What Causes A Buzzbait To List/lay Down To One Side?

[Heron]

During a retrieve?

[Bluebasser86]

You mean it's leaning to one side during the retrieve. 

[Catch and Grease]

Try reeling it in slower

[Mike L]

Try holding the rod tip higher and reel a little faster.....

Mike

[warpath58]

Its bent. Try holding it up so you can look at the way the blade is aligned with the hook and how the lower wire is also aligned.   

[Fisher-O-men]

All of the above.  You might also try a heavier bait, or one with a different configuration to the weighted hook.  Some are shaped to plane, others, not so much.

[rippin-lips]

A single blade buzzbait will always lean towards one side. Due to the configuration of how the blade turns in the water. It's not real bad though. The hook and the wire the blade is on should be in line. The top wire should also be parallel with the lower wire.

[Texas Pride]

Which is better a single blade buzzbait or a double blade and how well dose the buzzbaits with the frogs on the end work

[Heron]

The buzzbait in question, is coming in laying nearly flat horizontal, with the spinner on the right side of the line, and the skirt/trailer on the left.  

 

I favor the explanation that something is bent.

 

But, nonetheless...it all doesnt matter anymore now, I lost that buzzbait yesterday.  

[Team9nine]

Buzzbaits will run on their side for the same reason that spinnerbaits will do the same, or even "windmill," and it usually isn't because it's bent. How the bait runs is a simple function of physics. You need to match retrieve speed with weight and mass of the "body" and the torque of the blade.

 

• Larger blades create more torque that will try and roll the bait over. A slower retrieve speed or heavier head weight will help offset this. Lighter heads simply don't have the same keel effect to keep the bait running upright as heavier heads.
• More skirt and trailer mass works against the head weight to try and roll the bait over. Consider thinning things down, going to a smaller trailer, or even no trailer.
• Faster retrieve speeds also tend to potentially roll the bait. If your bait rolls on its side, first try slowing down your retrieve speed.
• Lastly, angle between head wire arm and the blade wire arm makes a difference - the smaller that angle, the more stable the bait.

So, in the future, if your buzzbait or spinnerbait doesn't run right, it is usually because these factors aren't "in synch" or matched properly for that particular bait.

[Dwight Hottle]

Buzzbaits will run on their side for the same reason that spinnerbaits will do the same, or even "windmill," and it usually isn't because it's bent. How the bait runs is a simple function of physics. You need to match retrieve speed with weight and mass of the "body" and the torque of the blade.

• Larger blades create more torque that will try and roll the bait over. A slower retrieve speed or heavier head weight will help offset this. Lighter heads simply don't have the same keel effect to keep the bait running upright as heavier heads.
• More skirt and trailer mass works against the head weight to try and roll the bait over. Consider thinning things down, going to a smaller trailer, or even no trailer.
• Faster retrieve speeds also tend to potentially roll the bait. If your bait rolls on its side, first try slowing down your retrieve speed.
• Lastly, angle between head wire arm and the blade wire arm makes a difference - the smaller than angle, the more stable the bait.

So, in the future, if your buzzbait or spinnerbait doesn't run right, it is usually because these factors aren't "in synch" or matched properly for that particular bait.

There is your answer.

[smalljaw67]

I started making my own spinnerbaits in '98 because the ones I bought would roll over on high speed retrieves and it took me a year and a thousand baits to figure out how to control the bait using a combination of blade sizes, skirt fullness, heads size and wire diameter as all play a part. Team9nine is exactly right, and most of the time I see this it is usually on a 1/4oz buzzbait, the reason is the regular delta blade creates a lot of torque and the delta blade is made in a small size for 1/8oz baits, and a big size for 1/4oz to 3/4oz baits and the smaller one is the one that gets moved over but there is a place for it and a way to fix it. The easiest fix is to slow the bait down, make a few cast and watch it, slow the bait down in increments until you get to the point that the bait isn't laying on its side. I like using War Eagle 3/8oz buzzbaits as they have a big blade but also a large wire diameter and a flat head but the head isn't to thin, it stays down. The last thing is that the bait may be bent, look directly over it and make sure the top wire is in the center and not turned off to the side, if it is off just bend it back but if all is good just try slowing it down and you should see a difference.

[Bobby Uhrig]

Holy crap you guys know what youre doing -Im quitting

[CWB]

I use double bladed buzzbaits like the Persuader most of the time and this is not an issue.