Hands-On Review: Z-Man ChatterTail
The recognizable inline spinner got a complete overhaul with Z-Man’s ChatterTail. I use the term “overhaul” instead of “makeover” because Z-Man designed its own bait from the ground up. Some might call it this class of lure’s next generation, and I wouldn’t disagree with them.
When pulling it out of the package, I noticed the ChatterTail has a body-to-blade connection instead of the blade spinning 360 degrees around a shaft. There is no metal shaft on this lure. It looks like a cousin to Z-Man’s Chatterbait with its vibrating blade, and after researching it quickly I learned that the ChatterBait inventor Ronny Davis spent five years developing this lure.
“This is an extension of the ChatterBait, which is one of the most successful lures in fishing,” Davis said. “The idea of the ChatterTail came straight from it. I wanted to add a vibrating blade to an inline spinner.”
First Thoughts
The enduring inline spinner is a proven fish-catcher: I think we all have caught trout or panfish on the lure, or used jumbo inline spinners to catch pike. So I had to try out this new iteration from Z-Man in my local lakes and rivers. On one of the first trips with the lure, I had a surprise catch. When casting, it’s impossible not to feel the thump and vibration of the willow-leaf blade, similar to a Chatterbait. There’s no trout in Florida, but I was certain my bait would attract a bluegill or largemouth.
But one of my first noteworthy catches was actually a channel catfish I caught while fishing a dark-water river. I let the bait fall to the bottom, and slowly reeled the bait along. The lure stayed along the bottom and I got a strike that felt a bit more like a tree branch. But the fish started fighting immediately on my light spin gear. I got the fish to shore before it summersaulted to freedom — thankfully, the barabou tail was left unharmed.
Putting it to the Test
And that was the start of my fishing adventures with the ChatterTail. One morning, I spent a couple hours just hammering the bluegills on this bait. I was fishing along lily pads and docks mostly, having a blast catching fish after fish on the ultralight. My elementary-aged son was able to cast and reel the bait in without any problems, too.
The blade does an honest job of blocking weeds from catching on the treble hook. I looked for lanes to cast my bait in between vegetation. And of course, I cast along the weed edges where they disappeared into deeper water. There were also spots with submerged aquatic vegetation that could just roll the bait right over the top of it. Keep in mind, the treble hook is light wire, so it can be pulled free from snags, but that also means you might have to bend it back in shape.
As much luck as I’ve had with it, our Wired2fish video team in Minnesota picked off plenty of smallmouth bass with the bait. There’s no doubt largemouths would also bite this pocket-size bait. I think it just comes down to what the local species are in your waters: bluegills, bass, white bass, pickerel — the list goes on.
The Nostalgia Factor
Personally, I think of an inline spinner as a trout slayer for the non-fly fisherman. Or as a sort of introductory lure than even kids can fish with successfully. No matter the case, an inline spinner is one of the few lures that continue to stand the test of time. And this version is the one I’ll be turning to more often.
“It reminds me of fishing in the mountains with my grandfather,” said Ryan Harder, Z-Man director of brand strategy. “There is so much connection and nostalgia with this lure yet it also incorporates a new spin on a traditional lure profile. Every single place I’ve taken this lure, it has caught fish.”
The ChatterTail lure is available in Fall 2026 in 1/16-, 1/8- and 1/4-ounce sizes and eight different color patterns. I used the chartreuse and black models, but rainbow trout and green pumpkin look darn good to me as well. Expect to pay about $5 for the 1/16- and 1/8-ounce models and $5.50 for the 1/4-ounce version.
The post Hands-On Review: Z-Man ChatterTail appeared first on Wired2Fish.