Talking Buzzbaits 2024

shootermcbob reply :

I have been making a concerted effort to get bit with buzzbaits the last few trips out. So far....nothing.

I have tried Cavitron, black skirt with red blade and shad colored skirts with gold blade, clacker style with black skirt/blade, white skirt and blade boogerman? I think. I have also tried some other 3/8 buzzbaits with different blade/skirt combinations.

I fish from the bank and generally cast along the bank to my left and right, several times, then fan cast the area in front of me. I have tried a few different color combos and still nothing.

I have not had rea good success lately anywhere, but i have caught a few fish on different lures in same areas I had just fished the buzzbait.

What tips do you guys have that might increase my chances of getting bit?

Thanks in advance.

dday07 reply :

Do try diff. speeds? Has that little bit of success been with other top water lures? Should be a little easier to catch them during the day this time of year but still best morning and evenings. p.s. also have better luck with some ruffles on the surface

Marty reply :

Quote

I have not had rea good success lately anywhere, but i have caught a few fish on different lures in same areas I had just fished the buzzbait.

Were those different lures that caught fish in the same areas also topwaters? If they were, then I don't know what to say, but if they weren't there's a good possibility that they weren't willing to come up to the surface.

quanjig reply :

The slowest retrieve possible and still keep the bait just bubbling and gurgling on the surface.

Bair reply :

Dont be afraid to work it below the surface. Ive caught a lot of fish burning the buzzbait next to cover and then killing it next to potential ambush points.

Mike2841 reply :

The only times I've caught fish on a buzzbait is right as the sun is going down. Also I fish it just fast enough to keep it on the surface

retiredbosn reply :

Buzzbaits are one of my favorite things to throw. Biggest on a buzz was my pb at 8lbs 14oz scale weight, smallest was a bluegill. My absolute favorite is a double prop gold blades with chartreuse and white. I've caught bass burning the bait as fast as I could get it, to slow rolling creating a huge wake, the bait stayed below the surface. I'll throw one just about any time, mix it up, go fast, slow and every thing in between. I don't use the ones with a clacker. I break mine in by either tying them outside or holding them out a window while driving. I've had best success around cover.

Ryan Nichols reply :

Best success for me is around cover, especially vegetation. Right as it hits the water, pull up about a foot with your stick to pop the bait up on the water, meanwhile you engage the spool and start reeling your pole back down to normal position - but with a slow retrieve. If you coordinate it right it, the bait should start churning the second it hits the water. This also keeps the baits momentum slow so it stays in the strike zone. I've seen some guy burn the handle when his buzzbait hit to try and get the bait up on the water, he wasted a good 1-2 feet of his strike zone with a blazing fast bait and I know he was losing fish.

I always felt it was a bait that surprises the fish into striking - getting bit either a second after you first hit the water, or pulling right over a hole or point in some vegetation. Rarely have I ever been bit on just a bare bank.

Mattlures reply :

I love Buzzers. I fish them as slow and perfectly steady and fish them parallel to the shore line. I usually fish them 3-5ft out from the shore. The best buzzers for me have always been the loudest squeekers. I don't like clackers. I don't like double blades or long arms or anything extra. Just a good basic design that squeeks loudly. Color has made no difference.

Bluebasser86 reply :

Any idea what your water temp is where you're fishing? In a lot of places across the country the water temps are getting down towards the lowest end of the effective temperature range for a buzzbait. As long as it's above 50 I'd just crawl them along as slow as you can while keeping it on the top. My experience is that when the water temps cool off it's sometimes best to go against the typical way of thinking that buzzbaits only work early or late or during low light periods. For me when the water is cooler like this my best buzzbait bite is usually after it warms up a little bit. It also tends to catch far fewer numbers but much better average sized fish for me this time of year. I've had some great buzzbait bites during hot, sunny days during the summer too though.

Jolly Green reply :

On 11/4/2013 at 8:51 AM, Bair said:
Dont be afraid to work it below the surface. Ive caught a lot of fish burning the buzzbait next to cover and then killing it next to potential ambush points.

