Z‑Man® Dominates REDCREST with Top‑Three Sweep
LADSON, SC — The ChatterBait® JackHammer™ once again proved why it remains one of the most trusted and tournament‑defining lures in modern bass fishing, powering the top three finishers at the 2026 Major League Fishing REDCREST Championship on Missouri’s Table Rock Lake. A collaborative creation between Z-Man Fishing Products and esteemed Japanese luremaker Evergreen International, the JackHammer proved to be the most effective bait when shifting into shallow water search mode.
Less than four months into the year, ChatterBait bladed jigs have already dominated the 2026 professional tournament season, accounting for more than 25 top‑10 finishes and over $1.5 million in combined winnings. In a REDCREST field stacked with bass fishing’s highest-performing and most versatile anglers, the JackHammer continued its run as the go-to search bait for covering water and triggering reaction bites.
Top Three Powered by the JackHammer
The top three finishers — Jacob Wheeler (1st), Takahiro Omori (2nd), and Zack Birge (3rd) — all leaned on the intense vibration, quick startup, and fish‑triggering flash of the ChatterBait JackHammer throughout the REDCREST competition. Whether fishing wind‑blown banks, shaded stretches, or shallow staging areas, the JackHammer remained the common denominator among the leaders, reinforcing its status as the most trusted bladed jig in championship‑level fishing.
Birge credited the JackHammer for his shallow‑water success, noting that “almost all of those fish without sonar were on a 3/8-ounce Z-Man/Evergreen JackHammer ChatterBait in Clearwater Shad.”
Takahiro Omori: Old‑School Approach, Modern Results
Finishing second, Takahiro Omori delivered one of the most talked‑about performances of the week, fishing shallow all three days, never using forward‑facing sonar, and keeping only two rods on deck during the final round. Both were rigged with JackHammers.
Omori paired his 3/8‑ounce JackHammer with a 5” Z‑Man DieZel MinnowZ™, a durable, high‑action ElaZtech® swimbait that helped him grind through chunk rock and laydowns around spawning coves. His commitment to simplicity and power fishing stood out in a tournament largely dominated by electronics, proving that the JackHammer can compete head‑to‑head with modern forward-facing sonar tactics.
Spencer Shuffield: ElaZtech Versatility for Top-10 Finish
Z‑Man’s impact extended beyond the top three. Spencer Shuffield secured an impressive 8th‑place finish by relying on two finesse‑driven ElaZtech profiles: a 3” Scented Jerk ShadZ™ in Smelt or Electric Shad on a 3/16-ounce jighead and a TRD CrawZ™ in Canada Craw on a 1/5-ounce Pro ShroomZ™ jighead.
Shuffield targeted bedding smallmouth in 9 to 12 feet of water around isolated wood and points, and the combination of the Scented Jerk ShadZ and the TRD CrawZ Ned rig served as a one-two punch for reluctant followers. When a lethargic bass followed the Scented Jerk ShadZ without eating, Spencer would drop the TRD CrawZ in for a quick bite to seal the deal.
The Z-Man Edge
From shallow power fishing to deeper finesse presentations, REDCREST once again showcased the versatility and dominance of Z‑Man’s most iconic innovations. The ChatterBait JackHammer’s top‑three sweep reinforces its status as a tournament essential, while the success of ElaZtech finesse baits highlights Z‑Man’s broad influence across various techniques and applications.
And with the JackHammer continuing to anchor the biggest moments on the biggest stages, one thing is clear: the legend of the JackHammer isn’t slowing down—it’s only growing.
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 over three decades. The company’s roots trace back to producing silicone skirts for many of the industry’s top lure makers, a foundation that set the stage for its evolution into a full-fledged lure brand. With the addition of the Original ChatterBait® bladed jig and the development of its proprietary 10X Tough ElaZtech® superplastic material driving its transformation, Z-Man broadened its offerings into a comprehensive lineup of innovative freshwater and saltwater lures. Today, Z-Man remains family owned and is among the fastest growing lure companies in the fishing industry, with its products distributed across North America and in more than 40 countries worldwide.
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