It’s no secret to say that Bass are predators; masters of camouflage, and surprisingly adept at ambushing their targets. Whether they’re lying in wait on the edge of some shallow reeds, or down deep on submerged grass; Bass like to utilize these kinds of structure as an ideal hunting grounds for smaller baitfish species like perch, sunfish, shad and many other prey items. One of my favorite lures to use to imitate this kind of prey is a Bladed jig depending on some variables of where I’m fishing and what I’m targeting. This right here is my take on bladed jigs, and even a little bit more!

So, let’s start out with a bait I have a lot of experience with. Bladed Jigs, or “Chatterbaits” as coined by Z-Man fishing; are a swimming style jig with a blade affixed to the front. In their most basic form; they consist of a swivel connected to the blade, which then attaches directly to the jig head, or utilizes a split ring connection. These baits are intended to displace water with the blade, causing it to swing in a rapid side swinging action. This causes the blade to come in contact with either side of the jig head giving it a “chattering’ like sound.

The action from these baits can very much resemble a struggling baitfish. Sometimes Bass will just react to the vibration and crush these baits at a slow speed, and they’re absolutely incredible on submerged grass. Very similar to that of a lipless crankbait! Just get the blade started and youre halfway to being a Bladed jig professional! Sometimes you may have to try getting them pretty deep; don’t be afraid of those ½ oz. variants, but I never go lighter than 3/8 oz when I’m using then on grass lines; in skinny water of 7 feet or less.

If youre looking for suggestions from me… I will always steer people in the direction of Z-Man. Their partnership with Evergreen produced the best bladed jig I’ve seen on the market… ‘The Jackhammer”! They’re a little more on the pricey side of things, but the results don’t lie and a lot of that has to do with the fact that the action on this bait starts up immediately, with little effort. If youre looking for a bit of a lighter cost I’d also recommend the Elite EVO from Z-Man. They lack some of the finer details of “the Jackhammer” but they don’t slouch on action either!

Another thing I suggest, is picking a trailer that works for you! Trailers add a new dimension of action to bladed jigs. Not only does it give it more of a realistic profile, but also this is giving the skirt on the jig more action, and shape. If youre trying to imitate a shad, a perch, or even fingerling trout… go check out the Bladerunner from Beast Coast Fishing, that trailer is a stone-cold killer. A very subtle movement, and by no means is it a stiff salty plastic! If youre looking to imitate something close to a bluegill, crappy, or any panfish species you can use a Flipping craw, or even look into something like the Geecrack Bellows Shad. That particular plastic makes that skirt really puff out and give some meat to that swimming profile. Again, another really subtle wiggle, but when you give that bait a couple twitches; it doesn’t lack in action department

I tend to pair these lure and trailer choices with a rod and reel to give me the best action out of the bait as humanly possible! Personally, I’m a budget guy; I stick to a Dobyns Fury 733 for most moving bait applications, paired to a 6:2:1 gear ratio on a Shimano SLX 150 bait caster. Both of these will give you solid performance at a price range costing you just over 200$ (about 220$ as of the day of writing this), and that’s an important point. This setup is a solid mid-range and quality combo.

If you have a slightly higher budget, look for a medium, medium- heavy, fast rod. That rod needs to be able to load and keep pressure in your fish’s lip; they won’t shake you lose as easily if the rod remains loaded in the tip. If youre a real enthusiast of the sport I would steer you towards the Shimano Expride at a minimum of 6’ 11’’ all the way to 7’ 2’’. That rod is going to set you back about 280$-300$, but trust me. This rod can work a chatterbait and so much more! Let’s face it though, if you really want my take on the best and most reliable chatterbait rod it would be from the infamous MegaBass with their Valkyrie World Expedition line of rods… Those will set you back a minimum of 233$ for a multi piece rod; all the way up to the 500$ range! The amount of attention to detail they pay to al of their products, from weight to balance all the way down to composition ratio of carbon fiber to fiberglass puts them in a league of their own!

When you really look at the reels side of it, it really depends on your budget, because there’s really only one important factor to me on the chatterbait side. What Gear Ratio do you want to use. That’s where my line sits anywhere between a 6:2:1 or a 7:2:1 gear ratio. I am personally a Shimano guy, so please excuse my bias in saying almost anything form the SLX all the way to Shimano Metanium are all great choices! The Diawa Fuego is also a solid reel if you can find them used on place like eBay, or Facebook marketplace. Make sure to find a reel that has a solid metal frame; properly oil and maintain it and those reels should last you generations, & through the ages!

Breaking out Bladed Jigs