Hey guyz hows everyone been? I havent been fishing along time but i am now a buzzbait junkie. They are so fun now that the water is warm now. They seem to like the 1/4 once white/chart./and a little red the best.

What all situations do you guys use them in? And why do they only seem to work around sunken trees and 5 foot from edges. Is that bout right or will they hit them as it warms even further. Water temp is about 80 here in Myrtle beach, that seems to be about the arverage. It has been god awfull hot here. hard to fish after 11am to about 4 pm.Thanx for the help i know all the ice is gone for you northern fishermen up there. catch a smally for me.

Good to hear from you MbBass... buzzbaits rock! Like every lure they have their time and place. I have caught fish on them in shallow water and in deep water. Some people have commented that really shallow bass (1 foot of water or less) can get spooked by the noise of a buzz bait, but I have had days where I would cast it onto the shore (out of water) and drag it in and bass would crush it almost immediately.

Have you used them night fishing yet? If not, your life is about to change... Get yourself a jet-black buzzbait and bring to any lake that you normally fish during the day and see what happens... You won’t believe what comes up for those things at night.

Good Luck,
BC

I been wanting to do some night bass fishin myself. God I hope its nice this weekend....the rain is killin me!

I have not fished at night yet. I wish we could get some rain here. It has been crazy hot here. Even when i notice the fish breakin hard out deep i cant get any takers. I plan to get few other colors to add. It is easy to fish the buzz reelin it with a 7:1 abu revo st.

Well any tipps on how to use them would be great. Can you fish them like a spinnerbait aswell ? Good fishing to every1

They can be fished like a spinnerbait, but I don't really like to do that, may as well use a real spinnerbait. Try a few different sizes and colors for different situations, it nevcer gets too hot for buzzbaits. Any shaded areas should be fished thoroughly as well. Those fish breaking in open water may not be bass at all. Try casting a Rat-L-Trap into the breaking fish, you'll soon know if it's bass or not. I love buzzbaits on rainy days, or with a breeze-in shade and along rip rap. Any time the waters above 55 degrees. Good luck., Johnnie

One thing to keep in mind is that bass will get really hot for a particular lure for a while and then all of a sudden they don't want to touch it. You may just need to put it down and go to something else. There are not too many lures that you can fish "every day" and be successful... If you like buzzbaits, you should get into froggin'... Some of the plastic frogs can be worked just like a buzzbait, but you can also swim and crawl them under water for some great results...

Check out this review article of the "Sizmic Toad"... it has some nice photos too:

Sizmic Toad Review

Thats what i thought about submergeing the buzzbait, but i also didnt know if it may create a different noise. Thanx for the reply Mr. Craine. And yeh brendan i have figured out about the fish hot on a bait and then cold on the same bait. But on a good note i have figured out how to use other lures. Thats a good thing. I just never seem to have much luck with crankbaits. And i like crankbaits. Thanx fellaz for the help.

MbBass, crankbaits are generally my go to lure, but keep in mind most times to be effective, the crank should either be digging up the bottom or crashing off objects. These are reflex baits. A free swimming crank isn't all that attractive to most fish. Keep them on or near the bottom or crashing into rocks, stumps, tree limbs boat docks or wahtever cover isd available. P.S. I almost exclusely use Medeium to deep diving cranks, the diving lip helps keep them from snagging. I know that doesn't sound right-but believe a life time cranker, it's the truth. Good luck, Johnnie

So if i got this right get something that will hit and sturr up the bottom floor ? Cause all the rocks and trees i have burried are 5 to 10 foot off the bank and i will get snagged in them. Thanx again for your help i alwayz go out and try it after i get a suggestion.

Yeah Im wondering this yoo cuz Ive been basically "free swimming it" This might be what Im missing,and I didnt think much about the lips keepin them snag free...Most of my crank baits are lipless.

I just purchased an x-rap..It says ur suspose to sweep this thing back and forth..but too me...working it just doesnt seem natural.

Oh I also purchased a buzz bait..but its so big and bulky..My confidence with this bait is low. Buzz baits for night fishing mostly?

