Summer 2023
T
he bladed jig is hardly a well-kept secret, but it is
a bait that has continued to evolve conceptually.
2023 BASSMASTER Classic Champion Jeff Gustafson and legendary BASSMASTER AND MLF angler
Kevin VanDam found specific uses for various bladed jig
models in their arsenal. Be it smallmouth, largemouth, or
spotted bass there is a bladed jig for most situations.
DOCK LOGIC
While many anglers skip soft plastics and jigs beneath docks, VanDam prefers a 3/8-ounce Strike King Thunder Cricket with a Strike King Scounbug trailer that he’ll glue on for good measure. The bulkier trailer keeps the bait riding higher in the water column. However, when high-pressure conditions call for stealth, VanDam opts for the subtle action of a Strike King Z-Too trailer. “It has a lively quiver but skips incredibly well under trees and docks and is super durable,” he said.
When fishing specific targets, he fishes a LEWS KVD LKVDGC5 7’2” medium heavy action graphite casting rod paired with a Team Lew’s Pro SP Skipping & Pitching Baitcast Reel spooled with 20-pound Strike King Tournament Grade fluorocarbon line.
NORTHERN PERSPECTIVE
On Gustafson’s home turf in Northern Canada, summer means that weeds will grow within inches of the surface, providing some awesome topwater action. Mix in some wind, and he’ll opt for a 1/2-ounce Z-Man›s ChatterBait® JackHammer™ paired with a Z-Man RaZor ShadZ that he’ll fish over mats and submerged vegetation. Largemouth and smallmouth will often mix, providing for awesome hooksets and sore forearms.
He’ll also cover water fishing a bladed jig around clumps of sparse grass, especially strewn across flats. For Gussy, it isn’t just about the
chuck and wind associated with the technique; he’s willing to put some muscle into it.
“If there is grass around, I want to make contact with the top of it. Or I want to run it close to the bottom”, Gustafson said. “With those clumps, I want to bump it into stuff because you can draw a reaction bite when you pop it off it.” Before then, lipless cranks got bogged in the grass; Gustafson finally found a better mouse trap.
He consistently fishes bladed jigs on 20-pound Shimano Mastiff FC fluorocarbon due to its durability, castability, and performance. He’ll spool that on a Shimano Bantam 150HG A 97:1) reel (paired with a G-Loomis NRX+ Bladed Jig rod (NRX+. 883C BJR). Around thick vegetation like that in Florida, he’ll opt for 40-pound Power Pro braided line. The braided line allows him to easily rip grass free from the bait resulting in fewer wasted casts.
He will opt for the Z-Man Chatterbait Custom, sold only at Tackle Warehouse. The fastach clip will not open when fished with a braided line, and the bait has a heavy-duty hook. “Not everyone loves ripping a chatterbait out of the grass, but I do,” Gustafson said. Hydrilla, coontail, or milfoil, it’s all good.
His basic rule of thumb for choosing weights is a 1/2-ounce bait for 4- to 8- feet of water, a 3/8-ounce bait for fishing less than 4 feet, and a 3/4-ounce bait when fishing water deeper than 8 feet.
POWER FINESSE BLADED JIGS
Though Gustafson only gets to target the open water smallmouth that roam the Great Lakes while making stops on the BASSMASTER ELITE Series, he quickly realized these smallmouths want something different.
That is when he’ll opt for the more compact profile of the Z-Man Mini-Max Chatterbait—a smaller blade with razor sharp hook. Paired with a Z-Man Goat Twin Tail Grub, Gustafson winds it quickly, knowing he’ll run into smallmouth soon enough. He’s also well targeting spotted
®
page
21