Buzzbaits - fish catchers but thread killers

[Newt]

This style

 

Over the years I've posted about this style of lure in response to questions about how to best fish in certain conditions like weed or the most recent time, lots of floating leaves in a canal.

 

I have used this style of lure with success under the right conditions for well over 30 years so I know it catches fish. No first hand experience for me with pike on any lure but I read on some US pike forums that it does catch pike too.

 

To the best of my recollection, a buzzbait picture & description usually kills any topic pretty quickly and I have never quite figured out why.

 

Note that I will be bringing a selection of these in both pike and perch sizes and if I catch fish on them, you lot will never hear the end of it.

 

If I somehow don't catch fish on them, then conditions were never right.

 

Apologies in advance to any who might have been using buzzbaits as a secret weapon if I've let the cat out of the bag.

[GlennB]

Newt , at a guess I'd say they don't appeal because they *look* so 'snaggy' and complicated. Never even used one myself, but I can't help wondering to myself whether fish might strike at the unhooked part of the lure, how all that wire gets through the weed, how you can cast them etc etc etc. All of these worries are total nonsense of course as I hear people catch well on these things - and I gather they're actually recommended for weedy conditions - but those lures just look too odd for their own good!

 

Happy Xmas and a great New Year to you and yours

[Ian FG]

Newt,

 

I live near a river and not only do I fish it but I also sometimes just go for a walk sometimes for miles along the river. I have seen all sorts of fishermen but the most common by far are static bait fishermen. A couple of times I have seen roving lure fishemen they have been using spinnerbaits.

 

My conclusion is that UK fishermen are not generally lure fishermen. Those that are serious lure fishermen certainly are aware of and use spinnerbaits.

 

I would like to add that I enjoy lure fishing sometimes but I am a huge fan of soft baits and am beginning to wonder if i should get myself a couple of spinnerbaits even if they do look weird.

[gilby]

Also Newt they aren't that easy to come by here and when you get them they cost a lot really,

EG HERE

 

I bought one for a tenner, and when I looked at it I thought, If had the time I could make this for about a quid (thats is a tenth of the price )...

 

It did have a lovely action, but bent out of shape quite easily.

 

Did it catch? No, but that's no reflection on the qualities of the lure... just my lack of expereince.

 

And of course there will be some here who secretely use these kind of lures!

 

Ssssshhh, they do work but you are right,they can be poor hookers but then pike often miss surface lures.

If you want to invest in some google up jennifields tackle, think you'll find then a bit more reasonably priced.

[Alan Fawcett]

I've got a few, some lovely old timer in the US sent me a handful and to be honest they work great on a certain river and trout res i fish but don't even get a look at on all the other waters?

 

Maybe its just me but i love em and will keep using them.

[jeepster]

i have a few of those, they used to be very productive on a shallow estate lake i used to fish (for newt, that's an old, long established lake in the grounds of an english country house)

 

as gilby says, hook ups can be difficult, but takes are savage and very very exciting

[zenith10]

i got one for £3 works good not had anything on it yet though

[Newt]

Newt , at a guess I'd say they don't appeal because they *look* so 'snaggy' and complicated. Never even used one myself, but I can't help wondering to myself whether fish might strike at the unhooked part of the lure, how all that wire gets through the weed, how you can cast them etc etc etc. All of these worries are total nonsense of course as I hear people catch well on these things - and I gather they're actually recommended for weedy conditions - but those lures just look too odd for their own good!

 

I'm betting that those same thoughts are pretty usual and may account for the lack of interest in these lures. A few details:

 

- This is absolutely a surface lure and not designed to run under water as a normal spinnerbait (similar shape but much different blades) does.

 

- The huge 2-3-4 fin front blade (or blades on some versions) mean that you can retrieve slowly and have it stay on top of the water and the design keeps the hook point on top so they don't tend to snag anything.

 

- The huge 2-3-4 fin front blade kicks up enough froth that the fish cannot get a decent look at the lure. They don't notice it looks odd and only see some annoying but probably edible thing thrashing along on top as only a wounded critter would do.

 

- More fish strike short (missing the rear end) than strike long so if conditions aren't too snaggy/weedy/whatever, it is common to use a trailer hook to increase hooking rate. If a fish does strike, you just keep on retrieving until you feel the fish (as opposed to seeing or hearing it). If a fish misses the first time, it will almost certainly be back soon for a second try and almost never miss that one.

 

- For some reason, the more noise they make, the better they work at times and you can buy versions designed to have metal striking metal as the blades go round. When fish are in an aggressive mood, that sort really drives them crazy.

 

- They are one of my two favored lures for night fishing. I buy them with black skirts and paint all the parts black. You have to pay attention and absolutely avoid striking until you can feel the take. I'm 60 and have been fishing for 58 of those years. I've been fishing buzzbaits for a good many years and doing night lure sessions for all of those years. I still have trouble not striking when I hear the fish or if there is any moon, seeing the splash. My pulse rate still jumps up quite a bit too.

 

My second largest ever largemouth bass fell to a buzzbait fished at night when the air & water temperatures were just barely above freezing and the water under the lure was over 30 feet deep. It should not have been a lure and conditions that produced any fish on that lure and to tell the truth, I was just going through the motions to keep warm while waiting for a bait rod tip to go around.

 

If the lures are expensive in the UK, you can buy the wire forms and the other bits pretty cheaply from some US sources and with a little assembly work, have yourself some cheap buzzbaits with some additional ones left over to sell. Probably easy enough to make the total cost to yourself for the lures you keep somewhere around zero.

[Ken L]

I had a few Manns Buzbaits and a couple of smaller ones of unknown origin. I worked them to death (I didn't have many lures at the time) and yes, I caught fish but there are MUCH more consistent catchers on the market for the same sort of conditions and they do take up a lot of valuble tackle box space.

Personally, I don't rate buzbaits at all.

Spinnerbaits are of course a totally different proposition.

 

Newt. If you're out to make a point, you're certanly comming at the right time of year. May and June would be my favorite time for surface lures on stillwaters.

[Ian FG]

Sorry guys, I didn't realise that buzzbaits and spinner baits are two different things.....shows how much I know