Buzzbaits work great for big bass. Want to make them work even better? Follow these easy steps to success. Plus, we offer tips for tweaking your buzzbait to make it run just the way you want it to.
Buzzbait Basics
A long baitcasting rod is preferred for most buzzbait fishing. It shouldn’t be overly stiff; a 6½- to 7-foot medium-action stick often works best. A heavy-duty baitcasting reel with 14- to 30-pound, abrasion-resistant monofilament should do the trick.
Steps to Success with Buzzbaits
Step 1: Stand up so you can more readily see submerged stumps, weedbeds, sunken logs and other types of cover under the surface.
Step 2: Cast the buzzbait well past your target area. Just before the lure hits the surface, turn the reel handle to engage the spool so you can begin the retrieve and get the lure to the surface immediately.
Step 3: At the beginning of the retrieve, hold the rodtip high (11 o’clock position) to keep the line out of the water, and the buzzbait on top. Reel just fast enough to maintain a steady churn as the lure moves across the surface.
Step 4: Gradually lower the rodtip as the lure approaches the boat. If you keep the rodtip high, you’ll lift the lure’s nose out of the water and the bait won’t spin properly.
Step 5: When a bass strikes, lower the rodtip to 9 o’clock, hesitate until you feel the fish’s weight, then set the hook. Most misses occur because the angler sets the hook too soon.
Step 6: If the fish misses the lure on the strike, continue reeling as you pull the lure to one side or the other; the sudden change in direction often prompts a repeat strike.
How to Tweak Your Buzzbait
Create a Directional Buzzbait for Casting toward Docks: When you’re casting a buzzbait along a dock, laydown, seawall or riprap, the goal is to make it run as close as possible to the hard-to-reach strike zone. With two identical tandem buzzbaits, however, you can make a pair of lures that will help you do just that.
Start By Disassembling Two Buzzbaits: Start by disassembling the two lures. Remove the counter-rotating blades that make the lure run straight on the retrieve. Reassemble the lures so that each one has identical blades. This way, one of the lures will veer to the right; the other to the left.
Select Your Directional Buzzbait: Select the lure that veers in the direction of the cover. Cast parallel to the dock, laydown or seawall, and on the retrieve, the lure will veer into the fish zone on the retrieve.
