All our lives we’ve heard people say, “I was there when …” Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s home run record. I was there when Reggie Jackson hit three home runs in a World Series game. I was there when Dale Earnhardt crashed in turn four and died at the Daytona 500.
Well, there was one event that I can say “I was there when” one particular fishing bait was introduced to the bass fishing world.
It was on Lake Okeechobee in 2006 when the concept of a new bait took bass fishing by storm … the ChatterBait! This was a bait that has become a staple for all bass tournament anglers. It’s a combination of two of the best baits ever made, a jig and a spinnerbait.
It’s a skirted jig with a small blade attached to the head of the bait. It has an unbelievable vibrating action that bass cannot refuse. Over the last 20 years, there have probably been more bass caught on this bait than any other.
I remember the day that I first heard about this new bait. I was fishing an FLW Tour event on Lake Okeechobee in South Florida and the word was out about this new bait that was catching bass like crazy.
Anglers were scrambling to get their hands on just one of these baits! Some guys would pay as much as $100 to get one. At this event, Roland Martin Marina was the only tackle store where you could get one. Every day for three straight days I walked into this store and every time all the pegs were empty.
Finally, with only one day left in the tournament, I asked Mrs. Mary Ann Martin (Roland’s wife) to please put one back for me and I would pick it up after I weighed my fish on the final day.
Turns out pro angler Bryan Thrift, in his first professional bass tournament, won this event and the ChatterBait craze began. For a couple of years, he tried to keep his secret bait under wraps but the folks that make the ChatterBait asked that he please let the cat out of the bag.
It was on stage during that FLW Tournament weigh-in on Lake Okeechobee that Bryan introduced the world to this revolutionary bait. From this event in 2006 through today, there’s probably not a single bass angler on a body of water that does not have some form of the ChatterBait tied on.
The company behind this bait is known as Z-Man and they have not only perfected this bait over the years but have come out with more versions. One thing about the fishing business; it’s a copycat industry, as other companies have tried to emulate this bait, but none have had the impact of the original ChatterBait.
While Z-Man has a patent on this bait protecting their blade design, there are other brands on the market that have had a little success, but no one has been able to capture that same magic that a ChatterBait produces.
While it’s not often that many of us can say “I was there when” a special moment took place, I was actually there when one of the greatest bass fishing lures hit market … the ChatterBait!
Contact Steve at sgraf26@yahoo.com