Most fishing fans credit Arizona pro Brett Hite with making the vibrating jig wildly popular, but many may not know it was a gracious collaboration between two tackle companies, Z-Man and Evergreen, that brought the ChatterBait® JackHammer™ to fruition.

Hite shares the cool history of the premium bladed jig, and previews this week’s Bassmaster Open on Norfork Lake, Arkansas, near the home of his longtime boat partner, Vexus®, on the eve of what looks to be a very rainy event.

 

Q: The vibrating jig is arguably the most popular bass fishing lure to come along the past 20 years, and most credit you for being the pro who sparked the fire for it all, tell us how it all got started.

Hite: I won four major events on a bladed jig between 2004 and 2008 and formed a friendship along the way with former Elite Series angler, Morizo “Big Mama” Shimizu with Japanese tackle manufacturer Evergreen.

We teamed up to design the ultimate vibrating jig in collaboration with Z-Man by using premium components and through adjustments to the angle of the blade. The JackHammer was born in 2016, and by the 2017 Bassmaster Classic in Houston, it was all the rage.

 

Q: Give fans two key tips to better bladed jig fishing success.

Hite: Don’t fish it too slow. Speed up your retrieve, and make sure you’re making contact with rocks, the tops of vegetation or whatever habitat you’re fishing – much like we’re taught to fish a crankbait. The ½ ounce size is my favorite, and I fish it on a 6.3:1 reel spooled with 20-pound Sunline FC Sniper fluorocarbon.

 

Q: Will you lean on a JackHammer this week at Norfork?

Hite: Absolutely, along with an Evergreen Flat Force crankbait that dives to about 6-feet, and a compact Evergreen I.R. finesse jig with a Yamamoto Covert Craw.

 

Q: It’s possible up to 10” of rain could fall on Norfork Lake this week. What will be the biggest key to dealing with adverse conditions?

Hite: My Simms rainsuit, rubber boots, and having the mindset to constantly adapt to rising, dirtier water. The angler who best fishes the moment, and targets where fish are going versus where they were the day before will likely win.

 

Q: This week’s Bassmaster Open takes place just 30 minutes from your longtime boat sponsor, Vexus. What do you love most about your boat?

Hite: Aside from the highly experienced craftsmen who build it, I love the cooler, because it holds ice longer than any boat cooler in the business, and I love how much space there is surrounding the cockpit. Even with a co-angler’s tackle bag on the floor, nobody is tripping over stuff, because there’s so much floorspace.