I know I am very late to the party but picked up some chatter...hmm vibrating jigs late summer when they were on sale and have made it more of priority to throw them this year. I've actually been surprised at how well they do so I now usually have multiple ones tied on. They seem to be hot or not and still haven't learned when that is so I usually try to throw on when I am out just to see etc. My problem has been my hookup ratio, oof. I thought with the big exposed hook would be like a spinnerbait which I have thrown a good bit but found that I miss more bass on the vibrating jig and usually the bigger fish. I have searched and there have been other threads discussing this same topic so appears I am not alone. I have tried medium, medium heavy rods but for the mini I tend to go with the medium, have a moderate and a fast. I am always throwing braid to leader, pretty much for all my setups, usually 30lb braid with a fluoro leader usually 12-14lb.

 

Last friday I lost 3 nice fish on the mini, one I had at the boat and it made a last effort fight right at the trolling motor and came off, the others were on a jump (which I try to avoid these days) and another one closer to the boat. The odd thing is most of the smaller fish appear to be hooked well and rarely have any issue with them or the dang catfish that hit my bait. It is one of the oddest things since I never seem to have the same issue with a spinnerbait, I may lose a few but its not at the same level as the vibrating jig.

 

Just thought I would ask and see what I may try to get a better landing percentage when using a vibrating jig, I tend to sweep the hook set and maybe I need to go up more, dunno but frustrating to finally get a decent fish to hit something and then it shakes it off.

 

Thanks

 

 

I have great hooks ups with chatter baits. Normally using a medium fast rod with 10-12 lb. mono or hybrid. I would check hook sharpness and resharpen as needed. 

You're going to get varied but good advice on this from a handful of people. What worked for me was a few things. At first I switched to a slower reel (6:1), then I ditched the braid in favor of mono, then I was still losing too many big fish, and I ditched the MHF graphite in favor of a MHMF glass rod. So far, all of those things have combined into a system that is working really well for me at keeping bass pinned on a bladed jig.

Right off the bat, IMO there are few baits like this one

where so many different approaches can all work effectively.

Every fan of this bait has their own 'Style" of how to fish it.

Accordingly, the gear can be all over the map.

 

I fish the wiggle wagon a lot, especially early in the season and now.

When I started fishing it several years back,

I went two full seasons without a bite on it.

But I kept at it.

Eventually, I began to understand how to effectively fish in this area,

which resulted in me getting bites.

Then I experienced the same challenges you seem to be facing now.

Losing fish I shouldn't.

I do not use braided line; instead, I exclusively use 15 lb fluorocarbon line, 

on a 6.2:1 or a 6.3:1 reel.  And that's by design.

I have tried every type of rod you can think of: glass, graphite & composite.

And to some degree, they all worked OK.

I finally settled on an H action, 7'3" moderate composite stick.

A firm, mostly stout sweeping hookset gets it done for me. 

I have very good hook penetration, and I'm happier that I lose very few fish anymore.

That's all I've got.

Good luck.

A-Jay

https://youtu.be/o9xew3tWuuU?feature=shared&t=1014

https://youtu.be/sITpRNLz_04?feature=shared&t=196

 

7 minutes ago, Aaron_H said:

You're going to get varied but good advice on this from a handful of people. What worked for me was a few things. At first I switched to a slower reel (6:1), then I ditched the braid in favor of mono, then I was still losing too many big fish, and I ditched the MHF graphite in favor of a MHMF glass rod. So far, all of those things have combined into a system that is working really well for me at keeping bass pinned on a bladed jig.

Yeah I have read about the glass rods, usually throwing either a 6.3 or 7.2 reel, just depends on which rod etc. Whats odd is its the bigger fish I tend to lose, not the smaller ones, obviously they are not hooked well so not sure if I should give it a second or two before setting hook or what the issue is. I do know at least for the mini version I wish the hook was bigger, the ones that I lost on friday all came on a mini. Heck I think friday it was just me and my hooksets, I also missed a really nice one on a swim jig, not sure how you do that but I did, lol.

I can't account for why your hookup ratio is off, but I'll share how I fish it. Although I fish it as completely different from you as possible, perhaps you'll be able to divine some information from the tea leaves that might be useful to you.

 

But first, I agree with you. Hot or not. And there's no rhyme or reason to it IMO. Some days they want to chase and some days they don't. 

 

First, I use spinning. An uncommon choice, generally, but a Midwest thing. My rods are parabolic and Light with Fast. Because of this, I mainly fish 1/4oz so as not to overwhelm the rod when pulling through grass. In more open water, I'll use 3/8 th. I also use different bladed jigs for grass vs open...though I don't think this is a factor for catch ratio.

