Buzzbait with a toad instead of a skirt

[MIbassyaker]

Anybody do this: take the skirt off a buzzbait and thread a plastic toad on?

 

When would you prefer this over a regular skirt?

 

Are there some buzzbait brands that work better than others for this? (like, bigger blades to keep the toad lifted?)

 

Are there any toads work better than others for this? (lighter or more bouyant, perhaps?)

[Ariffy]

I never heard of this before but I might give it a try 

[scaleface]

Thats how Greg Hackney caught a lot of his bass in his victory at the Sabine last weekend .

Look up Hack attack buzzbait .

[MIbassyaker]

12 minutes ago, scaleface said:

Thats how Greg Hackney caught a lot of his bass in his victory at the Sabine last weekend .

I wasn't watching closely, but I thought I heard him say something about it when the camera was on, and that's what reminded me of it.  I know Wheeler does this too sometimes. But of course, those guys do all kinds of things that I just get skunked trying to copy...

[riverbasser]

See a lot of guys doing this in MLF wheeler, Montgomery, that guy who wears orange shoes lol

 

I have more luck with no skirt and a swimbait than the toad. 

[Team9nine]

Wheeler has been doing this for 6 or 7 years. Believe he picked it up from one of the Tour guys back when. It was a quiet secret for a while, but of course given the coverage these days, not much gets hidden for long. He's done a couple videos on rigging it that way and how, why, etc. You get a lot more weight than a traditional buzzer that makes for some pinpoint casting as well as better distance. Buzzers also skip better under trees and docks with that frog body on there. Have to believe the profile difference might also help some on waters where more traditional buzzers get thrown a lot. His namesake buzzer from Accent Fishing comes packaged with a skirt that isn't attached, making it easy to fish it either way. It also has a wire keeper on the shaft to help hold the frog on better, though in the early days, he would simply slide the whole toad over the buzzers head and add a little glue to help hold it on. Really helps with skipping that way, but you need to play around with different toads as some plastics used in making them don't hold up well to that level of stretching and tear rather easily. The toad body also gives a good amount of mass for when a bass just tries to suck it in instead of completely engulfing it, making for better hookups at times compared to plain skirted buzzers.

[BuzzHudson19c]

When I and targeting smallies I never run skirts, just plastics (beaver, creature, grub, half a senko, craw). Skirts for the largemouth.

 

I have tried Ribbit toads as a trailer in the past and didn't like it. The blade is on the top of the water and the trailer is slightly under, it just doesn't have the desired effect. Not saying it won't work, but I didn't like it.

[Catt]

[ClackerBuzz]

I'm a huge buzzbait guy and wasn't impressed with the toad trailer.  you have to be very careful not to reel too fast or it makes the lure roll on it's side.  i also like adding explosive pops during the retrieve for reaction bites and it doesn't work well with a toad.  and it doesn't plane as well on long casts.  i went back to a skirt b/c I was unhappy with the performance.  the one exception i might try is night fishing b/c of shorter casts, non-accuracy and larger profile.

 

a swimbait was popular for awhile which I enjoyed more.  i stopped used them b/c they tore easily which meant time constantly repairing.  however that was before I found Z man so there is a happy middle ground if you truly want a larger profile. imo buzzbaits don't need a large profiel b/c sound and vibration are the draw.

[the reel ess]

15 hours ago, Ariffy said:

I never heard of this before but I might give it a try 

Somebody's making one now. I saw Bill Dance use one on his show this season.

https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/bass-pro-shops-enticer-buzzn-humpin-toad-buzzbait?hvarAID=shopping_googleproductextensions

 

War Eagle has one too.

 

I've done it in a pinch. A homemade one might not track well because the skirt offers more drag than most toads. A bulky one like the Horny Toad will probably work best. It works because the skirt is just the target for the bass to focus his annoyance on. A buzzbait just annoys the bass into biting. Try it.

[DINK WHISPERER]

I like using a gambler big EZ instead. 

[bagofdonuts]

i use the bret ehler model buzzbait which is designed for this. casts much better without the skirt and plastics add weight and floatation. i actually like something like a zcraw or beaver style better than the toad.

[Catt]

Hackney was throwing a 1/4 oz black Hack Attack Select ToadBuzz rigged with a black plastic toad.

 

He chose the ToadBuzz because he was making short (20-30') cast & it allowed him to reel slower.