Z-Man Report

Large Walleye

A walleye’s compulsion to attack ChatterBait® bladed jigs has become undeniable.

Paradoxically, bladed jig patterns also remain off-the-radar for most walleye anglers. You’ve either tried it, succeeded and quickly gone radio silent.

Recently, to discover the realities of walleyes and ChatterBaits, we probed the minds of several elite anglers, guides and tournament aces who’ve previously dropped hints about the lures everyone is wondering about, but few have discussed in the open. Their answers are nothing short of eye-opening.

“If you think about it, a ChatterBait bladed jig makes total sense for walleyes,” says Dylan Nussbaum, a tournament pro from Saint Marys, Pa. “Walleyes love vibration, they’re drawn to it and especially those lower frequency thumps and pulses. They almost always respond positively to flash—those reflective, scale-like visuals like the continuous on-off flicker of a lightbulb.”

Bladed Jig Breakdown

Beyond the flash and vibration and the silhouette of a trailing softbait, Nussbaum calls out one other key enticement, exclusive to a ChatterBait. “Some of the best walleye baits all share in common a rare ability to move erratically, randomly,” notes Nussbaum. “Look at the movements of a suspending jerkbait, for example. Or a heavy, jigging style glidebait. Both lures dart and slash in unpredictable directions—just as a live perch or minnow kicks and jukes unpredictably as they’re being hunted."

Even though anglers have been catching big walleyes on ChatterBaits for years, often by accident, walleye specialists continue underrating bladed jigs because they’ve been programmed to think of them in terms of bass only. But put the blade in the water and there’s no doubt walleyes sense it via lateral line—a ChatterBait likely emits the most powerful low frequency vibrations of any artificial lure.

While most bladed jigs, such as the ChatterBait Elite EVO™ or JackHammer™ wear a silicone skirt, walleye anglers often prefer to remove and replace it with a 3- to 5-inch soft plastic paddletail, such as Z-Man DieZel MinnowZ™ or Scented PaddlerZ™.

Running depth can be altered via jighead weight, retrieve speed, or by swapping the various soft plastic trailers. A bulky, subtle action trailer such as a Z-Man RaZor ShadZ™ matches slow to moderate retrieves, keeping the lure aloft, over vegetation. A slender straight tail trailer, such as a Finesse ShadZ™ or Scented Jerk ShadZ™ allows for deeper retrieves and expanded erratic behavior. Conversely, a thicker-bodied paddletail offers intense tail-thump and requires a slightly slower retrieve to keep the lure down at a certain depth.

Willow-the-Walleye

Walleye on WillowVibe

Unassuming but oh-so-effective, a subtle variation of the ChatterBait known as the WillowVibe has walleye written all over it. Connected to a small willowleaf blade, line tie amidships, the WillowVibe’s ¼- or 3/8-ounce ball-head jig provides precision depth control. This remarkable little lure excels at stop-and-go retrieves, occasionally tagging the substrate along shallow dropoffs, down to about 20-feet. It’s also an exceptional option for casting over shallow weedbeds or off structure, where walleyes forage on suspended prey. The lure excels with a slow swim and pause retrieve, which can be executed either with moderately fast sweeps of the rodtip or with a slow, steady rotations of the reel handle.

Adds Wisconsin based professional angler and guide Troy Peterson: “This bait has become one of my favorite options—both for guiding and tournament fishing. On slower days—especially on rivers and darker water lakes and flowages—we cast the ¼-ounce WillowVibe with half a nightcrawler. A slow steady retrieve along the edges of reefs or over the tops of boulders results in a lot of bites you’ll otherwise miss.

“When walleyes are active on the rocks, we pair a 3/8-ounce WillowVibe with a 4-inch Jerk ShadZ,” Peterson explains. “Give the lure quick snaps or rips and let it freefall to the bottom.

“In weeds, I’ll work the ¼-ouncer with either a half crawler or a 4-inch SwimmerZ™, using a faster retrieve to keep it running over the plant tassels. Walleyes hit it so aggressively they’ll often lunge right out of the water like a bass.”

Bladed Jigs Beyond

ChatterBaits for Walleye

When fishing Midwestern rivers, Peterson casts the same lure cross-current and slowly retrieves and grinds it along bottom. Here, he prefers to pair the WillowVibe with a Scented PaddlerZ, leech or half crawler. “Any time you’ve got stained water, rocks and walleyes, the WillowVibe has become one of my go-to guide baits. It’s easy and fun to fish, and consistently puts fish in my boat.”

Late spring through early fall, or anytime walleyes haunt shallow vegetation—particularly on Mississippi River backwaters— legendary guide Captain Ted Peck ties on bladed jig. “If I could choose just one lure for fishing this kind of water, it would be a black and blue Z-Man ChatterBait JackHammer dressed with a 3-inch paddletail,” notes Peck, author of Flames & Fins—An Old River Guide Looks Back Upstream. “A ChatterBait may not be on most walleye angler’s top-10 lists. But on the waters I fish—or anywhere walleyes cruise shallow weeds—it’s number one.”