Z-Man’s super responsive Tungsten ChatterBait® Elite EVO™ shreds bladed jig benchmarks
Geologists call it a rare metal, an intriguing element that exhibits super-power like properties. Rivalled only by diamonds in hardness and extreme melting point, tungsten yields exceptional lure assets and numerous bass-catching advantages. Nearly twice as dense as lead, tungsten is a true heavy metal, affording lure smiths the benefits of building smaller, more compact profiles that heft and cast like little bombs, sinking quick, reacting instantly and tracking perpetually across the strike zone.
Concepted and chiseled to delve deeper in the water column and emanate its own vibrant sound spectrum and vibration, Z-Man® has refined its first pure tungsten bladed jig. Approaching luremaking perfection, the new Tungsten ChatterBait® Elite EVO™—progeny of the 2023 ICAST award winning ChatterBait Elite EVO—is set to excite angler-observers at ICAST 2024.
Built with a 96-percent tungsten head, the Tungsten EVO is wired to cut through water fast, hunting bites with its off-the rails wandering action, while singing to bass on multiple levels of vibration.
Leaning on its compact size with reduced water resistance, Z-Man’s exclusive, low-center-of-gravity head sculpt features quick-start action and other special effects. “The new, smaller tungsten head was sculpted to move with a knuckleball effect, promoting easy hunting action,” notes Z-Man Director of Product Development, Jose Chavez. “It’s built with a blunt nose and streamlined top and side sculpting, so when the lure tries to wander, it can do so freely and erratically.”
“I didn’t think a bladed jig could get any better, but Z-Man’s new Tungsten EVO fishes with a responsiveness and sensitivity that all anglers need to experience,” notes Z-Man pro Stephen Browning, among the top ChatterBait tacticians of all time. “The smaller, more compact tungsten head offers less resistance, too, making it immensely castable, even into the wind.
Browning’s observations on jighead size and performance reveal additional advantages of Z-Man’s new tungsten tool. “The biggest difference is this lure’s vibration,” he believes. “Like the original EVO, the tungsten version starts vibrating the instant you wind the reel handle,” he observes. “But the heavy metal head also produces a sharper, crisper vibration.
“To me, the magic lies in the intense, acute sound that comes from the blade cracking the solid tungsten head as it pulses back and forth. The tungsten jighead produces a different, distinctive sound that sends key feedback straight to your rodtip, and bass get super zoned in on it.
“Z-Man’s sensitive tungsten head also keeps you in tune with the lure and what it’s doing underwater. But most importantly, it’s a superior transmitter of bass bites,” believes Browning. “I’d even go so far as to say the lure’s sensitivity helps you gauge strike aggression or lack thereof, allowing me to adjust and adapt my retrieve accordingly.
“It’s like the first time I threw a tungsten bullet weight after fishing lead weights for years. Every time it hit something, it felt like a bite. Same deal with this lure. It just responds quicker; has a shaper darting, hunting action; falls faster, so when you juice it with pops of your rodtip, the lure counters instantly. Zip-zip-zip. All that, and you get the positive feedback of the lure’s vibration, right up to your hands.”
The driving force behind every Z-Man ChatterBait, a trademarked hex-shaped ChatterBlade® oscillates freely and vibrates boldly, thanks to its direct blade-to-head connection. Stainless steel blades on the Tungsten ChatterBait Elite EVO sport metallic plated, painted and next-level glitter-coated finishes for exceptional light refraction and durability.
Moving from head to hookpoint, the Tungsten EVO features a completely customized 5/0 heavy duty, black nickel hook, expertly outlined by Browning himself. “A slightly longer shank creates a stronger pivot point, easily moving and freeing the lure if it gets hung in wood,” notes Browning.
To hook and hold bass even better, Browning slightly upsized the barb, and nudged it back ever so slightly toward the bend. “Adjusting barb size and position gives me more control over a big fish without fear of losing her on a jump,” he suggests.
Akin to last year’s ICAST award winning ChatterBait Elite EVO, the new tungsten variant wears Z-Man’s exclusive three-tiered trailer keeper. This new hybrid “split-grip” trailer keeper design eases rigging and holding power, especially with ElaZtech® trailers like the new ChatterShad™.
“The EVO’s keeper system includes both a molded and a wire trailer keeper on the hook shank,” says Browning. “The molded portion of the keeper ‘opens the gateway’ on the trailer’s head, while a separate wire keeper and second molded collar locks it tightly in place. It’s the smartest solution for effortlessly rigging and gripping ElaZtech or any other ChatterBait trailer.”
Set to arrive at retailers in August, the heavy metal Tungsten ChatterBait Elite EVO sports two sizes—3/8- or 1/2-ounce—in twelve pro-driven color patterns. Durable wire-tied silicone skirts offer extra flare, undulation and longevity, color matched to each hydrodynamic jighead, complete with oversized 3D eyes. An upgraded line tie offers extra insurance. MSRP $15.99. For more intel, visit www.zmanfishing.com or see it in action at the 2024 ICAST show, booth #4808.
About Z-Man Fishing Products: A dynamic Charleston, South Carolina based company, Z-Man Fishing Products has melded leading edge fishing tackle with technology for nearly three decades. Z-Man has long been among 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 innovators of 10X Tough ElaZtech® softbaits, among the most coveted baits in fresh- and saltwater. Z-Man is one of the fastest-growing lure brands worldwide.
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