Bass Buzzbait Lures

It may be winter now, but Buzzbait season is justextra length allows leveling the lure to the surface
around the corner. Buzzbaits are designed to bewhen holding the rod high to plane it up. Rods of
fished on the surface in a straight line retrieve,about 7 feet are great. Shorter rods don't have
leaving a trail of bubbles and froth. Letting the lurethe length advantage to uphold the line and control
to slide under the surface or fishing it with pausesthe buzzbait.
that allow it to sink is not considered to be theThe right fishing line also helps. The low stretch
right way to fish it.braided lines are ideal since any action with the
But while fishing buzzbaits under the surface is anrod creates an immediate reaction in the lure.
unexpected , non-standard retrieve, it's not thatThe one problem with buzzbaits is that when
outlandish if you stop and think about it. The factthey're cast, they sink immediately. To solve this
that the Buzzbait has a single or double propellerproblem, begin to retrieve before the buzzbait hits
blade, in contrast to the underwater spinnerbait'sthe water so that the lure is moving at the start
various blades, is no reason to keep the top halfof the retrieve, Using a buzzbait involves nothing
of it dry or to keep it moving the whole time.more than the normal action of it across the
While I use to retrieve it in a straight line, I havesurface of a weedbed, but using a long rod and
since found that often you can do well by using aworking the lure in a zig-zag pattern back to the
slow underwater retrieve with pauses, just like aboat should put fish in your livewell.
crankbait or spinnerbait. With each pause, theAnother way to put fish in your livewell is to use
blade stops turning and the buzzbait sinks slightly,a standard buzzbait retrieve and run it into as
the blade turning as the bait falls, the skirt flaringmuch surface structure as possible. Making the
and the curved tail grub curling and waving in thebuzzbait hit stumps will make bass take a look
water. In addition to the underwater retrieve,and strike, just run the bait at an angle so it will
other retrieves are possible and effective. One ishit the structure but not hang up. When it hits the
a variation of the underwater retrieve: using thestructure give it a little pause like it's stunned by
surface retrieve across scattered weedbeds likethe blow. But make it a short pause because the
lily pads, slowing down the buzzbait and dropping itlure will start to sink. You can use other methods
into holes in the weeds where bass are likely toto work the Buzzbait but require a slight
miss the lure.modification to the lure. One is to bend the lower
The best technique is to have the lure movingarm wire so that it is at a slight angle. This
fast enough over the weeds to keep it on thetechnique allows the Buzzbaits blade to churn on
surface without hanging up in pads or vegetation,the surface while the body and skirt are lower in
but allowing it to drop into large holes in the weedthe water. This setup allows for more solid
cover. Now since any buzzbait dropped into a holestrikes, because the body and skirt are more
must be planed up to get on top again, youvisible in the water and are more likely to be
should pick a large enough hole because a smallinhaled by an ambushing bass.
hole won't allow this. Tackle and technique also areWhen a bass strikes short when attacking the
important. When working an underwater retrievelure you'll need a trailer hook, and trim the skirt so
where you want to get the lure back to thethat it is not so long, or use a small grub as a
surface, a long, stiff rod is a must. With thetrailer attractor or you can remove the trailer all
stiffer rod, rod movement will move the lure. Anytogether.