Freshwater Lures

Buzzbait Tips and Tricks of the Elite Pros

Many weekend anglers don't get the full use of their buzzbaits and often will give an egg beater a quick few rips and opt for another freshwater lure.

This can be a big mistake!

Three times Toyota Tundra Master Kevin Van Dam says "When the fish are using shallow water cover, the buzzbait will flush them out."

Buzzbaits are a great tool for finding Bass in the shallows and are a great bait for checking out new areas to see if there are fish about.

Though its important to make a lot of casts over a large area before giving this bait away completely and going to other freshwater lures or moving on to areas areas, as some times it will take Bass a little while to respond to the ripping of a buzz.

Buzz Baits are a such a great bait to fish because they offer three of the four elements which lure Bass in and make them strike. Sound, sight and vibration, the only one missing is scent.

Buzz Bait Pro Secrets

Experiment: experiment by varying the ripping speeds and also don't be afraid of tweaking the blades, by cupping the blades more you can slow down your buzz bait or if you want to speed up your buzz bait then straighten the blades up slightly. Once you get a strike take note of the speed of the Buzz bait and try to keep it at that speed.


Nightime Buzzing: The great thing about Buzzbait fishing at night is that Bass feel more secure without the light of day so they are more comfortable in traveling a greater distance to hit a buzzbait than they would during the daytime. Tip: put a slight bend in your wired to prevent Bass short striking your bait.


Buzz all Seasons: Buzzbaits are not only just a hot heather lures, you can fish buzz baits in the very early spring and even during the winter. The trick is to fish late in the afternoon and use a super slow retrieve.

Clear water Buzzing: Buzzbaits are primarily used for shallow stained water, although with a little dressing up of your bait you can just as effectively buzz in clear water by using a smaller single bladed bait and select a bait with a lighter and brighter color.

Also use a faster speed and trim off half of the skirt, by using a faster speed and trimming off half the skirt of your buzzbait you distort the true image of the bait which gives Bass the impression of a tasty critter trying to get away. Also choose a Buzzbait with a more translucent lure for clearer water.

Change Directions: By bending your Buzzbaits wire your can make your bait track different directions. Bait fish don't always swim in a straight line so to better imitate a natural baitfish action you can bend the wire of your buzzbait to make it track left or right or straighten the wire to make your Buzzbait track true.

Do away with the skirt: In windy conditions the skirt can catch the wind and make it difficult to cast, in this case you can do away with the skirt and replace it with a soft plastic body as a trailer. A great thing to try is adding a 6 or 8 inch Lizard as a trailer on a buzzbait.