I have heretofore turned my nose up at bladed jigs. I have tried a bladed jig a few times, and caught a few fish on it at my local pond. But, on the lake I fish, it seems like a lot of other folks fish them, and as a result, I figured they wouldn't do much good.

So now I am wanting to give it a try. Should I skip the original bladed jig and move right to something more expensive like the bladed jig or the tungsten thunder cricket?

The pros I watch seem to like the tungsten thunder cricket. Is it really any better? Is it just that most anglers opt for the cheaper bladed jig, and the sound of the tungsten thunder cricket just isn't as known to bass, and thus it produces?

Give me some insight on bladed jigs.

My go-to is a Siebert Fogy.

Watch the pros = spend more money.

I was the same as you. Then I got a bladed jig... dang it.

The pros use what their sponsors pay them to use. Their sponsor brand will always be "the best thing since sliced bread" on camera. You have to think of pro fisherman as a salesman and not a competitor. in the end that is what they are more than anything else. Caught my PB on it a 7 lb 9 oz monster.

I've been using the Z-Man Evo which cost in between, at ten dollars. Been skipping it a lot. Havent tried a tungsten but I would think the smaller tungsten head would not skip as well. I might be wrong. I use them in wood by horizontally rigging a beaver style bait as a trailer . If retrieved carefully , it will go right over wood. The strikes when it clears the wood are thrilling.

I would suggest you definitely skip the entry level Chatterbaits. If you want to spend money on cool stuff there are a lot of well-known, big name bladed jigs out there to try. You can spend a lot on them also. I should know. I did that for several years. Now the only bladed jig I fish is the Fogy from @Siebert Outdoors . Incredibly reliable thumpers and you can build it like you want it. I highly recommend you get a few with the Turbo blade. It's a tough condition blade that has saved me from a skunk a few times.

It's the customization that has me hooked.

Siebert Outdoors LLC

Fogy

The Fogy is a classic blade bait known for its powerful thump and proven fish-catching ability. Designed with a football jig head , the Fogy produces more vibration than many other blade baits, while

I don’t run them much, but did get my first couple chatter fish earlier in spring. There are lots of videos and lots of reading showing to use whatever expense you want. The original out caught the pricier versions in several videos. Some it got outfished. It was variable as fishing always is.

I like the Evo version too. It's $10 and seems to have the same features of the higher priced versions, with the same results in various colors. 1/2 ounce is a good all-around weight and its widely available at retailers.

Many retailers will have sales like 20% off their bladed jigs so keep an eye out for that and then try one.

Like a couple others have said, get yourself some @Siebert Outdoors Fogy. I’ve been using them for several years now and have been extremely happy.

Siebert Fogy and Hag's Hurricane are good choices to start. I have a Fogy that hunts super hard.

Zman makes a few compact chatterbaits that are popular.

Grass Piece is my everyday. OSP Metal Blade in wood. I still feel like everyone is throwing a bladed jig or maybe an Evo in my neck of the woods.

My trailers get bougie. OSP Dolive stick, spec 2 or non salt, 3.5 or 4.5. 5" Fish Roller if I run out of sticks. Sakamata Shads if I run out of Rollers. Zako is fine; still feel like a lot of folks are throwing that.

Experimenting with gill style baits as trailers but not blown away yet.

I believe most depends on the trailer and retrieve. I never use a paddletail trailer. When the lure hits the water I give it an immediate pull to attract attention with the vibration, let it drop, pull it again, begin a steady retrieve at least fast enough to maintain the vibration. Everyone does it their own way, thats worked for me since the beginning, regardless of the trailer. My trailer preferences are the Zako, Speed Craw, and Z Craw Jr..

For me I haven’t had many days where I catch numbers on chatterbaits. But I have caught plenty of big ones. Multiple 4 pounders, a 5 and a 6 pounder in the last two years on a bladed jig. Something about that thump gets the big ones to bite

Edit: I like the evo ones they started making but I’ve also caught some good ones on the Thunder cricket. That actually caught me my first 3 pounder pb around 3 years ago.

Edited May 26May 26 by Brycecover

I've been using the Evo tungsten this spring and really like them.

Same for me. I like the tungsten when the water is dirty or algal bloomed for the little extra noise it makes. The regular evo is great as my normal water bait.

While this information centers around how I present these baits in Northern Michigan for brown bass, there’s a decent chance much of it can be applied effectively in other areas where smallmouth inhabit. Might even come in handy for a few green bass as well. These choices have evolved over the past few years, but this is where my vibrating jig fishing stands currently.

Why do I fish a vibrating jig for smallies? The short answer is because they eat it.

Beyond that, there are several baits and presentations that I can and do fish at similar times and in similar scenarios that take brown bass. However, the more I fish a vibrating jig for smallmouth, the more and bigger fish I’ve been catching. Perhaps it’s because a vibrating jig is "the new kid on the block" and there’s a bit of a novelty factor involved. Either way, after a couple of seasons throwing it, I’m convinced I have only scratched the surface of the vibrating jig's full potential.

I am most often presenting these baits low and slow.

Not that the baits are less effective in the middle or upper portion of the water column, just that for me, I seem to have my best success this way—in 3 to say 12 feet of mostly clear or slightly colored water. I’m usually reaching for something else to fish a little higher or a little deeper, and that might simply be personal preference more than anything else.

