Buzzbait Hookset 2025
Robert Riley reply :
I have no idea how the wasn't already a thread, or maybe I just didnt see it. But how do you set the hook while fishing a buzzbait? I missed half a dozen fish this morning. I wasn't even setting the hook hard. I just firmly pulled the rod tip up, reeled until I felt it, and then set the hook, not even viciously. Most of the time when doing that, they were already gone before I could set the hook.
What gives?!
Hyrule Bass reply :
youre setting the hook too soft and too slow. as soon as you feel the strike, set the hook hard atleast harder than you have been, and dont waste time, set it right away when you detect the strike. its just like a spinnerbait to me.
Jolly Green reply :
I wait until I feel some weight on it, and by "wait" I mean less than a second. The visual cue of seeing the fish blow it up can still make me jump the gun sometimes, but generally unless the first thump is the take - and sometimes it's not - I wait half a beat until I know the fish is there, reeling down during that pause, and set it firmly up toward my shoulder. Works for me.
You're bound to get a few suggestions to use a trailer hook. I tried them twice and all I got was a couple of fish who ate the main hook and got face-stuck with the trailer hook, so I do without them, and I do just fine.
SpencerLittle reply :
Soon as A fish strikes I reel down until I feel fish( usually about a 1 sec time lapse) and set the steel to it. I hold my rod around the 2 o'clock position when I'm reeling the bait. This allows it to skim over grass with ease and allows just the right amount of time to reel down.
lmbfisherman reply :
I always wait for the fish to take it..meaning you know he's on it. I don't set the hook hard like say a jig for instance, I usually set the hook similar to a spinnerbait. With a sweeping hookset but modified similar to a jig (across my body diagonally), just don't do it to cross their eyes.
porkleaker reply :
Top water, especially buzz bait are a different beast entirely. It's hard to ignore you initial reaction to set the hook immediately upon seeing the strike but just wait, a little bit, even longer if you're using something like a frog or hula-popper. So much fun though.
RipSomeLips reply :
I use 15lb mono, this helps keep ur line floating and in better contact. Also lets be honest, it may not have been ur fault. Somedays they got but dont bite the buzzbait. So then ur options are to try a popper, or better yet put on a trailer hook. You could also downsize your buzzbait, or switch to a different color buzzbait because sometimes they can see a particular color better than others. My last tip is to try adding some pops and twitches in your retrieve, sometimes this helps trigger a more accurate bass strike.
Oh yeah, one last thing u can try is slowing down ur retreive, and if that still doesnt get them then right after a missed strike throw back to the same place with a soft plastic or jig.
Bobby Uhrig reply :
I don't use them -
Bobby Uhrig reply :
Ok I will give you my opinion on fishing buzz baits in a bit and no one but no one in the country throws a cavitron more often than I do. I have learned that lure inside and out and watch specifically almost every type of scenario -condition-variable that happens on the water. I adapt my techniques from lure retrieve-size-trailer hook/no trailer hook-rod length/action, line- reel /gear ratios - wind conditions-chop on the water-light conditions--water clarities -you name it I have experimented with it over the last 30 years..I have done it from above the water as well as diving and watching it from below the surface. Its all about tweeking and adapting to that particular condition at that particular time with that particular fish--And ya want to know something-its all about putting the fish in the boat and there is not more of an exciting way than using a buzz bait.
roadwarrior reply :
Watch this short embedded video. I don't know who this guy is or if he
knows what he's doing, but it appears to me that when the strike occurs
he allows the rod to load before setting the hook.
http://www.megastrike.com/#!products/vstc2=cavitron-buzzbaits
Hyrule Bass reply :
when i feel the strike, the rod is loading or a split second away from loading, thats why i say set the hook right away when you feel the strike. by the time you wait to really feel the fish is there, he could be gone that quick. i feel the strike, i react and set the hook. i have had good hook-up success when fishing a buzz bait when i do tie one on and theyre hitting it. i figure by the time i react to a strike to set the hook and the rod loads up to set the hook that the fish has it, any much longer and the fish is going to spit it back out. thats why i dont subscribe to counting 1-2-3 before setting hooks on frogs either, soon as the frog goes under i am swinging. this method has worked well for me. but from reading the OP, it still sounds to me like the person is setting the hook too slow and too soft.
also, the OP says "I wasn't even setting the hook hard. I just firmly pulled the rod tip up, reeled until I felt it, and then set the hook, not even viciously. Most of the time when doing that, they were already gone before I could set the hook."
isnt the rule of thumb, as Catt says "drop the rod, reel the slack, set the hook". the OP says he pulls the rod tip up before reeling the slack and setting the hook. everything he says leads me to believe he isnt getting a good enough hook set and that it isnt hard enough because by raising the rod tip he is getting less swing in his hook set. The OPs post also implies that he is waiting to feel the fish, that he is waiting too long(ie-too slow) before setting it because the fish is already gone. where as if he set it the second he feels the strike theres a good chance the fish is there and hasnt had a chance to spit the bait yet...
rippin-lips reply :
For me it's something that kinda just happens on it's own like a spinnerbait strike. I reel left handed so the rod is around 11 o'clock when I'm reeling. When I hear the strike the rods usually starting to load bc the fish has grabbed it and turned to swim away. I use a sweep set by turning at the waist just like I do with a spinner bait. When fishing a buzzbait I'm throwing braid so driving the hook isn't really an issue. I can't remember ever loosing a fish by doing this. I've had them miss the bait before but that's just part of the game.
