Buzzbaits (Part 2)

[RoLo]

                                        BUZZBAITS (part 2)

 

LIFT

The word "buzz" creates the image of a lure burned over the surface like a panic-stricken coot. I'm sure

we've all experienced days when it was impossible to crank a buzzbait too fast, but those days tend to be

in the minority. With regard to trophy-class bass, the most effective retrieve speeds seem to range between

moderate and very slow. "Lift" is a buzzbait property referring to its ability to stay on the surface at slow speeds.

The greater the 'lift' the slower the buzzbait can be retrieved without sinking out of sight. The lightest buzzbait

isn't necessarily the highest riding buzzbait. 'Lift' is actually the 3-way balance between Lure Weight, Blade Area

& Lure Configuration (blade & body). For this reason, a 1/2oz buzzbait with a large blade may ride just as high

as a 1/4oz buzzbait with a small prop.

 

BLADE STYLE

If the "noisiest" buzzbait was necessarily the best buzzbait, we'd all be chucking the Booyah Buzz 'clacker'.

Just as too much speed can be hurtful, too much noise can also be hurtful, especially counterfeit noise.

This is particularly true for Florida-strain bass which biologists agree are more discerning and less aggressive

than northern-strain bass. Clacker buzzbaits like the Booyah Buzz are heard from a great distance,

but that also gives bass more time for scrutiny and rejection. Tandem bladed and tri-bladed props make

excellent buzzbaits, and actually produce less noise than a clacker-prop and their sound is arguably more natural.

 

BLADE SQUEAK

Strange but true, bass exhibit a marked preference for squeaky, creaky propellers. This observation

goes all the way back to the introduction of the Lunker Lure Buzzbait. Back in the 70s, Roland Martin stated

that he owned one creaky Lunker Lure that caught more bass than all his other buzzbaits combined.

In the ensuing decades, anglers went to great lengths to create a buzzbait with squeaky blades.

Among the most humorous practices was to tie a buzzbait to the car antenna or roof carrier,

so it whirled in the wind all the way to the lake. Though I've never resorted to that tactic, it allegedly worked

by enlarging the clevis hole...rapid aging you might say. "Blade squeal" is an unobtrusive sound that's most audible

at close range, but can be clearly heard by spinning the blade near your ear. Anglers are in general agreement

about the advantage of a squeaky buzzbait, but are sharply divided about 'clackers'. Horse sense would tell us

that there's more squealing prey than clacking prey. In any case, this reminds me of the tourney where everyone

was fishing crankbaits with rattles. Instead, KVD used a crankbait without rattles and won the tournament.

Now just suppose that KVD did not win that tournament. The other contestants would still be convinced

that the bass they caught were attracted by the rattles, when in fact they were caught in spite of the rattles.

 

Megastrike Cavitron vs. Booyah Pip-Squeak

I don't think you'd go very wrong with either one of these fine buzzbaits. Right out of the box, both the

Booyah Pip Squeak and Megastrike Cavitron emit an auduble whining sound. Although they differ in pitch,

they are roughly equivalent in decibels. I've noticed however that some Cavitron's whine less than others,

which can be resolved by a simple modification. Both the Cavitron and PipSqueak have

horizontally flattened bodies that boosts "lift" which lends to slower retrieve rates. Both buzzbaits also feature

perforated props that produce bubbles, but IMO the Cavitron bubble-trail is slightly more defined

and longer lasting than the Pip-Squeak. The Pip-Squeak has greater blade area than the Cavitron buzzbait,

nonetheless the Megastrike Cavitron remains active at lower retrieve speeds, which is a Big Deal in my book.

In spite of its smaller prop the Cavitron produces slightly more audible disturbance than the Pip-Squeak.

Above all perhaps, the Cavitron prop remains balanced and stable at low retrieve speeds. In contrast,

the larger Pip Squeak blade becomes unstable at low speeds, eventually getting floppy like a butterfly.

The Booyah Pip Squeak has an extension-hook mounted on a flexible cable, a concept that causes mixed feelings.

Granted, when a bass gets lodged in weed stalks, the odds of losing that bass are excellent to certain.

