"Tuning in" the buzz for Lunker LMB

[fishnislife]

For all the Duct Tape and Crazy Glue fans out there, or you just love to tinker with things till they're

JUUUSSTT RIIIGGGHHTTT…….This one’s for you.

AAAHHH, there’s nothing like coaxing a bass into exploding on your topwater bait, especially a buzzbait.

This tutorial is to show you how to “tune” your buzzbait so the inaugurating statement above happens more frequently.

*Note all these suggestions can be used in conjunction or individually. Use your own discretion.

Tuning the Buzzbaits

1. Straighten the wire that holds the blades and remove all rivets, saving one.

2. Remove the rivet casing that holds the blades so the blades can spin erratically.

3. Drill 3 small holes in the flat side of each blade to increase water displacement.
Also it leaves a small bubble trail for you and the fish to track where the lure is going.



4. Add a Colorado blade in front of the buzz blades to act as an inexpensive clicker.
The more noise the better.



5. Wet the blades with water and cover them with salt (preferably rock salt) for at least 12 hours.
The pitting that occurs actually makes the bait squeak.


6. This next enhancement may sound a bit different but it works,
I got this from a reliable source back in the year 2000 (a Bassmaster classic winner),
I’ve been using it ever since. (no, not personally) Ok, enough validation.
Take the lower wire between the bend and the lead head and clip it in half.



Twist each end into a loop and connect them with a split-ring. T
here is a two fold reason for creating this hinge.
First, the hook rides lower enabling for more strikes to result in a hook-up (most anglers bend the wire to achieve the same result).
Finally, in a bush, a bass may want to wrap you up around a branch to break you off.
This hinge eliminates the leverage created from a straight wire.



7. Crimp the saved rivet on the wire behind the blades to prevent the rivet from moving.
This creates more attracting sounds as the spinning blades rub against the stationary rivet.




8. Tie the buzzbait to the driver side mirror and drive for a couple miles allowing the blades to spin at high speeds.
This will eventually cause the bait to also squeak which again adds to the appeal of the bait.
(Sorry no pic of this, I can only talk on the phone, drink coffee, and put in a cd with one hand, the other hand need to steer.)


9. Add a stinger or sometimes called a trailer hook to the end.



But make sure to crimp the barb because this may get hooked in the fish.




Finally JUST ADD WATER.


You should find yourself tying on to a great bass as did.

During pre-spawn nonetheless!!


Just enough time before post-spawn and summer to get it running JUUUSSST RIIIIGHHHT.



fishnislife

[ChrisB]

That is one hell of a tutorial. Thanks for the tip. Not sure If I can spend the time to do the adjustments, but hopefully it pays off for someone. I'll just throw my fresh out the package booyah clacker all summer and hope for the best. Shhhhh, don't tell everyone about my favorite topwater bait. :d/

[A9]

I agree Buzzbaits are a lot of fun to catch bass on...Maybe my favorite lure to throw too...

[skimpy]

Dude awesome tutorial. Very creative. I have got to try it.

[bpm2000]

very nice! prespawn buzzbait? =d>

[fish4brains]

Very Nice, I love "Frankenstein" Baits. Come Igor out to the lab to try this. hehehe

[Rob1]

Very Cool. That's something I gotta do. The beauty is that most of us probably have the stuff to do it with on hand.

[fishnislife]

Thanks for the kind words gentlemen. It is a real simple thing to do. I hope someone gets an idea or gives this one a try. Sometimes modifying a lure is the only thing that needs to be done to turn up the bite. Look at the chatterbait
for example. One crazy idea to modify the jig and BLAM! you have bass going nutts over it and pros winning tourneys with it. It may take just a little tweek to something to make it the hot bait on the water.


fishnislife

[fishnislife]

Now is the time to tune in those buzzbaits for that top water action.



fishnislife

[Bigbass Dez]

This is great and i something i have never heard of , im always finding different ways to adjust and alter any bait .. i will for sure give this a try and im sure that its effective .. i really like the fact that the hook is close to blads .. whats wierd is that Bill dance made a buzz bait the extends to hook about a foot away from blade .. i will let you know how this works for my .. i just started throwing the buzz within the past weeks .. BBD

[jake campbell]

Nice idea! that bait looks like it will really piss of a big largemouth and make him bite it. I'll have to try it out.

[tnj8222]

i will be making a few of these tonight. thanks for posting this!

[fishnislife]

i will be making a few of these tonight. thanks for posting this!

You got it tnj8222. Post up a pic here if you tag a bass on your modified buzz.

Here is an article on modifying your spinnerbaits. It is called "Fine-Tuning Your Spinnerbait" and is found in the B.A.S.S. Times Archives. I thought it would compliment this post.

http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/bass ... pinnerbait


There is nothing like catching a fish on a lure that you yourself have made or modified. :bounce: :compress:


fishnislife

[fishnislife]

Aaron E bump. :thumright






fishnislife

[AaronE]

Aaron E bump. :thumright

I'm gonna trick one out tonight. Gotta go to Home Depot and get a band saw and a plasma welder, though

[BassinBomber]

Hey Aaron,..you've basically been doing something similar 2 this with those Walmart $1.00 Spinners for a while now haven't you?

BB

[AaronE]

Hey Aaron,..you've basically been doing something similar 2 this with those Walmart $1.00 Spinners for a while now haven't you?

Not like this. I've added beads and I've drilled holes in the blades before to really help them chop up the water, but this is more serious than anything I've done. I might trick out one or two of my smaller buzzes like this and try them out Sunday morning. That fish fishnislife caught don't count though - that looks like a Florida bass

[kevinb]

Excellent tutorial
Looks like I need to purchase some bass buzzbaits. Very cool:cheers:

[Anonymous]

that looks like a Florida bass

Does that palm tree give it away too. That is in Rancho Mirage, Cali. I wrote this article for a forum down there years ago. That bass was caught on the second cast of the first test drive for that bait.
I thought I would bump this back up since it has been buried under a year+ worth of threads. And with AaronE tinkering around this might be a useful tool for those tossing buzzbaits. I posted this up back in May of 07' if you look at the first post date. I hope guys can get some use out of it now too.

Thanks for the props kevinb. Buzzes are always nice to have. If I was to do minimal modifications to one it would be to add a trailer and drill holes in the blades. That way you won't miss many and it will leave a nice bubble trail for them to follow.

Hey AaronE, ask RB about his recent buzzing experience. Ya buddy!
Hope to see you guys on the water this weekend.




fishnislife

[Ditch Pickler]

In my Advance bass book they customize buzzbait just like that.. but for more added noise "skip crimping the rivet. Instead, file grooves into the inset.