 

Next, I use mono leader. Specifically Big Game as we have toothy critters here and Zebra mussels. This is a very tough line. This line surely has much less feel than others. However I think it might be helping. I can't really feel small ticks or bumps. That is to say, I only feel completely "On" or "Off" of the bladed jig. When it's Off, it's a weed or a well and proper bite and not just a swipe. I also think the relatively soft rod allows a better take before I react. By the time I react, the rod tip is loaded already. Just a sweep and fish on. And I rarely, if ever, lose them. So I think there's some variable with my set up that improves hook up ratio in a way that I don't fully understand. 

 

Again, I'm not sure if any of this matters or will be of any use to you.

 

Perhaps others will have some insight and can translate.

 

 

I lose fish when they jump too sometimes.  Even when I seem to get a good hookset, they will spit it when they go airborne.

 

I have better success using one when the water is on the cooler side like in spring or fall.  Midsummer is not a bladed jig bite for me.

2 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Right off the bat, IMO there are few baits like this one

where so many different approaches can all work effectively.

Every fan of this bait has their own 'Style" of how to fish it.

Accordingly, the gear can be all over the map.

 

I fish the wiggle wagon a lot, especially early in the season and now.

When I started fishing it several years back,

I went two full seasons without a bite on it.

But I kept at it.

Eventually, I began to understand how to effectively fish in this area,

which resulted in me getting bites.

Then I experienced the same challenges you seem to be facing now.

Losing fish I shouldn't.

I do not use braided line; instead, I exclusively use 15 lb fluorocarbon line, 

on a 6.2:1 or a 6.3:1 reel.  And that's by design.

I have tried every type of rod you can think of: glass, graphite & composite.

And to some degree, they all worked OK.

I finally settled on an H action, 7'3" moderate composite stick.

A firm, mostly stout sweeping hookset gets it done for me. 

I have very good hook penetration, and I'm happier that I lose very few fish anymore.

That's all I've got.

Good luck.

A-Jay

https://youtu.be/o9xew3tWuuU?feature=shared&t=1014

 

Yeah not sure but the mini on a heavy probably is a no go but maybe I should move up to a mh moderate and see how that does. Most of my reels are 6.3, I have a few 7.x and 8.x and will try to make sure I am using one of the 6.x ones. At least for me I am not a fan of all fluoro, just kink it one time and its done, why I tend to just run a long leader that I can replace, but obviously I am still having issues so I will keep it in mind, appreciate the information.

I fish a vibrating jig a good bit.  I’m a faster action rod guy.  I’ve fish them on braid, mono, and fluoro on a bunch of different rod powers and actions.  For me, I much prefer a little faster action but with mono.  Fishing them on braid, I find that the fish don’t get them into their mouths.  Braid is so sensitive that I can feel them immediately hit it and there is no play/stretch to let them suck it in.  So I prefer mid sized mono to give them an extra half second.  And I want a faster actioned rod for the times when I’m behind or don’t have a tight line and need a little more to set the hook.

 

The other thing that is less rod and line dependent is weight and speed. I just had this last Wednesday.  I lost the first two because they just barely had it.  In this case, the water was dirty from an algal bloom and I was fishing a 1/2 oz in relatively shallow water so moving fairly quickly.  I was fishing that because I wanted black/dark and I only had it in a half.  I swapped to a 3/8, did some skirt and trailer surgery, and was able to slow it down enough to what the fish were eating it at.  The next couple fish were properly hooked and it made a world of difference. 

2 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

I fish a vibrating jig a good bit.  I’m a faster action rod guy.  I’ve fish them on braid, mono, and fluoro on a bunch of different rod powers and actions.  For me, I much prefer a little faster action but with mono.  Fishing them on braid, I find that the fish don’t get them into their mouths.  Braid is so sensitive that I can feel them immediately hit it and there is no play/stretch to let them suck it in.  So I prefer mid sized mono to give them an extra half second.  And I want a faster actioned rod for the times when I’m behind or don’t have a tight line and need a little more to set the hook.

 

The other thing that is less rod and line dependent is weight and speed. I just had this last Wednesday.  I lost the first two because they just barely had it.  In this case, the water was dirty from an algal bloom and I was fishing a 1/2 oz in relatively shallow water so moving fairly quickly.  I was fishing that because I wanted black/dark and I only had it in a half.  I swapped to a 3/8, did some skirt and trailer surgery, and was able to slow it down enough to what the fish were eating it at.  The next couple fish were properly hooked and it made a world of difference. 

