After Nearly a Decade, the Original ChatterBait Remains a Time-tested Tournament Bass Bait
OutdoorHub 01.17.14
If you survey the top finishers of virtually any professional bass fishing tournament across the country about their go-to lures of choice, chances are The Original ChatterBait® brand bladed swim jig will receive substantial praise. The ChatterBait has become a mainstay among serious tournament anglers and now can be found in most top pros’ tackle boxes—and in virtually every tackle shop—from coast to coast.
The ChatterBait burst onto the bass fishing scene in 2006 following several tournament successes and became a highly-sought-after bass lure virtually overnight. With its patented design and unique, hex-shaped ChatterBlade®, the sound, vibration, and action of The Original ChatterBait is unmatched. The end result is a versatile lure that offers the eratic action of crankbait, large profile of a jig, and irresistable flash of a spinnerbait.
Unlike many hot lures that surge in popularity following a tournament victory but quickly fade from prominence, the ChatterBait bladed jig has undoubtedly become a staple for tournament anglers. For instance, in 2013 alone, the ChatterBait played a central role in securing more than a dozen wins or top-10 finishes on the country’s premiere professional bass circuits and accounted for hundreds of thousands of dollars in tournament winnings. Top FLW Tour and B.A.S.S. Elite anglers including Randall Tharp, Bryan Thrift, John Murray, Casey Martin, and Stephen Browning all mentioned the ChatterBait as part of their patterns following successful finishes at a variety of venues. Most recently, at the B.A.S.S. Nation Championship at Lake Dardanelle in late October, the ChatterBait helped propel angler Jeff Lugar to a victory. In fact, on the second day of competition, The Orginal ChatterBait produced all four fish Lugar weig! hed.
For FLW Tour pro Casey Martin, the ChatterBait brand bladed jig played a central role in both his sixth place finish at Florida’s Lake Okeechobee in February and his later tournament victory at Tennessee’s Lake Chickamauga in June.
There is not a tournament that I fish all year from Okeechobee to Champlain that I don’t have a ChatterBait tied on,” remarks Martin. “It’s quite possibly the most versatile lure available to Tour anglers, due mainly to its ability to be fished shallow or deep, and around any cover like wood, grass and docks.”
Many feel that The Original ChatterBait will play a central role in the biggest event in bass fishing, the upcoming Bassmaster Classic to be held at Lake Guntersville in Alabama. On a recent scouting trip to Guntersville, Z-man pro, 2013 Bassmaster Central Open champion and 9-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier, Stephen Browning found the ChatterBait to be particularly effective despite frigid water temperatures in the forties. “This year’s Classic could well yield the heaviest winning weight in the tournament’s history, and I feel like the ChatterBait will play a major role in its outcome,” states Browning. “You can bet that I’ll have at least one tied on during my hunt for the title!”
While the ChatterBait has clearly carved out its niche among professional anglers, both Martin and Browning cite its value to recreational anglers as well. “Though a mainstay in the arsenal of many top touring pros, the ChatterBait seems to be an under-utilized bait for catching trophy-sized fish,” states Browning. Martin adds that “its simplicity to fish allows anglers of all levels to capitalize on its unmatched effectiveness.”
Even nearly a decade after being introduced, the popularity of the ChatterBait is actually still increasing among recreational anglers. “While a lot of anglers view The Original ChatterBait as a bait that peaked several years ago, we’ve actually seen its sales increase over each of the last four years,” states Z-Man General Manager, Daniel Nussbaum. “I’m still surprised at the number of anglers we encounter that haven’t used the ChatterBait, but once they try it, it almost always becomes an instant favorite because it flat-out catches fish. On a recent outdoor writers’ event and fishing trip in Louisiana, virtually all of the 50 or so folks in attendance were throwing the ChatterBait by the last day!”
