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Summer 2020
BUZZBAIT GEAR
LINE: My personal preference for line when fishing a buzzbait is 40-pound Seaguar SmackDown Braid. I turn to braid as it helps me cast the bait farther and when I’m fishing the bait around cover, I know I can turn the bass’ head and keep them from getting hung up.
ROD: Having a longer rod aids in increased casting distance and being able to pick up the slack when you need to set the hook on a bass. At a minimum, a 7’ rod should be used, but you can go up to a 7’2” or 7’4”, depending your preference. You’ll want a rod with some backbone to it, so you can get
a good hook set and keep control of the bass, but a soft tip will give your set up some give when a bass strikes.
REEL: A high speed reel is important as the more line you can take after your bait hits the water, the quicker it will get on plane atop of the water’s surface. At a minimum, a 7.2:1 gear ratio should be used.
TRAILER HOOK: Unless I’m really putting my buzzbait in cover that will get it hung up, I’ll always put a trailer hook on, like the Eagle Lazer Sharp (L7259RG-2/0)
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BLADE COLOR
The two main blade colors for buzzbaits are gold and
nickel. My go-to is nickel as it emits flash into the water but
not too much. The gold blade is a great option when it is
overcast or fishing in tannic colored water.
When the water is stained or the bass don’t need the
flash from the buzzbait blade, I like to use a black blade.
Some of those off the wall color combinations War
Eagle has include a black skirt with a
chartreuse blade, black/purple skirt
with a purple blade and lastly the
black/red skirt and red blade are all
color combinations that stand out
when bass are still looking above for
a meal in the shallows, even when
the water clarity isn’t the greatest.
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PROFILE
When the bass are buried
in heavy cover, such as dense
vegetation, cruising a barren bank
looking to push baitfish up onto the
shore, or if there is
a slight chop on the
water, I’ll rig up the
War Eagle Buzz Toad.
The reason for
this is that in lieu of
a silicone skirt on the
back of the buzzbait,
it has a soft plastic
frog. The bait comes
in two sizes, 3/8 or
1/2 ounce, along with
seven proven fish
catching colors.
By having the soft
plastic frog on the
back of the buzzbait,
not only does the
buzzbait have some
added bulk to it, which makes it easier to cast when it is windy, or you are looking to make a long cast, but the feet of the frog also add some additional fish attracting action to the bait.
This is important when bass are buried in heavy cover but looking for an easy meal along the edge. The more action they see out of a bait, they more likely it is that will they come out from the protection of the cover they are in and strike a bait.
In the fall when bass are
cruising shallow banks and flats
pushing shad up along the bank
to eat, they may not be locked into
a single spot. For this the added
bulk and combination of the noise
from the buzzbait blade and the
action of the soft plastic frog is
the needed disturbance on top of
water’s surface that will catch a
bass’s eye when they are cruising
along looking for that next meal.
That bulk and added weight
of the Buzz Toad is also important
when you are needing to use a
buzzbait when there
is a slight chop on the
water from either the
Credit Tyler Mohr
wind or boat wake.
The keeled head will
get the bait on plane
faster and the added
action will help the
bait from getting lost
in the chop.
When you are
rigging up a buzzbait
this fishing season,
do not forget to
consider the variable
conditions at hand
and how each style
of buzzbait will
perform. •