This is something that I haven't thought about but I was and am fishing the mini, smaller blade but using a 3/8oz which allows me to keep it down but reeling pretty quickly. Maybe I should swap out to a 1/4oz and see how that does, appreciate the suggestion.

In the mini, the 3/8 is going to fish like a 1/2 oz in the regular.  That tiny blade doesn’t give a lot of lift so if you’re fishing 2-4’ you’re going to have to keep it moving fairly quickly.  if the mini is the thing, try swapping to the quarter if the fish aren’t eating it well.  Or jump up to the full sized blade and a 3/8 Evo or equivalent.  

5 minutes ago, bishoptf said:

 Maybe I should swap out to a 1/4oz and see how that does, appreciate the suggestion.

I remember watching a video of someone saying he prefers the 1/4 because the 3/8th fishes more like a 1/2.

3 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

In the mini, the 3/8 is going to fish like a 1/2 oz in the regular.  That tiny blade doesn’t give a lot of lift so if you’re fishing 2-4’ you’re going to have to keep it moving fairly quickly.  if the mini is the thing, try swapping to the quarter if the fish aren’t eating it well.  Or jump up to the full sized blade and a 3/8 Evo or equivalent.  

Exactly, what I was meaning that with the 3/8 and the small blade you have to keep it moving pretty quickly, and acts like the larger with the 1/2. I like the smaller footprint this time of year and at least last week was getting hit. But last friday we started with another heat wave and it has warmed back up so no idea whats going to work tomorrow. But going to try some of what was working last week and hope that I can figure things out, going to be warm all week...more like hot, was 98 today.

Remember, unlike a spinnerbait which has no hinge or loose connection points, a vibrating jig has at least two.  My experience is spinnerbait fish practically hook themselves.

 

The bladed jig style baits can rock and pivot, even to the level the blade can be tipped back in the plane of the hook point.  These movements will inhibit or even prohibit hook penetration.  And if you do set the hook and penetrate tissue,  the lure’s penchant to pivot and move at two hinge points can assist the fish throwing the bait.  Kind of sounds like big topwaters doesn’t it.

 

For those reasons, I fish a rod with power but a moderate crankbait type action.  The Alpha Angler Chatterbound and or Edge EFX Pro 706 Hybrid provide those attributes.  My hook and land ratio is pretty darn good.

7 minutes ago, Columbia Craw said:

Remember, unlike a spinnerbait which has no hinge or loose connection points, a vibrating jig has at least two.  My experience is spinnerbait fish practically hook themselves.

 

The bladed jig style baits can rock and pivot, even to the level the blade can be tipped back in the plane of the hook point.  These movements will inhibit or even prohibit hook penetration.  And if you do set the hook and penetrate tissue,  the lure’s penchant to pivot and move at two hinge points can assist the fish throwing the bait.  Kind of sounds like big topwaters doesn’t it.

 

For those reasons, I fish a rod with power but a moderate crankbait type action.  The Alpha Angler Chatterbound and or Edge EFX Pro 706 Hybrid provide those attributes.  My hook and land ratio is pretty darn good.

I'm a cheap angler all of those rods are waaaay out of my price range. I have a mix of rods nothing real expensive, but this has given me an idea about one of the falcon rods that I have may be a good fit, will try throwing that some tomorrow and see how it does.

47 minutes ago, bishoptf said:

I'm a cheap angler all of those rods are waaaay out of my price range. I have a mix of rods nothing real expensive, but this has given me an idea about one of the falcon rods that I have may be a good fit, will try throwing that some tomorrow and see how it does.

Which falcons do you have?  For me, the head turner is my standard vibrating jig rod.  The swim jig, heavy cover jig, and finesse jig all have a place depending in weight and cover.  if you’re throwing a 1/4 oz minimax then the swim jig or the finesse jig are the right rods.  All with 16 b sunline or equiavalent (15 big game, 14 lb trilene). 

Agree with most of the rest that there's a 100 different rigs to throw a bladed jig and 90 of them will work. I experimented a lot and wound up with a H MF Glass rod, 7.4:1 reel, and 18 lb fluoro. I think the slower glass rod is key to consistently hooking fish. I'm quick on the trigger so that extra split second for a fish to really get it makes a huge difference. I also tend to reel into them pretty good before I set the hook hard- almost like you need to clear that blade and then drive the hook home. 

I fish them on a MH/F rod with 15lb mono.
 