You may not get that spectacular topwater strike, but you may at least get bit.

bkohlman reply :

As many have said......as slow as possible to get the water to gurgle.

s freud reply :

Great thread. I have been working on this lure of late as well. Does anyone use trailers with these or is that just for spinnerbaits?

dday07 reply :

On 11/5/2013 at 1:14 AM, s freud said:
Great thread. I have been working on this lure of late as well. Does anyone use trailers with these or is that just for spinnerbaits?

Def. use a trailer on smaller buzzbaits and most of the time i don't on a larger buzzbait but people differ on that one.

BassWhole! reply :

Is in not November in Ohio also?

retiredbosn reply :

I'm definitely one to urge u to change up your retrieve. Sure working it slow produces, but there have been days that I couldn't work the buzz fast enough, that particular reel takes up 28ipt. My pb came by burning the buzz through duck weed/water meal, I was literally throwing that green soup a couple of feet in the air off of the props. I've also caught them by keeping the props under the water creating a wake. Let the bass tell u what they want.

michang5 reply :

I use a trailer hook with my Cavitron. I've only been fishing for a few months, and the Cavitron is the ONLY lure I haven't lost and had to replace. Paint's all chipped, but it still catches fish -- under the right conditions.

Last time fishing it: early morning, very cloudy so it was even darker than usual, cold front had rolled in and temps were cool for central Texas. There was even a fog on the small pond I fish. I had a spinnerbait tied on, but decided the conditions were too perfect not to switch. Caught a 2.5 pounder on third cast. One of the few times I think I've made the right call/adjustment based on the conditions.

papajoe222 reply :

The other thing you may try is a different location. Most water that is accessable from shore gets fished heavily and fish will eventually shy away from those areas, or at the very least become extremely wary. Look for a spot with an abundance of wood or weed cover. Most bank fishermen tend to avoid those areas in fear of loosing gear to the ever present snags. Those are prime buzzer locations.

As far as presentation speed is concerned, don't give up on an area until you've tried slow, moderate and fast retrieves. I was catching them two weeks ago in water that was 52 degrees reeling fast past ambush spots and then slowing to a crawl. If I just reeled fast or slow, I wouldn't get any takers.

Also, remember that your lures are tools designed to get a specific job done. A buzzer is like a hammer, but sometimes what you need is a pair of pliers.

shootermcbob reply :

Lot's of good tips.

The little bit of success I have had was on moving lures, but not topwater....stuff like spinnerbait, red-eye shad, etc.

I have tried fast retrieves, and really slow, but nothing in the middle and nothing with varying speeds during same retrieve.

Thanks for sharing. I am going to give it a shot again tomorrow.

Also, In response to question regarding water temp...I am not sure what the water temp where I fish.

Bobby Uhrig reply :

Im still catching bass on buzzbaits -The water temps are around 56 degrees and the bass are just slurping them down. I am catching them in less than 3 feet of water around hard cover-tree-rocks -stumps. Just casting down shorelines and reeling them in slowly and they just disappear and ya feel the weight of the fish. I am fishing the sunny side as well as wind blown banks. I can catch them on buzz baits when the temps dip down around 49 degrees-I have caught them colder but often in very shallow water. I believe its the warmest water being in the sun and the warmer water stratifies and blows with the wind.A few degrees warmer can make all the difference in the world.

shootermcbob reply :

Thanks for the replies. Bobby, I figured you would chime in at some point. I am currently using two different cavitrons....both 3/8 ounce...one shad colored with gold blade, other black with black blade. No luck yet.

I am undeterred, and will keep giving the buzzbait a shot.

I am fishing down the banks as well, mostly rip rap, both sides of a major state highway so I am getting windblown, non-windblown, sunny, and not so sunny.

fished from 10 am till 3 pm today. Threw the buzzbait at each stop/down each bank where I could walk....nothing ....yet.

michang5 reply :

I've re-scanned this thread and see lots of suggestions on how, where and at what water temp to throw a buzzbait. Only see a few short notes on when.

