The Evergreen Jack Hammer is the Cadillac of Z-Man ChatterBaits. Built with a beefed up line-tie clip, a hand-tied skirt and unique blade and head designs, the Jack Hammer is top of the line in every regard. And it’s the perfect vibrating jig for a wide range of presentations. Today, we’re going to look at three of those. 

Muddy water fishing around cover - 

Fishing a ChatterBait in stained to muddy water is one of the most common uses of this style of bait. The aggressive vibration of a ChatterBait makes it easier for bass to track this lure down in low-visibility situations, as compared to other baits with lesser sound signatures. 

The vibrant colors available in the Jack Hammer lineup in particular make it a great selection for the task. Chartreuses, whites and reds all work well in muddy water, and Z-Man offers a half dozen colors variations of these in this bait. 

It’s good to find a complimentary trailer when fishing in muddy water to beef up the profile of your bait a bit. Pairing a Z-Man MinnowZ swimbait in “Opening Night” (white) with a 3/8-ounce Chartreuse and White Z-Man Jack Hammer is a great place to start when fishing fairly stained to muddy water. 

Take this bait and throw it in shallow water (1 to 6 feet) around docks, laydowns, stumps, rocks and whatever other cover you can locate and you’ll find that you can catch fish on a ChatterBait year round doing this. A word of caution though, ChatterBaits can be a little sticky in thick cover. But as long as you keep tension on the line as your bait bumps through the cover, the hook will stay upright and the bait will come through clean, most of the time. 

Fishing around vegetation - 

Anything form shoreline water willow grass to submerged hydrilla in 20 feet of water is commonly referred to as “vegetation” by bass anglers. And almost all vegetation, unless it’s especially thick or matted, is great cover for ChatterBait fishing. 

If the vegetation is in fairly stained water, revert to the color selections we mentioned in the previous section. But, when fishing around vegetation, you’ll often find the water is a good bit clearer. This is because vegetations like hydrilla, milfoil and coontail all filter sediment out of the water and create an environment with a great deal more visibility. 

Due to this increased visibility, you’ll want to go with more natural color selections that match the local hatch. If you’re fishing around golden shiners down in Florida for instance, go with the “Golden Shiner” color in the Jack Hammer, which comes paired with a gold blade as well. If you’re fishing around bluegill, a green pumpkin or black and blue variation is typically best. Fishing around shad, choose your skirt color accordingly. 

Trailer selection matters a great deal too when fishing around vegetation. Because of the increased visibility, you’ll want to again choose a color that matches the local forage well. And you can also adjust how you’re able to fish your ChatterBait by changing your trailer. Choose a swimbait as a trailer if you want to let your bait get down deeper into the cover, or a craw-style trailer if you’d rather keep your bait up high over the cover. 

Clear water fishing -

Though ChatterBaits are often thought of as baits to be used in stained or even muddy water, or solely for use around cover, you can actually catch a lot of fish on ChatterBaits in open, clear water as well. 

In these instances, color selection is paramount. Choosing a skirt color that is very natural is key, most of the time. There are rare instances where going against the grain with a particularly vibrant color will trigger the bass better. But most of the time, if you’re fishing around threadfin shad for instance, a color like “Clear Water Shad” or “Spot Remover” is hard to beat. 

These baits are also more effective in clear water when there is wind and/or cloud cover present, and in the colder months. On a calm and sunny summer day, you won’t likely get a lot of bites on a ChatterBait in clear water. But on a blustery and overcast December day, your odds will increase dramatically. 

Whatever the situation, it’s a good idea to keep a ChatterBait handy year round. And the Evergreen Jack Hammer is as good of a vibrating jig as you’ll find, with a vast range of color combinations and a wide spectrum of sizes. Add to this the beefed up and refined design of the Jack Hammer, and you have the perfect bait for fishing in muddy water or clear, as well as around vegetation or out in the open. 

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