For sure, a flexible cable can reduce losses due to bass lodged in stalks and also jumping bass.

On the other hand, a hook that's mounted on a flexible shaft cannot possibly deliver the same hookset force

as a fixed hook. After all, if you never get to HOOK the fish, you will never get to LOSE the fish. All that said,

I personally prefer the Megastrike Cavitron, an opinion I've held long before it became a household name.

 

BLADE MODIFICATION

Nah, we're not going to tie the buzzbait to the rear bumper then tow it to the lake.  Instead, we'll make one

quick adjustment. With a needle-nose pliers, mash the rear end of the rear clevis so it no longer rotates

around the wire shaft (we're merely increasing the friction). You'll notice that this modification has already been made

on a Booyah Pip Squeak.

 

LURE SIZE

The propeller is largely obscured by the splash and bubbles it creates, so the "skirt" is the largest contributor

to overall bulk. Though I get scolded for fishing lures too large, I always reduce the skirt bulk on a buzzbait.

There are three silhouette options: Frightened Duckling, Toy Airboat or Baitfish...I prefer the latter  

 

SKIRT MODIFICATION

Hold the lure by the head so the skirt strands are hanging down vertically. Shorten the skirt with a right angle cut

about 1/8" behind the bend-of-the-hook. In addition to reducing overall bulk, this may help to reduce short-strikes.

Now remove most of the strands from the top and both sides of the skirt, leaving all the strands on the bottom

of the skirt.  This sharply reduces the overall flare and bulk of the lure, and results in a silhouette more closely

resembling a baitfish. Modified in this manner, the buzzbait is also better suited to fishing in clear water

and in lakes dominated by smaller bass.

 

SKIRT COLOR

We shouldn't forget that as light levels diminish so does the importance of color, when the emphasis shifts to contrast.

On bright sunny days and in crystal water bass can easily see the flaws in delivery. When underwater visibility

is excellent, Light Colors are usually best because they obscure the lure's outline, and help it to blend into

the backdrop of the sky. During heavy overcast, in murky water and at night, the goal is just the opposite.

When underwater visibility is poor, Dark Colors are normally favored because they help define the contrast between

the lure and its backdrop. When we turn to Mother Nature we find that she follows the exact same Master Plan.

Virtually all creatures exhibit a light-colored underside and a darker upperside. This dovetails perfectly into the

natural phenomenon known as "counter-shading", an ingenious system that works in concert with the vantage point

of the predator versus the backdrop of the prey (amazing stuff).

 

TRAILER HOOK

A high percentage of professional anglers never fish a buzzbait without a trailer-hook. In my opinion,

this should depend on the cover you're dealing with. A buzzbait with a trailer-hook is simply not as weedless

as a buzzbait without a trailer hook. That's not a big deal in sparse cover, but if you're buzzing in heavy cover

(if you're fishing in Florida) a trailer-hook is going to abort many well-placed casts. In addition to

increased hangups, a trailer hook can make hand-landing a tad treacherous. The trailer-hook may get more credit

than it deserves. It occupies a grandstand seat, so every bass that's hooked by the trailer hook was not necessarily

a short-striker. As with any surface lure, most buzzbait misses are likely due to reacting too quickly.

 

DELIVERY

After the cast, engage the reel and begin the retrieve at the instant of splashdown. In that manner, you won't have

to crank the buzzbait out of the hole to get it on plane.  There is no one best retrieve pattern, but it's usually good

to begin with a Slow, Steady, Nonstop retrieve, just fast enough to keep the lure gurgling on top. "Burning" a buzzbait

may fit the iconic perception but is often fruitless, especially with Florida-strain bass. Before quitting a known hotspot,

hit it from different angles because sow bass tend to be spoiled prima donnas that want everything their way.

When a bass blows up on the buzzer, drop the rod so neither you nor the bass feel a thing. Gather most

but not all slack line, then withdraw the rod forcefully (overhead or to the side), She's All Yours  

 

Roger

[roadwarrior]

WOO-HOO!

Great post!

[SmokeRise1]

I had a lot of luck with a black Cavitron a few years ago and for some reason stopped using it. I just placed an order on Megastrike site for a few more. Thanks for reminding me.