Granted I haven't fished for very long, but my buzzbait fish have been very early (before or right as the sun rises) or late (sunset to when it's just officially dark).

Most of what I've read suggests the same pattern of success based on time of day.

shootermcbob reply :

I have been throwing the buzzer each time I go, at every spot , just to see what kind of results I get.

Bobby Uhrig reply :

Early morning and early evening is just a fallacy in my years of buzz bait fishing. I have caught bass at every time of day and night there is. High skies-rainy-hot you name it. It all depends on the daily and hourly conditions and moods of the fish. I have fished tournaments and cleaned their clocks on mid summer 100 degree days.

What I do find important is to match the size of the buzz bait to the lake /wind conditions. I find the 1/4 oz gets 10 times the amount of strikes than the 3/8 when there is little or no wind/chop on the water -while the 3/8 gets more strikes when it is windy. My theories on that-Sometimes with too much wind/chop the bass don't see or hear the commotion. It gets drowned out. That's where the 3/8 larger blade/profile shines.With a smother less choppy lake surface the 1/4 oz attracts their attention and dosent get "drowned out"

michang5 reply :

Good stuff. Listen to the man!

shootermcbob reply :

Sounds like I need to add some 1/4 ounce buzzers to my arsenal!

shootermcbob reply :

Bobby and others, do you guys go any smaller than 1/4 buzzbaits?

Thanks again for all the tips/advice/and suggestions.

einscodek reply :

Buzzbait discussion at this time of the year? I cant even get them to hit my spinnerbait anymore in my neck of the woods..

In Ohio I bet the water temps at at most in the low-mid 50's the fish are mostly lethargic and spook easily by fast moving spinning stuff.. and probably wont come up much for them either.

Bobby Uhrig reply :

Dink I live up here as well and the bass are still smacking buzzbaits at 52 degrees. As the water warms around 54 -55-56 the bass are knocking the snot out of spinner baits and just need to slow them down a bit. The other morning I was out at 48 degree water and caught over 20 bass up to 4 lbs on spinner baits in three hours. Then I had to go to work--Oh wait a minute I was at work LOL

The weather got warmer this week around 65 -I was out yesterday and still managed a few in the 1/2 hour I went out

DO NOIT GIVE UP YET -there is still plenty of good fishing left.

J Francho reply :

Tournament results from Oneida this past Saturday:

1. Steve B. / RC B. 20.04 lbs
2. TJ D. / Chris K. 19.62 lbs
3. John / Raul 19.39 lbs Lunker SM 4.04 lbs
4. Jim / Jim 19.34 lbs Lunker LM 4.59 lbs
5. Casey / Jeremy 19.27 lbs
6. Nick / Pat 16.80 lbs

The 4th place team, Jim Sr. and Jr. had nothing in the well after 2 PM. Jim reportied tying a buzzbait on, and between he and his father, boated around 30 fish, the best five going almost 20 lbs. Not enough for the win, but any time you're scraping the duece-0, your doing well.

Hattrick7 reply :

So got my buzzbait, tied it on and fished it for a little. I'm not sure it's supposed to swim this way but when i reel it in the prop is on one side and the weight/hook is on the other side. The bait swims straight but it's sorta lying on its side.

I'm wondering if this is normal. I thought the weight/hook was supposed to be directly underneath in line with the prop. Went to a local pond and stuck one. Had two more bites but missed the set. I'm thinking it's because I don't have much experience with the bait but also thinking that because the way the bait is sorta swimming on its side that can mess up the set.

John G reply :

On 3/13/2014 at 10:58 AM, Hattrick7 said:

So got my buzzbait, tied it on and fished it for a little. I'm not sure it's supposed to swim this way but when i reel it in the prop is on one side and the weight/hook is on the other side. The bait swims straight but it's sorta lying on its side.

