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Buzzbaiting the “Wrong Way” for River Smallmouth
“Throw any color buzzbait you want, so long as it’s white.”
“Buzzbaits only work early and late in the day, when the sun is low in the sky.”
“Retrieve it steadily and keep it on the surface.”
“I don’t start throwing buzzbaits until the water temperature is at least 65 degrees.”
Attending seminars, outdoor shows, and guest speaker appearances at fishing clubs over the last several years, I have intently listened to big name guides and outdoor writers profess these types of statements on buzzbaits. I took the advice and caught some beautiful river smallmouth employing the recommended techniques. More importantly, by mistake or watching someone who appeared to not know the “right way” to fish a buzzbait, I have tapped into some buzzbait action that few anglers will ever experience.
Most practical “out of the box” thinking comes from making a mistake, and noticing that the mistake works better than the usual method. Tom Ehrhard of Fredericksburg, Virginia had such a happy accident.
“I stopped during a retrieve to fix a very loose reel handle, and when I started reeling again I noticed the Mini Pro-Buzz was upright and spinning nicely in the middle of the water column. Right away I thought: "spinnerbuzz!" because I'm always looking for a different presentation that the fish haven't seen. It would logically give out different, more subtle sound waves than a spinnerbait, yet retains the smooth retrieve of the swimming jig.”
Tom’s reference to something the fish haven’t seen before is common to all of the contrarian buzzbait presentations. Many river anglers fish buzzbaits, but how often will you see someone throwing one during the middle of a bright and sunny day with the temperatures clearing 100 degrees. Maybe you would see a few gurgling casts at dawn or dusk, but once the sun clears the treeline, most anglers opt for a slower and deeper presentation.
David Lawrence illuminated this commonly missed opportunity last August. On one of the hottest days of 2006, he stealthily drifted his kayak within a paddles reach of the shady banks. Each cast was carefully placed so that the entire retrieve would chug along in the shade of the overhanging canopy. Most anglers take the easiest drift, down the center of the river, casting perpendicular to the shore. The problem with this casting angle is that the buzzbait is only in the shade for the first few feet. Think of where you want to be during the heat of the day. It’s certainly not out in the open with the sun’s strong rays pounding down on you. The fish feel the same way. By carefully placing each cast to stay in the shade as long as possible, David capitalized on some hot mid day buzzbait action.
Besides the unusual casting angle and time of day, David presented a profile and color the fish had never seen before. His hand tied buzzbait featured three different shades of rabbit hair that come together to represent a sunfish closely following the surface commotion. The green, yellow, and black strips of rabbit hide swayed in the subsurface fluid. The 19 inch smallmouth couldn’t resist picking off a meal so fixated on the gurgling that it never saw it coming.
Speed may have also played a role in the tantalizing presentation. The unique counter rotating plastic quad blade within a larger aluminum blade allowed David to slow the bait down to a crawl without its 3/8 ounce head pulling it under. The most common blade type is a single aluminum propeller. These types of buzzbaits work reliably for fast retrieves, but when slowed down too much, they go under. But Mr. Ehrhard would say that it wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing if it did. On some days, the fish show a strong preference to a buzzbait gurgling along in low gear. Having one that can achieve that speed on the surface allows you to cover water more efficiently than bottom bouncing baits.
Casting distance becomes a make or break component of excellent buzzbait presentations as the rivers become low and clear. Sitting low in a kayak, kneeling down in a canoe, or tiptoeing slowly along the bank all help a great deal in not spooking fish in your target area. But long casts help the most. Thin diameter braided lines allow the buzzbait to sail long distances and the low stretch quality allows for immediate hook penetration at full length casts. With thicker diameter monofilament of the same pound test, casting distance suffers and the springy quality of monofilament can prevent an effective hookset. Another way to add casting distance is to add a chunk of soft plastic like a grub or jerk shad as a trailer. This added weight can extend your casting range, but will not pull the bait underwater the same way a heavier lead head will.
 Experienced buzzbait anglers like Mr. Ehrhard and Mr. Lawrence have figured out a few tricks in the casting technique that allow them to be as accurate and efficient as possible. Without fail, David closes the bail just before the buzzbait hits the water. This subtle habit makes sure that the buzzbait has started it’s retrieve immediately. Anglers who fail to apply immediate pressure miss out on a common buzzbait occurrence:
Tom explains another important buzzbait habit. “I am religious about keeping the rod tip pointed at the buzzbait.” This technique results in a more solid hookset, something that can be problematic for beginners. Anglers who keep the rod tip high during the retrieve miss fish because the rod tip bends as the fish hits. They assume that the fish is short striking the skirt, and often try trailer hooks to compensate. The problem is the rod tip bending, preventing a quick build in line tension required to bury the point. The misdiagnosis of fish “short striking” the bait can often plague buzzbait anglers indefinitely.
