BUZZBAITS

[biggs]

Never really got into buzzbaits and have been thinking of adding a few to the arsenal so I have some questions for all the buzzbait experts out there.

Who makes good buzzbaits? Who doesn't?
What rod? Reel? Line?
Where do you throw them? When do you throw them?

Feel free to add anything else too if you want.

[RJ]

Wow I thought I was the only one, I've never owned one either.

RJ

[FishingFreak13]

I had one a long time ago but never really took the time to try them out either interesting to see what people have to say.

[lape0019]

Wow!,

It isn't too often you are asking for this type of info!

I throw Buzzbaits quite often and have used the Cavitron, Strike King, and Booyah. They all work well but I really like the Cavitron. They take less speed to keep them on top of the water.

I throw mine on a champion 734c with 15-17lb mono. This is primarily my spinnerbait rod, but works great for buzzbaits.

I throw them mostly in the early morning and at dusk but they do work at anytime of the day. They seem to work better with a little chop on the water but I have caught a lot of fish on calm glass days as well.

When I was first looking into Buzzbaits, I found a lot of videos about modifying the $1.00 buzzbaits from walmart into a great working buzzbaits. It involved bending the wire and adding some beads...

Adam

[toobinator]

I used to throw them years ago and have no idea why I don't anymore. Back then it was pre braid days, at least braid like we have now, so I threw them on 17 or 20 lb mono. I used a 7' mh rod but now would probably go to a 7'2" or 7'3". The secret was the noise the buzz made. The louder and squeakier the better. My favorite was a Roland Martin Double Buzz with 2 blades. I would tune it so that the 2 blades would hit each other when coming through the water. I swear it sounded like an old washing machine coming at you. Caught an awful lot of quality fish on this set up but as always something newer and supposedly better comes along and the old techniques fall by the wayside.

It may (will) be something for me to revisit this summer.

Ed

[cgates]

I love them in the morning around grass and pads. I go with Strike King because the have this cone on the front that hepls deflect the grass and what not as for a rod I use a soft tip or one you would use for spinner baits or top water spooks. Try it out and dont think its only for largies because smallies will just CRUSH it too
PS it can also be a good lures to weed out the pike in the area your fishing LoL
Chris

[biggs]

Awesome info so far guys, much appreciated.

[CNs]

I use a medium to MH rod. I use braid even though braid sinks mono has too much stretch. I have used flouro and will try it again this year.

I will use any brand as long as it swims correctly. Some bbaits just don't stay up. I like terminator and cavitron. There was a company called leverage that made some nice ones.

For colours generally white, or black. I find blade colour means little. I try not to use red as this attracts pike.
What Ed said about noise is true. The louder squeakier the better.
Some guys will hang them off the back of their trucks/cars so that they drive around and wear them in - makes em noisier. Others will drill holes in the blades
to disturb the water even more.

I will hook a trailer hook even a grub onto them for more bulk or if the fish are hitting short.

I will throw it anytime of the day anywhere except in heavy waves. I prefer glass like water, even tough everyone (except me) says you need a bit of chop for them to work. I will throw them into heavy slop/grass/weeds. When they come into a bit of open water and buzz a little you get amazing results.

And as others have said I need to start using them more.

[lape0019]

Good points Norm,

My favorite color for the Cavitron is black with either a black prop or a gold blade in the 3/8oz size. These things are quite squeaky and make a lot of noise.

If you want more noise, try the Damiki MTB Noisy Bait Buzzbait. It has a clacker on it which is essentially a SS ball bearing attached to a bent wire that hangs just below the prop. It is the loudest buzzbait I have ever used and it doesn't seem to get too hung up on weeds.

Adam

[Yannick Loranger]

Buzzbaits?? those things don't work, especially not the Strike King Double Take.

[nathan.barnard]

It's like anything, you have to know the body of water and find areas that are suited to the lure.

That being said, I had a friend who had great luck throwing them on Chemong / Buck horn for large mouth around pads and grass mats. Not much different in principle to something like a jitter bug.

I have a few of the strike king ones and they are well made, good hooks and relatively easy to keep on the surface. Over the years I've transitioned away from top water because of the low % of hook ups but there might be a time and a place for them.

[biggs]

I use braid even though braid sinks mono has too much stretch. I have used flouro and will try it again this year.