I'm wondering if this is normal. I thought the weight/hook was supposed to be directly underneath in line with the prop. Went to a local pond and stuck one. Had two more bites but missed the set. I'm thinking it's because I don't have much experience with the bait but also thinking that because the way the bait is sorta swimming on its side that can mess up the set.

You need to reel a little slower.

BuckMaxx reply :

Pinch the little rivet below the blade, between it an the bend, with the cutter on a pair of needle nose to make is stay in place. It will make em squeek like crazy. Buzzbaits are all about noise

bigbill reply :

But he's fishing from shore so his bite is more limited to evenings when the bass move shallow to chase the baitfish. This bite continues after the evening bite ends around 10pm it starts up again.

Early mornings from the dark till first light is another good time to buzz too.

Anytime there is topwater action throw a buzz but cast it easy don't cast it like your throwing a rock

In fishing from shore walk up to your spot slowly, lightly, stealthy. Do not step on any rocks or tree roots this sends a signal into the water sounding an alarm. Put your tackle box down very softly. Make sure your tackle box is in order the night before you go fishing. If your fishing in the dusk or low light you need to find everything easily. Don't make any noise that's the key to the success of fishing from shore. Be very stealthy. I can't stress that enough.

Once you master this stealthy as a ninja shore fishing your success will begin and more success will follow.

In the low light at dusk in the evenings the fish move close to shore. When the sun is up they move to deeper cover to hide. At noon they ambush the baitfish when they get active to eat. Then the bite picks up again. (On sunny days) on overcast days, rainy dark days the fish continue to feed 24/7. I recommend chartruese colored lures. Fished slowly. For me the light rainy overcast days can be the most productive from shore. The first sign of a good fishing day at this time the deer are active and moving. If the animals are active on overcast days the fish are too it's all relative. Maybe it's the moon or the weather front that turns them on.

Now as the sky starts to light up as its still dark. I think of the Louie Armstrong song what a wonderful world. Nobody says it better than Sachmoe. Fish but enjoy the world around us too.

roadwarrior reply :

I know everyone has their favorite brands and we have a zillion threads on "What's the best",

but in some cases the specific brand can make a HUGE diffrence. Yes, I get it...most often

just a matter of personal preference. However, when it comes to buzzbaits, the MegaStrike

Cavitron stands out above the field. Try one and see if you don't agree.

http://www.megastrike.com/#!products/vstc2=cavitron-buzzbaits

Fishes in trees reply :

To address the issue of how it is running in the water, I think that you want the lure as close to vertical as possible. I don't think that running it sideways is necessarily bad, but I don't think that it is great either.

I think that if it is rotating sideways on you, you might want a heavier bait, given the speed you are retrieving. You might try slowing down the retrieve, but if you go too slow it will sink and at that point you might as well be throwing a spinnerbait.

So, back to the drawing board, practice different retrieves and back to the tackle store, to get several different weights of buzz baits.

This problem, like many problems, can be solved by throwing money at it.

John G reply :

I just bought 2 Cavitrons the other day and I found out that if I reel too fast, they come in on their side a little bit. The cure is that I found is to reel a little bit slower.

Hattrick7 reply :

On 3/13/2014 at 12:36 PM, John G said:
You need to reel a little slower.

I'll give that another go. I did vary the retrieve but going slow it looked like the entire bait was under water unless the rod tip was almost vertical.

Hattrick7 reply :

On 3/14/2014 at 1:51 AM, Fishes in trees said:

To address the issue of how it is running in the water, I think that you want the lure as close to vertical as possible. I don't think that running it sideways is necessarily bad, but I don't think that it is great either.

I think that if it is rotating sideways on you, you might want a heavier bait, given the speed you are retrieving. You might try slowing down the retrieve, but if you go too slow it will sink and at that point you might as well be throwing a spinnerbait.

So, back to the drawing board, practice different retrieves and back to the tackle store, to get several different weights of buzz baits.

This problem, like many problems, can be solved by throwing money at it.

Thanks for the input. I also have a single tail grub as a trailer but I don't think that would make a difference.

Super fun bite though!

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Talking Buzzbaits 2024

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