To also help answer the where, I use vibrating jigs sort of like a shallow- to medium-running crankbait—except in places with bottom vegetation. In these areas, a crankbait usually bogs down, but these baits come through nicely. While a lipless/rattle bait often works well in these same grassy areas, the advantage I’ve realized with the vibrating jig is that I can fish it super slow and the bait still has sufficient action and attracting qualities to get bites.

When chasing big brown bass, early and late season are the prime times. Fish are generally shallower, which makes them a whole lot more accessible, and they are looking to eat (which I really like).

These are usually times when the water is cooler. Being able to crawl a bait along the bottom, in and around vegetation, and have it fish effectively makes a vibrating jig a killer option. Clearly, there are a number of baits that offer many of the same benefits—swim jigs and swimbaits come to mind—but there is something about these bladed jigs that seems to get bites when other presentations in the same areas do not. It keeps me reaching for the rig that’s got one tied on.

The how in this case is the actual baits themselves and the gear I fish them on. Clearly, most all of this comes down to personal preference.

After a serious amount of R&D (trial and error), I have landed on one brand and three specific models. Each is a little different, but they can almost be utilized interchangeably:

• Z-Man Evergreen bladed jig: Some love it, some hate it. I’ll keep my comments on this one brief: if I could only have one, this is it. Since getting a few, it’s the one I reach for most, as it has accounted for several trophy-sized brown bass. IMO, it does it all and it does it well.

• Other Z-Man Chatters: Alongside the standard bladed jig, the Baby bladed jig and the Elite EVO / Mini Max line completely round out my box.

I fish the 3/8 oz and 1/2 oz sizes almost exclusively, reserving the few 3/4 oz baits I carry for casting into a heavy headwind.

For colors, I’m throwing pretty much natural patterns. A lot of green pumpkins, perch, and crawfish shades are happening, with a smattering of white & chartreuse because I think there’s a rule somewhere that says I have to. Painted blades as well as shiny silver and gold all work for me.

The Trailers: There are a million trailers that work, but I use two about 95% of the time:

Gary Yamamoto Zako: This rides on the standard full-sized baits.

Yamamoto Zako Slim: Fits perfectly on the scaled-down profile of the EVO and Baby Jack.

Again, I have to say it: these baits are so versatile yet unique that they can be fished on just about anything you’d like to throw them on. Is one type "better" than another? Who knows? I use what I like and what I have confidence in—that goes for all my fishing, and I’d encourage that mindset to anyone willing to listen. What one angler uses and finds success with may not be right for another.

Here is what works for me, split into two different approaches based on the calendar:

Approach 1: Early & Late Season

Presentation Style: Fished like a jig: low, slow, with lots of stop-and-go. Working the bait with the rod tip and picking up slack with the reel. Rod Setup: 7' Medium-Heavy, Fast action graphite rod. Line: 15 lb Seaguar Tatsu Fluorocarbon.

Approach 2: Mid-Season to Early Fall

Presentation Style: Fished as a pure moving bait: a steady, aggressive swimming presentation.

Rod Setup: 7'4" Heavy, Fast action composite rod (same setup used for spinnerbaits)

Line: 15 lb Seaguar Tatsu Fluorocarbon

Good Luck.

 

 Fish Hard

A-Jay

I suck with them, But I want to try some minis and see if I can do better. I always go back to a spinnerbait. I know I can hang em really quick

I went from hater to fan by:

Slowing down, speed variable seems to be important to the fishes mood

Chunkier trailers. More meat to get vacuumed in. 4.5 Lake Fork Magic Shad was part of the revelation.

Softer tipped rod helped when used with bigish line.

I wish I could like A-jay's post more than once.

If and when they stop eating the Zako, try the Geecrack copy. Very promising so far.

I agree with what others have said about the pro's using what their sponsors tell them to use. How often do you see a pro really get down in the dumps because he had a bad tournament? Seldom, or at least I don't. Why? Because at the end of the day they know they have a paycheck coming in from sponsors. As for original bladed jig vs ThunderCricket...as a retiree who mostly pond fishes with the occasional trip to the lake with the boat, the original is fine with me. Don't need the latest and greatest. JMHO.

Use on small waters while bank fishing with spinning gear. Use a high speed IPT spinning reel. More strikes ...

Good Fishing

I like throwing an Evergreen with either a Chatterspike or Zako as a trailer. I’ve had pretty good results with the Slobberknocker as well.

Edited May 28May 28 by ElGuapo928
Wording was changed?

EVO for $10 is my go to. Or making my own. I fish either and both catch fish once ya figure out how they want it presented.

The tackle warehouse Evo Minimax has done well for me this year, great bait at $10, stock up if TW ever has another actual sale

Spunk Shad is pretty much all I ever use as a trailer.

The bladed jig/Spunk shad caught my current PB 5lb14oz so that will always have a special place, but definitely only stock up when DSG sells them half price.

When the water is calm I do still prefer the weedless underspin swimbait.

Probably should have weighed this one

I throw my own almost exclusively. I wasn't a big fan of them until I started making my own and could customize them how I wanted them.