Buzzbait Tips?

[CAdeltaLipRipper]

Hey guys hows it goin?Well i think buzzzbaits are awesome,but i never use them.I know u want them to go as slow as possible sometimes,but i want all the tips i can get.i want to start fishin them this year more. Remember this is gonna be on the Delta!Soooooooooo post some good ones if u can  ;D

[Gatorbassman]

Let's start with all the set-up tricks.

1. There is a spacer behind the blade. Slide it as far back as possible on the wire and pinch in tight with some pliers. You don't want it to spin. Careful not to mess up the flat part that contacts the blade.

2. Then there's the contact between the blade and the flat part on that spacer. Make sure as much of the two surfaces as possible are contacting each other. Use the pliers to flatten them together.  If the blade is painted then take a flat file and file the paint off of the contact point.

3. Then go for a drive. Hold the buzzbait out the window and let the blade spin. Some people zip-tie it to their radio antena. The goal is the get it to squeak like fingernails on a chalkboard.

[NewKidInTown]

Hey guys hows it goin?Well i think buzzzbaits are awesome,but i never use them.I know u want them to go as slow as possible sometimes,but i want all the tips i can get.i want to start fishin them this year more. Remember this is gonna be on the Delta!Soooooooooo post some good ones if u can ;D

Fish a Cavitron right out of the package, slow,and just wait till you feel the weight of the fish before you cross his eyes.

[ilovefooffur]

Keep it so it's just on top of the water. 

[Sam]

Always use a trailer hook. 

[Gatorbassman]

I mean no disrespect NKIT. Even with a Cavitron buzzbait you should pinch the collar down and break it in. It's the difference between a good buzzbait and a great buzzbait.

[simplejoe]

great info Fluke. I do the same but I didn't know about sliding the spacer back the whole way and pinch it. Why is it you do that Fluke?

Adding this, I'm left handed so I might be different, I hold my rod tip high, like 11 to 12 o'clock when I'm throwing topwater. I notice guys who hold their rod to their side while fishing topwater and they miss alot of fish doing that.

[roadwarrior]

Another tip that I got from Bobby:

My first Cavitron was 3/8 oz black on black. Last

spring my lure looked like it had been run over

by a truck and bent back together. I asked Bobby

if he thought I ought to dispose of the old and

break out some new. The answer was "nope". When

you have something that works, stick with it! As

a buzzbait gets much better with age. Mine is just now getting "broken in"!

8-)

[Triton21]

OK guys and girls here are some tips that work and you don't hear every day.

First go out and buy some steel pop rivets the same size as are on your buzzbait.  Take the pin out and place the number you are going to change in Clorox overnight, rinse rivets and install per Flukes instructions.  The Clorox wii cause the rivets to rust and squeak.

Make repeated cast to areas that you think(or know) are holding fish.  Sometimes I make as many as 50 casts over a point or cover I know hold fish.  The repeated casts aggravate bass into biting.  It is trying to kill the &S#$*.

Always have a sharp hook and use a trailer hook.  If I am fishing open water I install the trailer hook with the point down, in weeds or wood I install trailer hook up.

If you follow these tips as well as the ones you have already received you will catch a ton of fish on a buzzbait.

Kelley

[Blade-Runner]

I've not used the Cavitron (which I've heard many great things about here and everywhere).

My #1 buzzer is the tried-and-true original Lunker Lure. It has a large 5/0 - 6/0 hook that sticks them good without a trailer hook.

A high speed reel helps a lot, also.

I also seem to do particularly well in shallow water when I get the bait actually on shore and "pull" it into the water. Something about that really mimics a terrestrial victim ready for consumption.

I also agree with the aggravation factor. Repeated casts have worked wonders with these types of baits.

And, if you are disciplined with your hooksets, you might try braid. I use a 7.0:1 reel with 50 lb. braid for both frogs and buzzbaits to much success.

[Bobby Uhrig]

