Buzz Baits, Heart Stopping Action
by Ken Sturdivant
Southern Fishing Schools Inc.
There is one lure that makes
top water fishing
as exciting as it can be and it’s the buzz bait. This surface lure has
been miss named and should be called a top water spinner bait. While nothing
in nature
looks or acts like a buzz bait, one fact remains, it works.
The original buzz
bait was invented by Don Gentry in Ohio more than 25 year ago. The original
lure had a blade bent from a Venetian blind. The Lunker Lure was
born and formed a
great fishing fraternity that still exists today. The original lure is
almost exactly the same as it was in it’s beginning.
Colors are white in clear water
with a little chartreuse and in stained water, use all chartreuse or black.
At night during the summer, cast an all black buzz bait all night long.
Fishing
with a buzz bait is anticipation and a strike can happen at any time. There
are a few tricks that making fishing with a buzz bait a lot more productive.
This
lure can draw a bass, both largemouth, spotted and smallmouth from
a great distance. In many cases when the bass smashes this lure it’s
either a furious attack or the lure just gets pulled under water. This
is a critical time for using this
lure. Start with heavy 20 pound test line and a bait casting outfit.
The extra strength this gear offers is worth it for the bigger fish.
When the strikes happen,
and this takes some practice, let the bass pull the lure down and
turn before setting the hook. It’s too easy to set the hook as soon as
bass makes the initial attack. Always point the bait casting rod right
at the lure during the retrieve.
This allows for a strong hook set.
Cast a buzz bait anywhere there might be a
bass close by.
Water temperatures should be in the mid 60’s for a buzz bait to work.
There are times even in colder water when bass might strike this
lure. Remember there
are
no
rules in fishing.
