Z-Man® Details New, Highly Evolved ChatterBait® Elite EVO™
Through generations, natural selection favors those species with superior genes and adapted traits that coexist with their environment. The process is always advancing, gradually progressing towards perfection. Filter and refine the smartest and most valuable assets. Discard the foreign stuff. And ultimately augment and expand those essential ‘building blocks’ of DNA.
The superior species of bladed jig since day one, the Z-Man ChatterBait continues to evolve and deliver mind-blowing fishing experiences. Always on the cusp of bladed bass jigs, Z-Man has renewed his status as the leader once again as he prepares to unleash the fully empowered instruments. ChatterBait® Elite EVO™.
Built with upgrades to the max, the new Z-Man ChatterBait Elite EVO is a next-level bladed jig built with highly evolved bass-catching DNA, plus enough little tricks to electrify even a jaded bass professional. Shaped and developed in response to bass behavior and the instinct of the angler, the ChatterBait Elite EVO reflects decades of original thinking on blade design, hook configuration and jig head, and how all the moving parts come together to offer a smooth but action packed fishing.
“Years of fine-tuning the bladed jig design have paid off,” reveals Stephen Browning, MLF touring bass pro and Z-Man connoisseur. “ChatterBait Elite EVO is already bringing amazing rewards; the big basses are inhaling it with authority. Simply a smart, well-built, professional-grade template that’s packed with every upgrade imaginable. I think fishermen will also like the price.”
For Browning, one of the greatest ChatterBait tacticians of all time, the ‘fishability’ factor comes first. When asked to isolate a singular salient feature, his response is immediate. “I can confidently say that the Elite EVO is the easiest ChatterBait to use yet. Like the JackHammer™, the EVO’s blade kicks hard and pulses right into your hands with that first revolution of the reel handle. Considering its manageable price, it’s the closest we’ve come to building the perfect blade jig, and that’s saying something.”
Z-Man Director of Product Development José Chávez highlights key assets such as the patented direct lure-to-blade connection. “Similar to all Z-Man ChatterBaits, the Elite EVO’s fishing ability comes down to critical and subtle details developed over decades of research and development on the water and in the lab. It’s not just one element of the lure, but all the moving parts working together and converging to create the best experience for the angler, from kickstart blade vibration to random hunting action, resistance to hitches and even trailer performance. It’s all a function of precision: high-quality components ordered exactly, that’s the essence of the ChatterBait Elite EVO.”
Paired with proven assets, like a trademark hex-shaped ChatterBlade®, the ChatterBait Elite EVO sports a completely new head design. “We sculpted the head to move with a knuckleball effect, promoting an easy hunting action,” Chavez notes. “It has a blunt nose with a streamlined top and side sculpt, so when the lure tries to hunt, it can do so freely and erratically.”
“For me, the head design makes the lure work better, provides a loose, flowing action,” says Browning, fresh off a week-long ChatterBait spree. “The lure veers off unpredictably and then snaps back to center. All the while, the blade constantly breaks the head of the jig, emitting another dimension of sound beyond the vibration of the blade.
“Another cool trick. . . Equipping the lure with the new ChatterSpike™, a subtle pintail-style trailer with sweet tail flick, I found that no two casts with the EVO perform exactly the same. Sometimes the lure works as well as it can be. Other throws, at exactly the same speed, EVO darts and dips, exhibits a strong zig and zag Hunting Action – Always a powerful trigger for bass that many other bladed jigs have seen.
Further bolstering the lure’s easy-to-use assets, Z-Man implemented a new hybrid “split grip” and double tow design. “EVO’s retainer system includes a molded trailer retainer and a wire on the hook shank. It makes mounting a soft plastic trailer a hundred times easier and even allows you to remove it without ruining it, especially if it’s ElaZtech®. The molded portion of the gate ‘opens the front door’ at the trailer head, while the wire gate locks it firmly in place. It is the smartest solution to date for effortlessly handling ElaZtech or any other ChatterBait trailer.”
For optimal flash and ripple, the lure’s 100% silicone skirt is wire-tied for superior longevity. Skirt patterns have been hand selected by Z-Man’s professional team, color matched to the sculpted head of the lure for the perfect natural appearance and presentation.
Moving from the head to the tip of the hook, the ChatterBait Elite EVO features a completely custom 5/0 heavy-duty black nickel hook, expertly modified by Browning himself. “Designing a better ChatterBait hook was a labor of love,” he says. “But the endgame was to address a complaint I hear on the fairway, which is how easy it is to release a lure that snags on wood or grass. By elongating the rod a mere quarter of an inch, it puts enough distance between the head and the point of the hook to effortlessly move and release the lure when hung. That adjustment alone makes all the difference in the world, and adds to the ease and joy of fishing the lure for everyone.”
To hook up and hold the bass even better, Browning slightly increased the lug and pushed it back slightly towards the bend. “Just like with a hook, I believe the size and position of the barbs is an important factor in hooking and keeping bass fixed, giving the angler more control over a big fish without fear of losing it on a jump, etc It’s just one more critical adjustment. in the evolution of the ChatterBait design,” suggests Browning.
The driving force behind every Z-Man ChatterBait, a trademark hex-shaped ChatterBlade moves, rotates and oscillates freely, with a big, bold vibration that draws its power from the direct connection between the blade and the head, free of rings. superfluous matches or other gimmicks that dampen the action. . Stainless steel blades on the ChatterBait Elite EVO sport next-level metal plated, painted and gloss coated finishes for exceptional light refraction and durability.
Summarizes Browning: “By putting bladed jig design under a microscope, from both the angler’s and bass’s perspective, we’ve uncovered decisive details that have culminated in a lure that performs on every level. The ChatterBait Elite EVO provides anglers with a superior user experience: powerful quick-start vibration, unpredictable hunting action, and an amazing new towing system. It has become my new favorite ChatterBait on the 2023 Bass Pro Tour.”
Since its inception, the ChatterBait has taken anglers on a remarkable bass catching odyssey unlike any other lure in modern history. The next level of the bladed jig, the new ChatterBait Elite EVO is a highly evolved bass tool built with proprietary Z-Man engineering and time-tested big-fish attraction.
Ready to hit the water in October, the new ChatterBait Elite EVO comes in two sizes, 3/8 or 1/2 ounce, in twelve professional color patterns. Durable wire-tied silicone skirts are color-matched to each hydrodynamic head and complete with oversized 3D eyes. An improved line tie offers additional insurance. Stainless steel blades feature extra-durable plated, painted and bright finishes. MSRP $9.99. For more information, visit www.zmanfishing.com.
About Z-Man Fishing Products: A dynamic company based in Charleston, South Carolina, Z-Man Fishing Products has been fusing cutting-edge fishing tackle with technology for nearly three decades. Z-Man has long been one of the industry’s largest suppliers of silicone skirt material used in jigs, spinnerbaits, and other lures. Creator of the original ChatterBait®, Z-Man is also the renowned innovator of 10X Tough ElaZtech® soft baits, among the most sought after baits in freshwater and saltwater. Z-Man is one of the fastest growing lure brands in the world.