Braid floats at least all the braid I have ever used. I would imagine flouro would be the worst because it sinks.

try the Damiki MTB Noisy Bait Buzzbait

I look at this lure every time I am at Paddletales. Might have to grab one of them.

Over the years I've transitioned away from top water because of the low % of hook ups but there might be a time and a place for them.

Transitioned away form topwater! Your nuts. That's the most fun fishing.....maybe you should get yourself a dedicated topwater combo which will help with your low % of hookups because I don't really have a hookup % issue.

Buzzbaits?? those things don't work, especially not the Strike King Double Take.

Nice fish, did it rip the knob off that reel?

[Yannick Loranger]

Nice fish, did it rip the knob off that reel?

Lol. Yeah I know I'm due for some new bass gear. And to further answer your question, I throw them with flipping/frogging rods with 50 or 65lbs braid. I'll parallel a weedline and run the bait as tight as I can to the weeds. My PB largie and smallie have been caught on the pictured buzzbait.

[Paul Shibata]

Contrary to popular belief, buzzbaits are most effective when fished as slowly as possible. And like many reaction type baits especially spinnerbaits, buzzbaits are most frequently put into active duty in low light or overcast days when the fish are more apt to pull away from cover and roam. Subsequently noise more so than flash as Ed identified is one of the triggering elements of this extremely useful tool. Therefore in an effort of providing the big largemouth an opportunity to track and "capture" their fleeing prey, a slow squeaky retrieve is most effective and should influence your decisions as you select new baits.

Years ago when I first started fishing, back when the earth's crust was still cooling and Ed had dark hair, Lunker Lure buzzbaits (the rattleback jig company) were in every pro's tacklebox. They had long since established themselves as the lure of choice for their ability to "stay afloat" at the slowest crawl and were frighteningly noisy especially as they aged. Since then it seems that they are equally sought after (albeit discretely) by the Pros despite their allegiances to a sponsor. To me this is the true test of a lures effectiveness!!

My recommendation would include 3/8oz Lunker Lure Buzzbaits in white with silver blades. The 1/2oz cast better but sink on the slower retrieves. I have experimented with other color combos including black with black blades and chartreuse lures with gold blades with a degree of success but given that I only throw them in low-light conditions I tend to stick with just the one proven color.

Google will identify a hundred tips and videos on how to "age" or "tune" your buzzbait. Give them a shot. My preferred method if I ever lose any of my ancient baits would be to remove the blade and oversize the hole with the appropriate drill bit. I would also flatten the retaining rivet to ensure maximum surface area of contact against the blade. Lastly I would secure the bait to the deck of my boat prior to leaving home. The drive will spin the blade and "age" it as if you made a million casts. Optimally, as you slowly crawl the bait it should squeak annoyingly!!

My last tip would be to fish buzzbaits with longer rods (7' minimum) and 20lb copolymer monofilament. I would also thumb the spool at the end of the cast to stop the progress of the lure to ensure that the slack is gone as the bait hits the water. Thus enabling you to immediately start your retrieve without mending the slack line first.The reasons for 20lb mono are two fold. Firstly the larger diameter is significantly more buoyant which will assist in the presentation. And buzzbaits can be a heartbreaker because you will lose fish and invariably they will be big. The stretchy mono will cushion the blows reducing the "hook hole" and will ensure that "slack" line is absorbed before allowing the monster to escape. For this you must always fish with a hook trailer.

Don't take my word for it, if you ever see Izumi in a tournament fishing for largies in low light conditions especially when it's raining I will guarantee that he'll be throwing a buzzbait, so will I for what it's worth.

Good Luck,

PS, not surprisingly this specialty lure can only be found at Paddletales and Bennetts

[CNs]

Good points Norm,

My favorite color for the Cavitron is black with either a black prop or a gold blade in the 3/8oz size. These things are quite squeaky and make a lot of noise.

If you want more noise, try the Damiki MTB Noisy Bait Buzzbait. It has a clacker on it which is essentially a SS ball bearing attached to a bent wire that hangs just below the prop. It is the loudest buzzbait I have ever used and it doesn't seem to get too hung up on weeds.

Adam

Bought several. Don't like them maybe they are too new. All the ones I really like I have had for a few years. I should tie them to the truck and drive around with them to break em in.

I wrote that braid sinks I meant floats it flouro that sinks