The Legend of the JackHammer™ Continues

Z‑Man® Dominates REDCREST with Prime‑Three Sweep

LADSON, SC — The ChatterBait® JackHammer™ as soon as once more proved why it stays one of the crucial trusted and event‑defining lures in trendy bass fishing, powering the highest three finishers on the 2026 Main League Fishing REDCREST Championship on Missouri’s Desk Rock Lake. A collaborative creation between Z-Man Fishing Merchandise and esteemed Japanese luremaker Evergreen Worldwide, the JackHammer proved to be the simplest bait when shifting into shallow water search mode.

Lower than 4 months into the yr, ChatterBait bladed jigs have already dominated the 2026 skilled event season, accounting for greater than 25 prime‑10 finishes and over $1.5 million in mixed winnings. In a REDCREST subject stacked with bass fishing’s highest-performing and most versatile anglers, the JackHammer continued its run because the go-to search bait for masking water and triggering response bites. 

Prime Three Powered by the JackHammer

The highest three finishers — Jacob Wheeler (1st), Takahiro Omori (2nd), and Zack Birge (third) — all leaned on the extraordinary vibration, fast startup, and fish‑triggering flash of the ChatterBait JackHammer all through the REDCREST competitors. Whether or not fishing wind‑blown banks, shaded stretches, or shallow staging areas, the JackHammer remained the widespread denominator among the many leaders, reinforcing its standing as probably the most trusted bladed jig in championship‑degree fishing.

Birge credited the JackHammer for his shallow‑water success, noting that “nearly all of these fish with out sonar have been on a 3/8-ounce Z-Man/Evergreen JackHammer ChatterBait in Clearwater Shad.” 

Takahiro Omori: Outdated‑College Strategy, Fashionable Outcomes 

Ending second, Takahiro Omori delivered one of the crucial talked‑about performances of the week, fishing shallow all three days, by no means utilizing ahead‑going through sonar, and maintaining solely two rods on deck in the course of the remaining spherical. Each have been rigged with JackHammers.

Omori paired his 3/8‑ounce JackHammer with a 5” Z‑Man DieZel MinnowZ™, a sturdy, excessive‑motion ElaZtech® swimbait that helped him grind by way of chunk rock and laydowns round spawning coves. His dedication to simplicity and energy fishing stood out in a event largely dominated by electronics, proving that the JackHammer can compete head‑to‑head with trendy forward-facing sonar ways.

Spencer Shuffield: ElaZtech Versatility for Prime-10 End 

Z‑Man’s affect prolonged past the highest three. Spencer Shuffield secured a formidable eighth‑place end by counting on two finesse‑pushed ElaZtech profiles: a 3” Scented Jerk ShadZ™ in Smelt or Electrical Shad on a 3/16-ounce jighead and a TRD CrawZ™ in Canada Craw on a 1/5-ounce Professional ShroomZ™ jighead.

Shuffield focused bedding smallmouth in 9 to 12 ft of water round remoted wooden and factors, and the mix of the Scented Jerk ShadZ and the TRD CrawZ Ned rig served as a one-two punch for reluctant followers. When a torpid bass adopted the Scented Jerk ShadZ with out consuming, Spencer would drop the TRD CrawZ in for a fast chew to seal the deal.

The Z-Man Edge 

From shallow energy fishing to deeper finesse shows, REDCREST as soon as once more showcased the flexibility and dominance of Z‑Man’s most iconic improvements. The ChatterBait JackHammer’s prime‑three sweep reinforces its standing as a event important, whereas the success of ElaZtech finesse baits highlights Z‑Man’s broad affect throughout varied strategies and functions. 

And with the JackHammer persevering with to anchor the largest moments on the largest phases, one factor is evident: the legend of the JackHammer isn’t slowing down—it’s solely rising.

About Z-Man Fishing Merchandise: A dynamic Charleston, South Carolina based mostly firm, Z-Man Fishing Merchandise has melded forefront fishing deal with with know-how for over three a long time. The corporate’s roots hint again to producing silicone skirts for most of the trade’s prime lure makers, a basis that set the stage for its evolution right into a full-fledged lure model. With the addition of the Unique ChatterBait® bladed jig and the event of its proprietary 10X Robust ElaZtech® superplastic materials driving its transformation, Z-Man broadened its choices right into a complete lineup of revolutionary freshwater and saltwater lures. At the moment, Z-Man stays household owned and is among the many quickest rising lure corporations within the fishing trade, with its merchandise distributed throughout North America and in additional than 40 international locations worldwide.