One thing I cannot recommend enough is to sharpen the hooks, fresh out of the package. Virtually every non-bladed jig bladed jig I have ever bought has had really dull hooks. Few minutes with a file gets them nice and sticky.

MH/F with either 15lb big game or 12lb yo-zuri hybrid.

 

To me it sounds like you have a hook penetration issue and need something a little stiffer. I'd go to a MH/F rod but keep mono on it to give it that little bit of shock absorption. Little fish have thinner lips to sink into vs a larger fish needing a bit more punch to break through.

 

Also I seem to be in the minority but I have far more success with the mini max size vs full size. 

13 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

Which falcons do you have?  For me, the head turner is my standard vibrating jig rod.  The swim jig, heavy cover jig, and finesse jig all have a place depending in weight and cover.  if you’re throwing a 1/4 oz minimax then the swim jig or the finesse jig are the right rods.  All with 16 b sunline or equiavalent (15 big game, 14 lb trilene). 

For the rods I thin the ones i have that are Falcon are there evo line which I believe is similar to the HD line. Other rods are Diawa Arid x medium and medium heavy. All of these rods I get when on clearance and or deep discount. 

1 hour ago, Functional said:

MH/F with either 15lb big game or 12lb yo-zuri hybrid.

 

To me it sounds like you have a hook penetration issue and need something a little stiffer. I'd go to a MH/F rod but keep mono on it to give it that little bit of shock absorption. Little fish have thinner lips to sink into vs a larger fish needing a bit more punch to break through.

 

Also I seem to be in the minority but I have far more success with the mini max size vs full size. 

Im not convinced its a hook penetration issue, went out today and caught a few, the biggest that I caught was barely hook, just bately in the corner of the mouth. I think for whatever reason some times they are just not as aggressive and barely have the bait in there mouth. I could go with a trailer hook but Im always throwing into brushpiles etc so thats not really an option. I did tey today to give the fish more time before setting, not sure if that will help or not.

31 minutes ago, bishoptf said:

For the rods I thin the ones i have that are Falcon are there evo line which I believe is similar to the HD line. Other rods are Diawa Arid x medium and medium heavy. All of these rods I get when on clearance and or deep discount. 

Im not convinced its a hook penetration issue, went out today and caught a few, the biggest that I caught was barely hook, just bately in the corner of the mouth. I think for whatever reason some times they are just not as aggressive and barely have the bait in there mouth. I could go with a trailer hook but Im always throwing into brushpiles etc so thats not really an option. I did tey today to give the fish more time before setting, not sure if that will help or not.

@bishoptf which model I meant.  You said in the first post that you're throwing them on a medium.  If you have the 6'6" or 7' medium EVOs, those are 4-power falcons.  They do not have the oomph to set the hook.  Those are light treble hook based rods.  Even the MH options available are on the lighter side for being a MH.  The 7' is going to be the best of the 4 M/MH Evos that they make for a vibrating jig rod, but even still it wouldn't be my overall choice in rod power/action for that use. 

17 hours ago, A-Jay said:

I finally settled on an H action, 7'3" moderate composite stick.

 

When you say "H action" do you mean heavy power?

bladed jigs have heavy wire jig hooks. Would you use your combo jig fishing?

To overcome using moderate action rods suggest using the reel set and firm rod sweep in lieu of a rod hook set.

Tom

Just now, WRB-2.0 said:

bladed jigs have heavy wire jig hooks. Would you use your combo jig fishing?

To overcome using moderate action rods suggest using the reel set and firm rod sweep in lieu of a rod hook set.

Tom

So I get what folks are saying and it would dpend on the weight of the jig that I am using. I have some downsize jigs, 1/4 or 3/8 that I would probably use these same rods depending on cover which is not heavy. Right now I am throwing the mini bladed jig either 1/4 or 3/8 and its a compact size they are not heavy by any means and throwing on a stiffer rod leaves a lot to be desired. I am going to list out my rods that I have and see which ones may be better suited. I know for the full size bladed jigs I do have them on a medium heavy rod and I think they are all 3/8 but with a bigger zako trailer.

18 minutes ago, HawkeyeSmallie said:

 

When you say "H action" do you mean heavy power?

That is what I assume H is for heavy...

17 hours ago, A-Jay said:

I finally settled on an H action, 7'3" moderate composite stick.

A firm, mostly stout sweeping hookset gets it done for me. 

I have very good hook penetration, and I'm happier that I lose very few fish anymore.

X2. + Keeping that big hook sharp is also very important. If it slides across your thumbnail instead of digging in with very little pressure, it ain't sharp enough.