I never like to free=swim crankbaits unless the fish are suspended. Buzzbaits can be effective day or night, these could even work fished over the trees you have planted. Keep throwing it over and over to aggravate the fish. The XRap is a good bait and should be fished underwater just like you'd fish a Zara Spook on the surface, if you know how to do that? It's simply twitching the rod tip gentle, while pulling the bait with the rod, stop and then repeat. Many strikes occur during the pause. Good luck. Johnnie

Guys... just to drive the point home again, "contact is critical" no matter what type of lure you are fishing. Just to elaborate, even a topwater bait (buzzbait, frog, etc.) if you can make contact with a clump of weed, a branch, ANYTHING, you will trigger more strikes.

Crankbaits are the same. You want that lure bouncing off of rocks, branches and whatever else is down there... I promise you, if you do, you will catch more and bigger bass. Yes, you will lose some lures, but there are different types of crankbaits for different types of cover.

When you come in contact with something on the bottom "stop", let the crankbait rise a little and then begin the retrieve. You can get a really good feel for this if you find a shallow area where you would be able to see the lure underwater. Just make a short cast, reel it in slowly and when you hit bottom (or whatever) stop the lure and watch how it will rise. If you can find a shallow branch that is submerged, make a cast past it and bring the crankbait through the branch. When you hit the first limb, “stop” and wait for the lure to rise over the branch, then repeat. You should be able to bring the crankbait all the way through the branch without getting hung up.

Something to keep in mind, if you do hang up, “do not apply too much pressure” this will only dig in the hooks. Simply keep a bow in your line and gently shake the rod (again do not apply a lot of pressure, as you just want to shake the lure so the hooks release). Keep a 1 or 2 ounce salt water sinker in your pocket with a big snap clip so you can attach it to your line if you get really hung up. All you do is clip the sinker onto your line, let the weight fall down to the bottom and it will make contact with your lure. Most of the time it pops free when the sinker hits the lure, if not, do the same thing I described above, just gently shake it and the sinker will do all the work. The only difference is that once it pops free, you want to raise your rod tip to lift the lure from the branches and start reeling in your line so the sinker doesn’t drag the crankbait back down into the snag.
Hope this helps… good luck!

This is going to considerably change the way I pick out my crankbaits. One good thing about fishing where I do is that there are no snags. Granted this also means there is no structure to target either

The resivoir I fish is made up of rocks on the bottom. I've never been snagged on the bottom (u really feel those rocks when u get closee to shore though). I should be fishig a deep diver...bouncing of the bottom nonstop! This could also be why I was having so much more success with the jig compared to these lipless crankbaits.

Man I wish I could spend a couple weeks fishing with a few of u guys! It also goes to show what may be considerd common sence to u pros is ground breaking to us newbies. I just gotta keep askin the right questions!

Hey,

If you ever want to come out to Long Island, I'll take you out on some of my favorite lakes. Remember, we all were a newbie at one time... I just got started fishing saltwater again (for fun) and it's a like starting all over again. I find myself asking questions that to the average salty are common knowledge... however, if I don't ask, I have to wait to figure it out on my own and sometimes it's much easier to just ask.

One additional thing to keep in mind about those crankbaits is selecting the right depth range. If you want to work an area that is 10' deep, you might want to find a crankbait that only runs to 12' on 10# test (10# is standard line size when manufacturers rate their lures). If you get a crankbait that dives too deep, the will tip forward from too much downward force when the make contact with the bottom. The other problem is that they will make "constant contact" with the bottom; you want one that will just intermittently bounce and make contact. If you have rocks in that lake, crankbaits can be the deal.

Keep asking those questions... and if it makes you feel any better... whenever I personally answer a question, I like that fact that it makes me think about the little details that I sometimes forget about. It helps make me a better angler and I'm sure the other guys would agree...

Good Fishing...

BC

No way buzzbaits are for night only. I have been haveing tremendous luck in the morning with buzzbaits. Work them close to edges and around sunkin trees. Next time your out get the 1/4 ounce white and chart. that should help i have even caught crappie with mine. stay safe.