Hi All, 

 

I’m fishing Erie out of Presque Isle in a couple weeks and want to try some jackhammers and mini chatterbaits for smallmouths. Does anyone have any tips on trailers or size? Should I just downsize my typical LM bladed jig trailers (blade minnow, keitech, craw)? 

 

thanks!

Steve 
 

 

Pretty much all you need right here ~

#wigglewagon

A-Jay

I use 3" paddletail or baby goat (about 3" long). I think any trailer in that size range is good for smallmouth. 

1 hour ago, A-Jay said:

Pretty much all you need right here ~

#wigglewagon

A-Jay

Thanks! Are those the 3” and 4” regular zako? 

6 hours ago, stk44 said:

Thanks! Are those the 3” and 4” regular zako? 

 

Regular  4 inch and the 3.5 inch 'slim'.

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Yamamoto_Zako_Swimbait/descpage-GYZSB.html

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Yamamoto_Slim_Zako_35_Swimbait/descpage-YZS.html

btw- plus sized brown bass eat a regular JH/Zako combo just fine for me.

Good Luck

A-Jay

 

 

Awesome, thanks! I feel like Erie would be a good place to catch some comparably sized SM. Now I just have to fish it properly! 

I caught a few sizable big water smallmouth this spring on a bladed jig with a strike king rage tail menace as a trailer.

 

It seemed to work better with a good chop on the water and/or when it was cloudy out.

 

Good idea. I have plenty of those. I use them for the original bladed jig for LM so it makes sense that they work for SM, too. Just gotta catch one now… 

17 minutes ago, stk44 said:

I use them for the original bladed jig for LM

Same. I have routinely used this presentation to target largemouth but seldom for smallmouth. It’s worth a try.

I use the zako. I have been trying the Bass Pro whatever they call it that is basically a zako as well but I havent had much time with those. I feel like a paddletail is counter productive to the action of the jig. Rarely have I ever seen a paddletail that I could throw on a bladed jig and be in tune with the blades vibration so I just go with a straightail instead. I also use a fluke every once in a while when I want a slimmer profile from the zako as they are a bit fat and on a herring lake sometimes that kills the bite.

Hmmm. Maybe it’s a profile thing? I do well on a mini bladed jig with a 3.3” keitech impact fat. More so than the blade minnow for sure. I’m looking forward to trying out the zako and revisiting the rage menace grub. 

Spunk Shad

15 hours ago, Columbia Craw said:

Spunk Shad

What size do you recommend for these more compact bladed jigs? 3.5”? 

4.5

Well my Lake Erie trip didn’t work out for smallmouth as I could not get out on the lake. I did catch a bunch of largemouth on the JH Zako combo. Stroking or pulsing and stopping the bait on laydowns was fantastic for me this year.
 

I’m liking the GP jig with GP zako and the black/blue jig with the zako color (black/gp. Pretty sweet setup.

 

Also, I did catch my first smallmouth on the bladed jig, albeit a 12-13 incher. Looking forward to getting better with it next year. If all the stars align, maybe I can get our of PIB on Erie next year.  

Zman, chatterspike has been killing over here.   I picked up one off my friends boat-deck (used and tattered) and went to work.  

 

he uses the chattershad and spike versions.  both.    mainly because they hang on the jig so long. 

Small Senko cut in half. Works great 

2 hours ago, Darth-Baiter said:

Zman, chatterspike has been killing over here.   I picked up one off my friends boat-deck (used and tattered) and went to work.  

 

he uses the chattershad and spike versions.  both.    mainly because they hang on the jig so long. 

I have that on my short list of trailers to try. My only issue is that it is elaztech. I want to store my chatterbaits together and the elaztech kills plastics. 

15 minutes ago, bowhunter63 said:

Small Senko cut in half. Works great 

Good idea. It works on a jig but never thought about it for a bladed jig. I’ll give it a shot 

5 minutes ago, stk44 said:

Good idea. It works on a jig but never thought about it for a bladed jig. I’ll give it a shot 

River Smallies kill it 

@bowhunter63 are you using a full size or mini for river smallmouth?

5 minutes ago, stk44 said:

@bowhunter63 are you using a full size or mini for river smallmouth?

Mini