Buzz Bait tips. OK OK I know Cavitron Cavitron Blah Blah Blah- People ask me what is my favorite technique to catch fish-I answer "whatever puts them in the boat" But I Love catching bass on buzz baits -There is just something about the anticipation -knowing that at any second you can get that vicious explosion. I think buzz bait fishing is one of the tensest most discipline demanding ways to fish.When the weather and water temp reaches the 60's and into the 80's is when I throw a buzz bait- In the fall I have caught them in 48 degree water.DOSENT MATTER WHICH BRAND- I consider it my # 1 search bait.For speed retrieval- Remember the bass will tell you how they want it. The first thing I do when I hit a lake is look for weeds. When I find the weeds I pretty much know that's where the bass are or they are nearby. Then I look for several components-I look for wood -branches -stumps -lay downs in those weeds. Now my higher percentage area will be easier to fish-I also look for rocks(larger) boulders ect in those weeds. Now I have components to really start having confidence in that area.The buzz bait is my search bait. I find the areas that have these components and start casting to them.Slow to medium speeds to see if I have any takers. I use a 6'6' to 7 ft  Medium Heavy rod- Shimano reel-and 14-17 lb test line. I am not worried about the bass seeing the line so I do not use Fluorocarbon for this application. Rarely do I use braid unless I am in chestnuts or super heavy slop. For the most part I want the little delay of line stretch to compensate for my lightning fast reflexes LOL. One of the hardest disciplines to learn is not reacting to the strike. That's why I don't use braid-It reacts instantly, often ripping the bait away from the fish. I continue to cast the bait to targets until I have caught every fish that the buzz bait will catch. THEN I slow down and fish for the ones that I didn't catch with a Jig-Senko or worm.Dint let anyone kid ya either. Most guys say throw the buzz bait in low light conditions like morning and night. I THROW IT ALL DAY LONG when I know they are on that patten. There have been days that I do nothing but throw the buzz bait- If its producing -hey Im OK with that.When you are done fishing that area and it has produced-Then try to find an area with the same components- Thus calling this finding a pattern -OK more to come later. I think the 3 Stooges are on.

[TimJ]

triton mentioned a trailer hook...try a larger treble when fishing more open water, ie-smallies

TJ

[Revo_Carrot Stix]

This is my #1 search bait. Last year, I caught more bass (94/361) on a black buzzbait then any other lure in my arsenal. I've tried most brands of buzzbaits (except for the twin blades and the one's that are a foot long). I'm not afraid to admit that most my success has been on the $1.50 3/8 ounce Black Cabelas cheapos. I add a twin tail trailer and red 3/0 trailer hook. 30% of my hookups last year were on the trailer hook. I fish with 17# mono and cast parallel to banks and docks before the sun comes up in the morning. Have fun and hope you enjoy some success!!

[Gatorbassman]

great info Fluke. I do the same but I didn't know about sliding the spacer back the whole way and pinch it. Why is it you do that Fluke?

The reason you do that is that the bait will squeek alot more if the blade is spinning against something that is not spinning with it.

[Gatorbassman]

First go out and buy some steel pop rivets the same size as are on your buzzbait. Take the pin out and place the number you are going to change in Clorox overnight, rinse rivets and install per Flukes instructions. The Clorox wii cause the rivets to rust and squeak.

Kelley, Where did you hear this one.... That's awesome. I have well over 50 buzzbaits and several are double bladed. I now have a project this week.  8-)

[D.Cox]

Hey guys hows it goin?Well i think buzzzbaits are awesome,but i never use them.I know u want them to go as slow as possible sometimes,but i want all the tips i can get.i want to start fishin them this year more. Remember this is gonna be on the Delta!Soooooooooo post some good ones if u can ;D

The easiest way to make a buzz bait slower is to go up one size on the blade. We offer this option on special request and also left and right running baits.

On aluminum blades, you can place the outside L on a anvil and take a hammer and peck on the blade on both side to increase surface area. This will catch more water and allow it run slower.

If you will drill out the back hole on a Buzz bait blades to 1/8 of a inch and run it in, it will squeal better.

Always make sure the rivet is crimped and will not move.

Tip to make you buzz bait last longer.

The back of the blade that has the hole is bent around 90-92 degs, if this bend is bent blow 90 degs the rivet will wear on the inside and will cause it break in the bend. (This can change the sound of a tuned buzz bait, if it is your favorite do not change)

I have some that I will take small nail and remove the blade and tap a nail on back hole with a hammer to make a square hole. This will make a different sounding bait.

The plastic tubing that comes with trailer hooks, cut a piece 1/16 -1/8 long and slide it up over the R bend where you tie the line. This will keep the line in place and prevent the R bend from opening up. (Repeated opening and closing of the R bend it will break.)

Hope this helps. If something is not clear, let me know and I will post some picture.

Dow

[Paul Roberts]

-Changing directions during the retrieve can really trigger bites. When my buzzer hits a potential sweet spot, I'll lean out and change directions (long rod helps), or make three quick changes, a zig-zag, and they'll jump on it.

-Bang stuff! Don't be bashfull.

-Ditto the multiple casts thing. I personally don't think it angers them, as much as it wakes 'em up, calls attention, and/or focuses their attention on the bait. This actually works with a lot of lures, esp topwaters. I've learned to make at least three casts, in succession, to particular areas when searching with topwaters like spooks. Same with a buzzer. Sometimes, I think the splashdown draws attention, and a fish moves toward it, the next cast orients them further, and the third or more, they are on it. With a popper, Jitterbug, or other slow topwater, a long pause after the splashdown, then the first movement, gets bit.

