I was using a z-man project Z chatterbait today and had a solid hit. All I had left was the blade. It broke where it joins to the jig.  I caught about five or six fish (bass and pike) on this particular one. Is this a common with these? I bought a few of these but previously have used the Elite one and never had a problem. 

 

I've never had it happen.  But I've had bills break on cranks and such.  Fish long enough and everything happens sooner or later. Lures don't last forever, and some don't last long at all. 

I had a couple original chatterbait do that. Don't use them anymore.

Never had  the elites or jackhammers break.

Ive bent quite a few ChB hooks out pulling them out of wood and have yet to have a blade break.  You probably just got 1 that had the hole to close to edge of the blade.  Try contacting Zman about it.

I have had one do that but it was on a snag using braid so it took some tough pulling for it to break.   I have stopped using the regular chatterbaits as the hook and the hole thing seem to be getting even more cheaply made.  I have moved on and have been using Jackhammers.  I have not had one break yet. 

13 hours ago, Russ E said:

I had a couple original chatterbait do that. Don't use them anymore.

Never had  the elites or jackhammers break.

Couldn’t agree more with @Russ E, and I’ve had the now banned Phenix do it as well. However, with the Phenix this would happen after awhile on a good fish…

I use the chatterbait micro and the willowvibez a ton, I have had this happen but it is very uncommon if you're not rough with them. Tbh I've had just about every part on a chatterbait break, even on an elite. I settled on the micro and the willowvibez because they have the smaller wire hooks that can at least be bent back/use smaller & more subtle plastics, and catch higher numbers because they're accessible to dinks. I like mine skirtless with a TRD or a ned ocho.

15 hours ago, gimruis said:

That's an interesting place for it to break.  Can't say I've ever seen it before.  But as @Dens228 mentioned, any specific component could wear out eventually.

 

I use the zman elite and jack hammer, plus the strike king thunder cricket, and have never had one break in that location.

How do you like the Thunder Cricket?

 

Funny enough I had a similar experience with mine, but the blade didn’t break; it seems that the eye just let go of the blade or broke.

 

Was fishing a dam by me and the deal there was casting chatterbaits into the white water right at the dam wall and retrieving out slowly. Because of all the rock and nature of the current you’d lose a few if they got wedged under a rock so didn’t wanna use a Jackhammer and risk losing it but tried the Project Z chatterbaits and caught a few before this happened. This was a brand new bait and wasn’t really beat up compared to other ones I’d fished. 

 

I emailed Z-man customer service just out of curiosity to see if this is something theyre aware of happening but haven’t heard anything back. 

I disintegrated an original Zman once. I was skipping them under a bluff wall opening. Apparently it went it the hole, and it smacked the bluff wall so hard that the only thing that came back was the blade. 

 

They are pretty cheap and that was the only one I have broke, so I will continue to use them. I have lost a few, but I can buy 3 or 4 originals compared to a Thunder Cricket or one of the more expensive ones.  

23 hours ago, JZpowered said:

Funny enough I had a similar experience with mine, but the blade didn’t break; it seems that the eye just let go of the blade or broke.

 

Was fishing a dam by me and the deal there was casting chatterbaits into the white water right at the dam wall and retrieving out slowly. Because of all the rock and nature of the current you’d lose a few if they got wedged under a rock so didn’t wanna use a Jackhammer and risk losing it but tried the Project Z chatterbaits and caught a few before this happened. This was a brand new bait and wasn’t really beat up compared to other ones I’d fished. 

 

I emailed Z-man customer service just out of curiosity to see if this is something theyre aware of happening but haven’t heard anything back. 

Reading the comments on TW for these and seems to be a known issue, the eye basically pulls apart.  I've never seen one actually break like OP though...