Issue Making Chatterbaits

[jad2t]

With the recent success I've had with the Z-man Chatterbait I decided to try some of my own creations if I could find the blades for sale. I found them here:

http://lurepartsonline.com/Online-Store/Jig-Dancer-Blades/Jig-Dancer-Blades_2.html

If you scroll down you'll see the "related items" and surely can figure out what I was doing here. I wanted to try some new stuff like a jighead with the dancer blade and a skirt and use a finesse worm or swimbait as a trailer rather than that weird forked tail thingy that comes with the chatterbaits...which I've never used.

With the vertical eye of the jighead, no split ring is needed. Just slide the blade on and attach the snap and bingo. I've noticed though that a lot of times, in the middle of my retrieve, the blade gets "stuck" and rather than a fancy vibrating lure that I want to entice bass to eat, I wind up with a lure spinning in circles causing line twisting. I have to jerk really hard to make it swim right again and sometimes that doesn't even work. This totally ruins the presentation to the fish.

Any suggestions?

[bfish]

are you using these type of jig head:

http://www.jannsnetcraft.com/image/NC/139886.jpg

If not, might want to consider it.

Also play around with your connection, maybe use a duo-lock snap rather than a split ring, etc or change sizes of your existing connectors.

[jad2t]

Yep those are the exact jig heads I'm using. I have to bend the eye with a vice grip so there isn't such a huge gap after putting the blade on or there would be a good chance in the blade slipping off during battle with a fish. That may be causing the problem now that I think about it because I'm changing the overall shape of that jig head eye.

No split rings are used for this. I did buy some but realized I don't need them. I'm using that jighead which has a vertical eye, in relation to the hook, and I slip the blade on. A snap is used to connect to the blade. Same exact setup as a chatterbait.

I wonder if widening the hole on the blade in which the eye of the jighead is slipped into would help. Maybe take a drill bit and widen it a tiny bit and that might give it more movement.

[Buccaneer]

Jimmy - I did the same thing with the blades from Lure Parts Online and in my opinion you get the best action, consistently, using a closed eye jig and a split ring to attach the blade. Also I use a Lake Fork Tackle Live Magic Shad trailer and they have great action on the bladed jig - http://www.lftlures.com/catalog/lft-live-magic-shad

I also use their Boot Tail Magic Shad and a Stanley Ribbit Frog. The Strike King Rage Thumper worm and Rage Cut R worm really give off great action too. I put a punch skirt on the jig and bite off a couple inches of the head of the worm for about a 5" trailer.