Over time some lures have gone from obscurity to trendy, thanks to the pro anglers who made them famous. Jimmy Houston and the spinnerbait. The crankbait and David Fritts. The modern plastic topwater frog and Dean Rojas.
Now we have Brett Hite and the bladed jig. In his 19-year B.A.S.S. career the Arizona angler has won over $550,000 on the lure. That includes a recent hot streak of $113,500 won in the past year. During that time Hite scored 5 Top 10 finishes and a 13th-place just two weeks ago at the world championship. All of that came on a bladed jig of his design.
Here he is again, in contention to win more money and thrust into the limelight what initially was stereotyped as a “chunk and wind” bait for the novice. Hite has turned that profile around into a science.
Hite’s innovation is the Evergreen Jackhammer by Chatterbait. He most often pairs it with a 4-inch Zacko, a swimbait he designed specifically for Gary Yamamoto Custom baits for the bladed bait.