Catt reply :
On 5/30/2014 at 1:54 AM, roadwarrior said:Watch this short embedded video. I don't know who this guy is or if he
knows what he's doing, but it appears to me that when the strike occurs
he allows the rod to load before setting the hook.
http://www.megastrike.com/#!products/vstc2=cavitron-buzzbaits
Don't know who that Dude either but he has a pretty good handle on buzz baits!
Bobby Uhrig reply :
It was just one of those baits that I have been fishing for a long time-I believe it is one of the most productive baits in the fishing industry.
Like I have said in many previous posts -"there are times when I go fishing and use nothing else". In late spring to late fall, a buzz bait will catch fish when no other bait seems to work .It triggers strikes.I have had bass just slurp them down and I have had them strike so ferociously that they bend the wires at a 45 degree angle. When fishing tournaments I know that I will be in the money if I get five buzz bait fish. It covers water quickly and efficiently and can be used in all types of conditions and cover. I throw them around rocks/boulders--weeds-heck I cant tell you how many times I have thrown it through laydowns and have had bass crush them coming through the branches.
My thoughts are that many fishermen have turned to the soft plastics. BELIEVE ME WHEN I TELL YOU--Gain confidence and THROW THE BUZZ BAIT--It will make a believer out of you.
BrianinMD reply :
The one thing about waiting is, it doesn't mean to stop reeling. Continue to work the bait as normal, when weight is felt swing fast and hard (buzz baits tend to have pretty thick hooks).
Bobby Uhrig reply :
I do not use braid- I find that it rips the bait right out of the fishes mouth - and usually a pair of lips with smaller fish as well. I use 14-17 lb mono- I use a 7 ft medium heavy ST Croix- YOU NEED A LONG ROD TO TAKE UP SLACK LINE- I use a fast retrieve reel -Shimano Citica or curado- 7.3 ratio-
Rod always in a 10 oclock position.
iceintheveins reply :
I wait till the fish takes it completely then a short, sharp snap. I also use a slower glass rod with buzzbaits and that helps a lot.
ColdSVT reply :
I like to wait past the visual until i feel the fish...thats usually about a second or so...
Robert Riley reply :
Wow, thanks for all the responses guys!
I plan on going night fishing tonight, so I will give some of these suggestions a try.
I'm gonna try the continuous reel and then swinging spinnerbait style hookset primarily.
BassThumb reply :
Wait until you feel it and then reel fast and sweep set.
bigturtle reply :
Nice necro, 10/10
scaleface reply :
I try to wait until I feel the fish , often my reflexes are just to quick. I missed a big bite two days ago because I jerked when the fish hit. It is hard to control even after decades of fishing them.
Buzzbaits are my favorite lures . I once had a bass jump over a log to get to it on the other side and I caught that fish . The most spectacular strike I've ever had .
CRANKENSTIEN reply :
I'm a spook type guy. But I am going to put on a buzzer on again. I just watched a vedio on FLW by Canteberry. He says if the water is over 48. He always gives it a try
retiredbosn reply :
Buzzbaiting is not a chuck and wind technique, nor is the hook set some magic formula that can be set down as the end all cure all to missed strikes. I was so bad about missing fish that I started looking away or closing my eyes during the retrieve. I learned allot doing this exercise, buzzbaiting is about sound, vibration and finally visual cues. I now can tell if the bait is running the way it should by sound, its about the squeak, the gurgle, the way the water is displaced by the blades, these are all sound cues and vary depending on water temp, wind speed and direction to the bait, chop, vegetation near surface etc. The sound can also clue you in to whether the bass is slapping the bait, nudging it or taking it. Your reaction to each of these scenarios should be different and distinct, most anglers treat all the same, they set the hook. Wrong reaction!, So my advice is fish the buzz and fish it allot and often, that's the only way to learn. The same can be said for every technique, start paying close attention, close your eyes and listen, something. Good luck
Kevin22 reply :
Buzzbait hooks are pretty thick. I keep my retrieve until I feel the fish, its usually almost instantly, then I cross his eyes.
Fishes in trees reply :
I don't have razor sharp reflexes. I find that once a strike happens it is a few tenths to a full second or two before I'm aware of it. It try to set the hook as soon as I'm aware of the strike, every day is slightly different and what works one day doesn't necessarily work the next day. If I can be conscious about it, I think that it is good to set the hook in the opposite direction from where the fish is swimming, but that isn't always possible.
I guess using a longer rod is better - moves more line during the hook set and what not, back when buzz baits first came out, guys used whatever rod they had laying around - often a 5 1/2 foot MH pistol grip rod. We frequently got the hook set using that rig. I remember Rick Clunn, in the early 80's - recommending fiberglass rods to throw buzz baits with.
That particular tip didn't ever work for me - but like I mentioned I've never had razor start reflexes. Maybe if I fished 200+ days per year that might make a difference for me.
Like many pros, Rick Clunn has has his share of hits and misses on tackle endorsements.
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