Buzz Baits

This is from a review I did for the Booyah Buzz bait that I did on Amazon recently (with some modifications). It adds some detail to how to do what I did in the last article.  ENJOY!

The Booyah Buzz bait is an excellent lure.  I use them all the time and catch many large fish on them. The extra interference blade makes good noise at fairly slow speeds.

In my experience the buzz bait is often misunderstood so I am writing this review to help others learn how to use it.

NOTE:  This is a top water bait.  While allowing this bait to settle for 1 second during retrieve, it should be fished on top of the water. If you want to fish something comparable below the surface, use a spinner bait.

Where to fish:

- Around and over structure.

- Over or near weed beds.

- Places I've fished in Central Texas:  

--- Lake Waco in standing timber.

--- Stillhouse Hollow Lake in standing timber

--- Llano River at Llano and Mason

--- Colorado River (Lakes, river, etc)

--- San Gabriel river at Hwy 29 crossing.

When to fish buzz baits:

- Any time the water is relatively smooth though this is not a hard and fast rule - the water has to be calm enough for the buzz bait to be louder than the surrounding water.
- Any time the fish are active.

- Spring to early summer.

- Late summer to late fall.

- During summer at night and - 15 minutes before dawn to 30 minutes after and same for sunset.

- Whenever bait fish are active.

- When water temperature is as close to 70 as possible (active bait fish is more important than temperature!).

Colors and methods:

- White, Yellow, Chartreuse during the day, Black at night or around sunset (think silhouette).

- Cast and *steady* retrieve with lure just barely on surface making a blurping/squeaking noise.

----Not so slow that you can't hear it or see a splash.

----Not so fast that it sounds like a motorboat.

----Make it "talk" to you.

- Be prepared to cast 20-30 times between fish but if you cast 50 times at good spots without catching anything, try a different color or another lure entirely.

- Sometimes it's every 3rd cast but those days are usually only once or twice a year (if you fish once a week.)

- If you know the fish are biting and you've seen a fish jump, don't stop trying a particular structure till you've cast a good 20 times from different angles.

- Use a kayak to sneak up on fish - this is like hunting! The fish can see and hear you way more than you think!

- From a boat: cast the bait so it lands almost on shore (within 6 inches!) and then make every effort to instantly get the blades moving at the same pace for at least the first 20ft from shore.  If you are in a kayak, keep it going all the way to the boat.  Cast in areas where there is underwater structure or between weed beds.  A log in the middle of the river or standing timber in a lake is *prime* territory.

- From Shore:  Cast out 30-40ft and bring your bait in guiding it through weeds, etc so that it takes a path that brings as close to shore as possible before you pull it out. Look for underwater brush or weeds to cast over.  Cast past them if possible and pull lure at a steady pace as close to the structure/weeds as possible.

- Remember: the warmer or colder the water is from 70 degrees, the less likely the fish will bite so you *MUST* get the lure right in front of them.
--- If the temperature is right fish will come from long distances to get your buzz bait.

--- When the temp is off, a buzz bait will often elicit a response when other baits do not.

--- Likewise, the buzz bait can scare fish if they are completely not in the mood or if you land the lure on top of their head. This is why it is imperative to land the lure as close to shore as possible if there is no obvious structure (or keep it going to shore). 

What to expect from the fish:

- It's rare to have a fish "slurp" a buzzbait.

- The reaction is often violent and "setting the hook" isn't necessary.

- Often have fish literally blow the bait out of the water and not get hooked.

--- Remember this if you kayak fish and it blows it out of the water right next to your boat. I will not be responsible for your loss of tackle because you fell overboard!  :-)

- Drawback is that there is only one hook so keep your line tight while fighting the fish!

- Use trailing hooks to increase your odds of hooking a fish and keeping it hooked.

My experience is that Boohyah buzz baits are some of the best. These with the extra interference blade make the noise nearly perfect.  Have caught many large bass on this buzzbait.

There are other brands like those from Strike King that are decent too. Most recently used is "Strike King Premier Plus Buzzbait - The Double Take" which has two blades (see my Amazon review on it).  Other than this, I don't think anyone else has a buzzbait that makes more noise that this Booyah buzzbait.  The Strike King miniature buzz baits are real nice for those times when the big baits are too big. Have caught way more bass on the small ones than the big ones.

In retrospect, I recommend the 3/8's ounce vs. the 1/2 ounce.  At 6-7 inches long, the 1/2 oz seems too big to me.  Maybe I'll catch something on them but I haven't yet (used one trip).  Go with the 3/8's.  Have caught several large bass on them this spring (4lb +).

Tight lines,

VanVortex  (HCFR)