[RoLo]

WOO-HOO!

Great post!

Thanx RW

Hey, congratulations on your 7lb 7oz Roadtrip mossback, that's a beast in ANY water!

Roger

[Marty]

I always use trailer hooks, willing to put up with some extra hangups here and there. Most fish are taken with the main hook, but I catch just enough on the trailer hook only that I have no confidence using them without trailer hooks.

[roadwarrior]

I think it just depends on the situation, but most of the buzzbait fishing I do doesn't involve a trailer hook.

[Jigfishn10]

Well done RoLo!!

[hatrix]

Posts like this should be saved and put in some kind of section of there own. I have seen quite a few people make a piece like this and eventually it gets lost in time and is never seen again. Of course you could make a search for what your looking for but maybe you don't know what your looking for. I think many people would want to read such a excellent post like this even if that's not what they had on there mind. I have seen many great posts like this that people spent big chunks of time on get lost in the ages. Now those posts are 100 pages deep and for the most part will never be seen again and that's almost a crime to the community and people looking for more knowledge. If you make a great detailed post like this and everyone can agree its spot on then it should be saved for members to look back on for reference or new members trying to expand on what they do or don't already know. Really there should be a new section for posts like these where only a mod can add such a great and detailed thread to it. It is a shame that in a few weeks maybe less this will be gone and all that hard work and time will be lost to the jungle of forgotten threads.

Great Job RoLo

[RoLo]

Thank You Hatrix,

Roger

[Diggy]

Puts my clacker stock on sale

good post

[hatrix]

Np RoLo

Thanks for the excellent post. I still think when someone makes a very detailed post like this it should be pinned in its own section like Knowledge Database or something. It is a crime when such knowledge and hard work fades away into time!

[Al Wolbach]

Np RoLo

Thanks for the excellent post. I still think when someone makes a very detailed post like this it should be pinned in its own section like Knowledge Database or something. It is a crime when such knowledge and hard work fades away into time!

I agree completely but I would not want to be person that had to make the choice of which post to add and worse yet which to ignore.....................as most of us think our opinion should carry more weight than someone else...............................Al

[Bobby Uhrig]

Rolo -You are strting to scare me- It actually sounds like you know what you are talking about- LOL

[RoLo]

I agree completely but I would not want to be person that had to make the choice of which post to add and worse yet which to ignore.....................as most of us think our opinion should carry more weight than someone else...............................Al

In blogs and forums, the status of a post is often decided by the number of responses.

You will notice though, the greatest number of hits are normally generated by posts

with the path of least resistance, for instance: "What's your favorite color Senko?"

"Buzzbaits part 1 & 2" took me the better part of a day to compile, yet I realize that a tutorial

will not yield the responses generated by group participation.

Roger

[RoLo]

Rolo -You are strting to scare me- It actually sounds like you know what you are talking about- LOL

You have nothing to fear Robert, I have no idea what I'm talking about

Roger

[loodkop]

Great post. Thanks for taking the time to type this up. I hope this has been part 1 and 2 of series covering different lures and techniques.

[Al Wolbach]

In blogs and forums, the status of a post is often decided by the number of responses.

You will notice though, the greatest number of hits are normally generated by posts

with the path of least resistance, for instance: "What's your favorite color Senko?"

"Buzzbaits part 1 & 2" took me the better part of a day to compile, yet I realize that a tutorial

will not yield the responses generated by group participation.

Roger

Your post is well written and informative. BTW: It would have taken me "the better part of a day" just to type it, lol. Good read........................Al

[Dwight Hottle]

Roger, you the man! I asked Glenn to sticky it.

[Crestliner2008]

Truly excellent! Thanks.

[Bobby Uhrig]

ROLO-- the people come on these forums for several reasons-

#1

they come as a know it all and love to start touble--Thats why Im here LOL-

#2

They come one here to seek knowledge

#3 They come here to share knowledge as more experianced anglers.

The blog that you had written was a very well thought out thesis based on actual on the water expeirance.

well done-

Ok I dont want to ruin my reputation- Im Outta here