For a few years now, almost all of the professional bass fishing world has been fixated on forward‑facing sonar and the new wave of baits built specifically for it. That said, Z‑Man’s ChatterBait bladed jigs have been powering one of the most consistent stretches of early season bass tournament success in recent memory. The most recent statement came on Lake Hartwell, where veteran pro Takahiro Omori captured his first Bass Pro Tour victory with a Z‑Man/EverGreen ChatterBait JackHammer paired with a 5-inch DieZel MinnowZ. This is not a misprint: Six of the top 10 anglers at the event relied on Z-Man ChatterBait lures.
Omori’s win was refreshing. In a field stacked with the bass fishing’s most tech‑savvy competitors, he never turned on his forward‑facing sonar. If you’ve been following professional bass fishing for the past decade, you understand how extraordinary this is. Omori kept only two rods on the deck of his boat, and both were rigged with Z-Man ChatterBaits, specifically the JackHammer model.
“You can’t fake confidence at this level,” said longtime Z‑Man pro Stephen Browning, who finished second at the Bassmaster Open on the Kissimmee Chain with a Tungsten ChatterBait Elite EVO. “When I pick up a ChatterBait, I know exactly what it’s going to do, how it’s going to hunt, and how fish are going to react to it. What’s really telling is how many guys who aren’t tied to Z‑Man are leaning on these baits right now. That says more about their effectiveness than anything I could ever tell you.”
A Dominant Winter for ChatterBaits
Omori’s victory is just one highlight in a surge of top‑tier finishes for anglers relying on Z‑Man ChatterBaits during the opening months of the 2026 season. Across the Bass Pro Tour, Bassmaster Elite Series, Bassmaster Opens, Pro Circuit events, and Toyota Series, ChatterBait bladed jigs have been a fixture on leaderboards nationwide.
Check out this list of top tournament finishes in early 2026 on Z‑Man ChatterBaits:
- 1st — Takahiro Omori, MLF BPT Lake Hartwell
- 1st — Kane Weekley, MLF Toyota Series Lake Guntersville
- 2nd — Jacob Walker, MLF BPT Lake Hartwell
- 2nd — Jacob Walker, MLF BPT Lake Guntersville
- 2nd — Brock Mosley, BASS Elite Lake Martin
- 2nd — Stephen Browning, BASS Open Kissimmee Chain
- 3rd — Jacob Wheeler, MLF BPT Lake Guntersville
- 3rd — Bo Thomas, BASS Open Kissimmee Chain
- 4th — Jonathan VanDam, BASS Open Kissimmee Chain
- 5th — Wes Logan, BASS Elite Lake Guntersville
- 7th — Brandon Card, BASS Elite Lake Guntersville
- 7th — Jesse Wiggins, MLF BPT Lake Hartwell
- 8th — Jacob Wheeler, MLF BPT Lake Hartwell
- 8th — Niko Romero, BASS Open Kissimmee Chain
- 8th — Brodey Luckey, MLF Pro Circuit Harris Chain
- 9th — Ott Defoe, MLF BPT Lake Hartwell
- 9th — Cliff Prince, BASS Open Kissimmee Chain
- 10th — Justin Cooper, MLF BPT Lake Hartwell
Non-Sponsored Anglers Choosing ChatterBaits, Too
Fact: bass anglers rarely choose lures outside of their sponsorship circle. So it’s noteworthy that the vast majority of the anglers named on the above list are not sponsored by Z‑Man. Aside from Browning, every name on this list chose a ChatterBait bladed jig as a primary tool even though they don’t partner with Z-Man. There are many bladed jig brands on the market, but they all chose the original Z-Man ChatterBait.
