Buzzbait strikes

[stk44]

I went fishing for a few hours this morning and was using my buzz bait which works particularly well at this lake. I haven't missed a buzz bait fish this year, but I just lost two today. 

Most of the time with buzz baits, I've just been getting a "swirl" just before the bass strikes. Today, the bass were jumping out of the water for it like they sometimes do with a frog or spook. The one bass seemed to smack the buzz bait into the air without really taking the bait good. I used a GoPro and you can even see my rod tip spring back and forth while the bass was still aerial, which indicated to me that the bass lost it in the air before I would've even set the hook. Could I have done anything different after losing the first fish? (alter presentation, color, technique, etc.)

Location: slop bay, all bass were on points of lily pad clusters.

Depth: 2-5 ft

Water 79-80 degrees surface temp, fairly calm

Weather- Partly cloudy

Wind- 3-5 mph

 

* Also, I was using a 7'4 mojo bass MM with 12lb copoly with all-black 3/8 oz buzz bait.

 

[everythingthatswims]

Trailer hook

[Bluebasser86]

Sometimes they just miss. I had what might have been the biggest bass I've had a shot at in KS miss a buzzbait this past Thursday. I saw the whole fish and it blasted it, which was the complete opposite of all the rest of the fish I caught on it that barely made a ripple. 

[stk44]

17 hours ago, everythingthatswims said:

Trailer hook

I guess I could try it. I always use one for spinnerbaits, but I never thought I needed one for a buzzbait since I had pretty good luck without them so far. 

 

16 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Sometimes they just miss. I had what might have been the biggest bass I've had a shot at in KS miss a buzzbait this past Thursday. I saw the whole fish and it blasted it, which was the complete opposite of all the rest of the fish I caught on it that barely made a ripple. 

The first fish I lost yesterday could've been my PB. Then I lost another one on a buzzbait and my final fish was lost on a crank .It was one of those days were everything went wrong (for me), starting with the launch we wanted to use being closed...

My buddy caught his PB which was 1 ounce more than my PB, I'm so competitive that I was ticked the whole way home. It's on now...

[everythingthatswims]

1 hour ago, stk44 said:

I guess I could try it. I always use one for spinnerbaits, but I never thought I needed one for a buzzbait since I had pretty good luck without them so far. 

You can also have the trailer hook facing down if they are really being finicky. I've done it.

[stk44]

13 hours ago, everythingthatswims said:

You can also have the trailer hook facing down if they are really being finicky. I've done it.

I've never heard of that one before. I'll give it a shot if they aren't cooperating next weekend. This weekend can't come soon enough...

[dallasdb]

14 hours ago, everythingthatswims said:

You can also have the trailer hook facing down if they are really being finicky. I've done it.

Increased hookups... increased hangups too

[stk44]

I went back out today. There was a really good windblown point that I fished with 8-10 MPH winds with muddy water. I figured it would be perfect to try out the buzz-bait again. I started with a shad colored skirt on a 3/8 oz buzz-bait. I got a short strike up from 8-10 ft of water. I then switched to black, and I had another short strike. I had trailer hooks on both buzz-baits. So I switched to a bright colored wake bait, fished the whopper plopper 90 with some pauses, then fished a square bill and flat sided crank from 2-7 ft. 

I did everything I could think of besides slow down with a jig or DS, which wouldn't be possible in that amount of wind on the main lake from my kayak. My anchor would just slightly slow my drift. Is there anything I can try next time when the fish seem to want top water that will make the fish commit to the bait?

Later in the morning, I went to a productive bay with matted grass and lily pads. Around noon I flipped a 1/2 oz jig and craw and pulled out some descent fish, including my best of the day which was just over 3 lbs. I really had to work for every bite.

 

 

[timsford]

If you keep losing fish try braid or switching to a faster action rod. Maybe you aren't getting a good hookset. Even though it's reeled steadily like a crankbait, it's hard to set the large single hook of a buzzbaits with a medium power moderate action rod. Sometimes they just don't eat it. That's why I keep a rod rigged with a baitfish colored senko and a super fluke to cast back to the same spot. If I miss a strike with the buzzbaits I usually don't even take time to retrieve it. Just drop the rod and pick up the other rod and fire a cast right where the strike is. I've caught a some nice fish doing that that I never would have caught on the buzzbait.

[stk44]

43 minutes ago, timsford said:

If you keep losing fish try braid or switching to a faster action rod. Maybe you aren't getting a good hookset. Even though it's reeled steadily like a crankbait, it's hard to set the large single hook of a buzzbaits with a medium power moderate action rod. Sometimes they just don't eat it. That's why I keep a rod rigged with a baitfish colored senko and a super fluke to cast back to the same spot. If I miss a strike with the buzzbaits I usually don't even take time to retrieve it. Just drop the rod and pick up the other rod and fire a cast right where the strike is. I've caught a some nice fish doing that that I never would have caught on the buzzbait.

I had my MF rod rigged with a 5" GP senko and I didn't have any luck. Then again, I was drifting quite a bit. I made several passing runs.

I may try my MHF rod for buzzbaits next weekend and see if I do any better. It just looked like the bass were swiping at it, but then again, it's hard to tell when they strike lightning fast. 

[ottosmagic13]

3 hours ago, stk44 said:

I had my MF rod rigged with a 5" GP senko and I didn't have any luck. Then again, I was drifting quite a bit. I made several passing runs.

I may try my MHF rod for buzzbaits next weekend and see if I do any better. It just looked like the bass were swiping at it, but then again, it's hard to tell when they strike lightning fast. 

For what's it's worth I always throw my buzzbaits on a MHF rod. It's 6'6" I wish it was a tad longer but the action feels perfect for the application. 

If you get swipes, try pausing and waiting for them to take it. There is a certain pond near me that noisy topwaters (buzzbaits and whopper ploppers esp) will get the swiping short strike then hit again if paused (or reeled super slow) in that spot wait for the second strike to set the hook. It takes a lot of impulse fighting but it works.

Other than that I'll second the follow up finesse technique throwing to the location of the miss. 

[Ratherbfishing]

You hadn't, I don't think, mentioned time of day.  During low light, I get a lot more misses.  I don't always use a trailer hook because I don't like how they foul up in vegetation so I just chalk the misses up as necessary evils.

[fishballer06]

Fish are going to miss topwater baits. It's just something you have to accept. If you get a big blow up from an aggressive fish that misses the bait, pick up a weightless senko or tube and throw it into the same spot of the blowup. You'd be surprised how often you'll pick that fish up. 

[J Francho]

Truth! ^^^^

[Bluebasser86]

16 hours ago, fishballer06 said:

Fish are going to miss topwater baits. It's just something you have to accept. If you get a big blow up from an aggressive fish that misses the bait, pick up a weightless senko or tube and throw it into the same spot of the blowup. You'd be surprised how often you'll pick that fish up. 

Yep. They had a lot of trouble connecting with my buzzbait last week, but I got these two 18"+ keepers on a black/blue laminate senko on the follow up.

[stk44]

23 hours ago, Ratherbfishing said:

You hadn't, I don't think, mentioned time of day.  During low light, I get a lot more misses.  I don't always use a trailer hook because I don't like how they foul up in vegetation so I just chalk the misses up as necessary evils.

30 minutes after sunrise 

[scaleface]

If you hadnt missed a buzzbait fish all year until now , then you are doing it right .