Z - Man Soft Plastics & Chatterbaits

[roadwarrior]

http://zmanfishing.com/cms/products.html

 

Just received a package with an assortment of baits. Share your impressions if you

have fished some of their stuff. I'm particularly interested in your thoughts on adding

a trailer to the Chatterbaits.

 

 

 

[Zach Dunham]

I absolutely love the chatterbaits and I use the trailer that comes in the package with them (and I picked up extra packs of the trailers). I always add at least some kind of trailer to my chatterbaits just to give it a little more body, even if it is just a small trailer. I've used a grub trailer before as well and it worked well. I caught over 50 bass between 1 lb and 3.5 lbs on just one of those Z-Man Chatterbaits in the last 2 weeks. It just now started to have the snap bend just a little bit. I think that's pretty solid quality.

 

I also have used the Z-Man Crawdadz. They worked OK, but I didn't see anything that set them apart from other craws and I think I could outfish them with other baits in most situations.

[frogflogger]

Check out Ned Kedhe's in-fisherman blog - they are the most durable plastics out there - up to 150 bass on one bait - I like the finesse worm z because it floats and is softer than most others. The original chatter bait has been successful fromt he beginning - I like it with small swimbaits.

[doyle8218]

I use flukes and Keitech Swing Impact Fats as trailers unless I am using the extended trailer ones.

I also like Zman Frogs, Palmetto BugZ, Z Man Creaturez and Finesse Wormz because they float and the extreme durability.

[aceman387]

I have some of the turbo craws which i have sliced to make jig trailers out of them and the claws will float up and flop around. This has been my favorite new jig trailer this spring,

[.ghoti.]

Z-Man finesse worms are a must have for me. I almost always have a Z-Man worm, on an 1/8oz Gammy Skipgap jighead, rigged and ready to go. I have one combo dedicated to that bait. I've been a fan of 3X, or Elaztech plastics since they hit the market.

 

Peanut butter and jelly, baby.

[spartyon8]

A double tail grub on a chatterbait works for me. I have heard of tearing off the skirt and using a fluke as a trailer.

[MichiganFishing1997]

The chatterbaits are awesome, very durable too. I spent a three hour fishing session banging an all white one off sea walls and rocks and just a little bit of paint came off. They have produced very well for me, and I have always used a trailer. As of right now just the trailer that comes with it.

Christian

[tbone1993]

i love the design just not the bait itself. The original chatterbait lacks a keeper and I constantly find myself adjusting the skirts after I catch a big fish. The skirts that come with the baits hold up pretty well but if you change them around like I do the bands tend to slide down.  The trailers also tend to flip up. That being said  its basically a spinnerbait/swimjig. Anything you fish on those can be thrown on a chatterbait.   Keep the elaztec away from other baits though they bleed and melt. 

[Olebiker]

When I was marshaling for the Elite Series on Lake Seminole back in March most of the pros were throwing Chatterbaits with a swimbait used as a trailer.

[shanksmare]

I have used the Z-man soft plastics for several years and can certainly attest to their durability. I used them mostly in saltwater. The bait I used the most is called the MinnowZ I believe. It is a 3" paddle tail. One day I used it in combo with a 1/8th oz jig and caught 4 or 5 seatrout, 4 snook, 19 small (15" to 22") redfish and a 10 lb tarpon. All of these were drom short along a 100 yard length of bank using the same MinnowZ. When it got torn up I mended it with super glue. The downside to these paddletails is if you use a very slow retrieve the paddletails don't paddle. A jerk will often solve that problem. The other downside is don't let them come in contact with other plastic baits. The reult is a mess.

 

I used the original Chatterbaits with mixed results. The skirts would slip down, you would have to super glue the trailers to prevent them from slipping down and the hook was so so. I also did have a blade slip off the jig while just reeling it in.

 

The Chatterbait Elites are much better and address these issues. The CB Elites in contrast to other flat bladed CBs give off a more high speed vibration, whereas the other flat bladed  CBs give off more of a thumping vibration. Sort of comparing the vibration of a willow leaf bladed spinnerbait to one with Colorado blades. The flat bladed CBs will "hunt" more than the Chatterbaits will. Sometimes one is more effective than the other.

 

The trailers that I've used with the CB Elites are Super Flukes, TriggerX Slop Hopper, Lake Fork Live Magic Shad, Strike King KVD swimming shad, 2/3rds of a BPS  Stick-o (at bluebasser86's suggestion), a GYCB Swimming Senko and other paddletails. I'd say my favorites would be the Slop Hopper, Stick-o and the LFT Live Magic shad 3.5".

 

I noticed that I missed a lot of strikes using the CBs and othe flat bladed CBs when using a fast action graphite rod and braided line combo. I switched to a glass rod and mono and my strike to catch ratio went way up. I guess my reflexes are too fast even at 71 yrs old.

[bassh8er]

i love the design just not the bait itself. The original chatterbait lacks a keeper and I constantly find myself adjusting the skirts after I catch a big fish. The skirts that come with the baits hold up pretty well but if you change them around like I do the bands tend to slide down. The trailers also tend to flip up. That being said its basically a spinnerbait/swimjig. Anything you fish on those can be thrown on a chatterbait. Keep the elaztec away from other baits though they bleed and melt.

I agree. I've tried the chatterbaits but still have a fat stack of the original Karu Vibrashocks; GREAT baits.

I bought some Crawdadz over the winter and am excited to try them out.

[aavery2]

I use the Hula Stixz  and the finesse worms.  Z-Man deserves a lot of credit for the Chatterbait and Coffin blade design, but as others have mentioned there are other brands that are IMO better now, the hooks on the Chatterbait are in need of a serious upgrade among other things already mentioned.  

[5fishlimit]

Chatterbaits are good. The company seems to have listened to their customers and increased the quality of the hooks.

My favorite trailer is the Keitech swing impact 4"

[bassheel]

I found that a zoom speed craw does the trick. At least the 7lber thought so!