative. Thanks for sharing. I always thought the 3/8 Jackhammer looked small compared to the 3/8 original. By the looks of your weight comparison, I need to get the 1/2 to actually match the original 3/8 I'm used to throwing. Glad I saw this before placing an order. Thanks again.

[deadadrift89]

Vibrashock is all I ever use. I think the football head is all around the best. You get great erratic action and the blade hits the corners hard. Makes a really nice sound coming through the water. It hits so hard it physically chips the paint off the corners after awhile.

How well does it stay down on retrieve are does it tend to rise up ?
Thanks

[buzzzzbait88]

How well does it stay down on retrieve are does it tend to rise up ?
Thanks

Depends a lot on the trailer you use. If I want to ngfish faster and deeper I'll use a simple split tail trailer. If I'm looking to fish it over shallow grass I'll use a swimming craw for a larger, but compact profile or a cane thumpers for a longer profile.

[Milehibird]

Really interesting and informative. Thanks for sharing. I always thought the 3/8 Jackhammer looked small compared to the 3/8 original. By the looks of your weight comparison, I need to get the 1/2 to actually match the original 3/8 I'm used to throwing. Glad I saw this before placing an order. Thanks again.

I'm thinking the same thing. I have a bunch of 3/8oz jackhammers and they work well but I've noticed I can't fish them as deep as the 3/8oz originals, now I know why.