Anybody feel like bladed jigs have to be "broken in" before they work well?

[DrewFlu33]

The Chatterbait color thread got my mind working and it brought back a recent experience I had that I keep pondering over. Giving credit where it's due: I would've never thought of this if not for Jeff Hahn planting the seed when he talked about using his trips to Canada to break in his bladed jigs for the upcoming season and how having one broken in makes it hunt much more readily.

Since Jeff said that, I've suspected it to be the case before but have noticed it really obviously lately. It seems like on several occasions a bladed jig just won't feel "right" and/or won't catch fish until it's been thrown for a while. The one experience that sticks out in particular was with a Picasso Shock Blade I was throwing to test it out after having heard really good things. I was night fishing and throwing a black and blue one and, though it seemed like it was running pretty well, I just wasn't getting bit. My buddy was kicking my butt out of the back of the boat throwing a spinnerbait, something I hadn't seen happen for a while. The spinnerbait, not my buddy kicking my butt!

Because I'm stubborn (and too lazy to tie on a different bladed jig, apparently), I kept throwing it over the next few hours, mixing in other stuff at the same time. After a while, I started to notice that it was feeling different; that it was feeling "right" for lack of a better way of putting it and for having no idea how to explain what that means. Sure enough, I started getting bit on it pretty soon afterward. Now I've had that happen in reverse before, where I start getting bit on something and it feels like it's "right," but here it was absolutely the opposite. I know because I actually mentioned it to my buddy. Also sure enough, it was after the head had grooves worn into it from the blade whacking it. Whether it was the grooves or maybe the blade loosening up over time I can't say, but the grooves are a definite tell-tale as I made it a point to look after noticing the bait feeling better.

Lots of people are probably sitting there nodding and thinking, "This is why I pay for Jack Hammers." I'd be right there with you, except the other recent example that sticks out really sharply to me was with a Jack Hammer that I wasn't getting bit on until suddenly I was. This was over a series of trips so it wasn't like the bite just turned on. This one was also accompanied by the grooves worn into the lead, and that thing hammered the fish for me over several more trips after that until I lost it to a damned pike. Tied on a new one right away and, where I was getting bit every 5 to 10 minutes before, could NOT get bit at all.

I can say that I didn't notice the bait "hunting" any differently while I worked it in either case, though one experience was in the dark and the other was in stained water so I'm not confident on that.

At this point it seems way too convincing for me, but at the same time maybe it's just a confidence thing since I've got it in my head? Anybody else experienced a bladed jig needing to be "broken in" before it starts working as well as it should? Or am I nuts?

I'll say this: I put that Picasso off to the side only to be taken out on tourney days while I work on breaking in some others. I joked with Jeff in the past about tying them off to the cleat on the boat while I'm idling around, but I'm pretty sure that's exactly what I'm going to do, along with some wire leader just in case Mr. Toothy tries to take a bite. I might also try to throw one just enough to see where the blade contacts the head and see if I can't speed up the process with a file or cutoff wheel on a Dremel...

[slipknobber bot]

IMO, its a confidence thing. The only reason i say that is because this is the first year i've actually caught fish on a jackhammer, or thrown one for more than about 3 casts and then put it down for the rest of the day. I don't care how worn a jackhammer head is, they don't hunt, and i've now got a few with no paint left on the head. IMO, neither does a shock blade. If it does, it's VERY minimal. The old D&M's with a blade minnow hunt like CRAZY, and that is what i use 99% of the time. However, they have their drawbacks like not starting right away and having a hard time starting again after ripping out of weeds. So to answer your question, seeing no difference in a new jackhammer to one with no paint left on it, and never seeing either hunt at all, leads me to believe it's confidence, IMO. And before anyone jumps on me, i will say the jackhammer has it's time and place and is a fine bait regardless of cost, i'm just not a fan and have never been outfished by one.

[Big Guy]

I think we’re way over analyzing things. Just me. Apparently you’re not supposed to throw one with a Keitech Fat Swing Impact because it “kills” the action. Funny. They crush it. Paddle tails are bad. Keep believing all the hype.

[okiebass]

Only real success i have had with bladed jigs is with a keitech fat on it . Have tried other trailers that are supposed to be great and have caught only a few.

[okiebass]

Also it might make sense to get it broken in---I know with a buzzbait it works best when almost wore out.

[Ted-LA]

Hang it out the window on the way to the lake.

[Jeff Hahn]

Drew pretty much summarized my feelings on the issue. I make all of my own bladed jigs and have had some baits perform well and "hunt" when new. But, most of my good baits have only hunted a tiny bit when new, but as they developed grooves in the head, they hunted much better and caught more fish. I also set these aside for use only on tournament day. I have also caught fish using a paddle tail type trailer. But to me, a paddle tail or a twin twister type tail serves to stabilize a vibrating jig. The analogy I've used before is that those trailers act like the tail on a kite. My preferred trailer, when I want a bait to hunt, is a long skinny split tail spinnerbait trailer. The Zoom brand twin tail spinnerbait trailer is one I use quite a bit. I also have some old (very old, circa mid-1980's) Burke split tail spinnerbait trailers that work the best, as do the Lunker City Trailer bait trailers (which the Lunker City website has on sale right now for $1.99 for a pack of 7. https://lunkercity.com/products/trai...nt=34271448774) Both the Burke and Lunker City are made from a denser plastic and last a whole lot longer than the Zoom bait does. FYI: Lunker City is the only company that I know of that makes a split tail trailer in green pumpkin.

[RFeyoMN]

It's possible they work better with some use. I never have them last long enough to know!

[DrewFlu33]

I do think that using trailers with action on their own counteracts the action of the bait itself, but I'd certainly never go as far as to say that it won't work. Clearly it does as a lot of people have success with it, and hell, it might work better, especially on days where the fish don't want as much action.

On the note of trailers: Z-Man actually makes a green pumpkin split tail trailer! Figured that out when a buddy stuck one on a Beetle Spin and absolutely kicked my butt from the back of the boat once. I actually really like their split tails, both for the durability and the action you get from the super soft/flexible material. Here's a link: https://zmanfishing.com/store/catego...lerz_splittail

Appreciate the thoughts above. I'm totally willing to consider that I may be overthinking it, just some crazy coincidences lately really have me wondering. I'm also not necessarily married to the idea that wearing them in makes them "hunt" more or less - I've often found that something like straightening a blade out a bit will make them more erratic and sort of hunt, but still often will make them work not as well - it's just that the action definitely seems to change. On the Picasso in particular, maybe it's that shackle-type blade connection that loosens up after a while, much like a buzzbait as someone mentioned above. Could also hold true with a regular bait where there's paint around the eye that stops the blade from moving easily, or maybe just the metal-on-metal has to wear down to allow the blade to rock back and forth more easily...again just like a buzzbait.

(Definitely agree with the highway treatment for breaking in a buzzbait. That's the first thing I do with new ones!)

I've been lucky to have a few last long enough to find out lately. It's way more common that a pike steals one before I get anywhere near that point, but I've been lucky on that front for the most part this year. Probably just jinxed it...

Keep 'em coming!