-Fish a ssslloooooowww one. I use a triple-wing buzzer fairly often as it can be fished pretty slow. But a friend of mine has a single-blade buzzer that just crawls. It appears half sunk as he retrieves it and it just makes a wake. And it's a killer. It has an over-sized blade and a plastic head on it. I hadn't seen one like it, or so I thought, and asked him about it. He bought it for 3bucks at a local hardware store, and I suddenly remembered them. I laughed when I'd first seen them, "Cheap garbage!" > I thought at the time, annoyed. Cheap packaging, rough stamped blade, and "Is that a PLASTIC head on that thing???" ;D ;D "What a joke!"

After seeing it work I went back to buy, probably two or three, and they were long gone. So my next project will be to get an over-sized blade for a 1/4 or 3/8oz buzzer and see what I can do.

-Buzz with a tandem CO-bladed spinnerbait. I call it bulging bc the blades roll up a bulging wake bass JUST CANT STAND. This often works when a buzzer doesn't seem to do it. If the surface is calm, this is my GoTo buzzer.

-I also like the little 1/8oz Strike King triple wing. They rarely short strike that one, don't need a trailer hook, and even big fish like it (well big for CO lol -4lbers). Killer on smallies too. I use one (in white) on bright days when a little wind chop starts. If it's dark, cloudy, with some chop -great summer BB conditions -I use a full sized buzzer.

-In fall, if you have shallow fish, have a buzzer tied on and ready to fly all day. Sunny, cloudy, doesn't seem to matter so much then.

I've never doctored up a BB, like to get that squeak. Just haven't gotten around to it. After reading the above, I guess I'll have to finally try it. Thanks for those tips on doing that guys.

[Paul Roberts]

Hey guys hows it goin?Well i think buzzzbaits are awesome,but i never use them.I know u want them to go as slow as possible sometimes,but i want all the tips i can get.i want to start fishin them this year more. Remember this is gonna be on the Delta!Soooooooooo post some good ones if u can ;D

The easiest way to make a buzz bait slower is to go up one size on the blade. We offer this option on special request and also left and right running baits.

On aluminum blades, you can place the outside L on a anvil and take a hammer and peck on the blade on both side to increase surface area. This will catch more water and allow it run slower.

If you will drill out the back hole on a Buzz bait blades to 1/8 of a inch and run it in, it will squeal better.

Always make sure the rivet is crimped and will not move.

Tip to make you buzz bait last longer.

The back of the blade that has the hole is bent around 90-92 degs, if this bend is bent blow 90 degs the rivet will wear on the inside and will cause it break in the bend. (This can change the sound of a tuned buzz bait, if it is your favorite do not change)

I have some that I will take small nail and remove the blade and tap a nail on back hole with a hammer to make a square hole. This will make a different sounding bait.

The plastic tubing that comes with trailer hooks, cut a piece 1/16 -1/8 long and slide it up over the R bend where you tie the line. This will keep the line in place and prevent the R bend from opening up. (Repeated opening and closing of the R bend it will break.)

Hope this helps. If something is not clear, let me know and I will post some picture.

Dow

Wow. Thanks RHB.

[Hammer 4]

Good stuff....saved to my favorites..

[Helluva_Engineer]

As I'm liable to lose 3 or 4 in a day of fishing them exclusively, I've found a way to modify the $.99 kind to work as well if not better(may be a confidence thing) than any others. I will get small and large of black, white, and chartreuse. I bend the blade and arm out a little bit so it catches more water and goes slower. I pull it over over, into, and around anything. If it's not getting strikes I change colors, if they're missing I change sizes.

[Triton21]

First go out and buy some steel pop rivets the same size as are on your buzzbait. Take the pin out and place the number you are going to change in Clorox overnight, rinse rivets and install per Flukes instructions. The Clorox wii cause the rivets to rust and squeak.

Kelley, Where did you hear this one.... That's awesome. I have well over 50 buzzbaits and several are double bladed. I now have a project this week. 8-)

Had a guy I fished with in tournaments tell me about 15 years ago.  While you're at it Gene do the nail thing.  I have found a roofing nail is best.

Kelley

[NewKidInTown]

I mean no disrespect NKIT. Even with a Cavitron buzzbait you should pinch the collar down and break it in. It's the difference between a good buzzbait and a great buzzbait.

None taken.

[mudturtlle]

I have been fishing buzz baits for over 25 years.The lunker lure 1/2 oz. is my favorite.Take your pocket knife and waller out the holes in the blades to make it sound better.Also use a heavy duty reel and start cranking right as the lure hits the water.

[WookieeJedi]

I put on a skirt with double the strands and then trim the front shorter than the rear, it keeps the lure on top at a slower speed, and makes the target look bigger.

[Catt]

Dang y'all didn't leave me nothing to add