Even with the rod pointed at the buzzbait, some beginner buzzbait anglers have poor hook up percentages. Tom explains another facet of his buzzbait doctrine, “I wait to feel the weight of the fish. Most buzzbait fishermen fail to do this. It’s something that took me a long time to develop the discipline to wait to feel the weight of the fish. When you see the hit, hear the splash, and feel the jolt, everything in your body screams for you to set the hook. Most times the hook is not yet embedded and setting before you feel the weight pulls it out of their mouth. That extra second makes all the difference in a solid hookset.” To learn how to overcome this instinct, many anglers actually look away from the buzzbait as it is retrieved. Fight the instinct however you need to. Once you start landing more fish on the buzzbait, you’ll understand the importance of setting the hook only when all the slack has been pulled out of the line by the fish and your constant speed of retrieve.
Variance of retrieval speed is another beginner mistake. I remember learning this lesson as a kid, fishing black buzzbaits for farm pond largemouth. When my rod tip would shake with each turn of the handle, I would hear the fish bust up under the buzzbait several times consecutively with no hook up. What an exciting yet maddening experience. The fish are there, they want it, but the hook up isn’t happening. I decided that there was some design flaw in the buzzbait, not realizing that my overzealous rod tip jerking retrieve was at fault. I gave up on them and opted for the jitterbug or a popper. Weeks later while fishing with my buddy Eric, I noticed his more relaxed retrieve, and his ability to catch almost every fish that hit his buzzbait. I decided to give buzzbaits another chance. I tried to emulate his retrieve style, making sure that the rod tip stayed in a constant position. Keeping the rod tip in constant position by watching it against the moons reflection, I heard the first fish slash at it. I thought, “Stupid buzzbaits, here we go again with no hook ups!” Then the line tension built, and the drag sang. It worked! Thinking back, it makes sense. The fish need to track the bait to intercept it. Tracking an object that lunges and surges even slightly is much more difficult than tracking a slow constant retrieve. Fish it fast, fish it slow, but keep it at a constant speed throughout each single retrieve.
Some days they prefer it burned back to the kayak. At other times, you’ll never get bit unless you creep it along. Knowing precisely how fast or slow you were moving the bait when it got hammered lets you replicate the event. Just as anglers who troll crankbaits for bass or walleye know, speed precision makes or breaks your pattern. By trying a variety of retrieval speeds, you can get dialed in on how they want it. Once you figure out the preferred speed, you will just have to control your excitement enough to keep it at that speed.
Specific to a river environment, certain structure, cover, and current speed need to be considered when choosing a casting target. One target type has already been mentioned: shade. Push water is another favorite of mine. Push water forms immediately upstream of riffles or ledge drops. Think of it as water that is accelerating from a pool into a place where it descends. Watch these areas carefully, and you will see the minnows darting in and out of these areas. The food is there, and so are the smallmouths. Wood and rock structure also contain smallmouths that lay in wait. Often they will follow a buzzbait only to turn away once they see the boat. A trick that I have found to force these fish to make a decision is to make the buzzbaits collide with things. Cast over rocks, logs, your fishing buddies kayak, whatever object you can crash your buzzbait into works. Collision fishing is why crankbaits work so well. They smash into something, then ricochet off in a direction that makes the lure look like it is fleeing. The same concept works for spinnerbaits and buzzbaits, so cast over logs and rock, and expect the water to erupt as it hops into the water on your side of the cover.
Most of my experience with buzzbaits has been during the summer. In recent years though, I’ve pushed the envelope on how cold you can effectively fish one. It started when I decided to make my own buzzbaits, trying to make the slowest one I could. Tinkering with different designs well into October and November, I had to try them out to see how slow they could go and still stay afloat. Had someone been watching me last November on the Rappahannock River, they might have thought that I lost my mind. No one would realistically expect a buzzbait to work in water that cold. I certainly didn’t. But it did. That buzzbait trial day last fall changed how I think of these lures. If slow rolling a spinnerbait works in 50 degree water, then why not slow rolling a buzzbait?
Fishermen in general are like sheep. Follow the crowd, learn from who’s at the front of the herd, and things will turn out fine. While adhering to the rules and regulations of standard buzzbait techniques will help you catch some fish, breaking from the pack may help you unlock something that no one else is on to. Watch what other anglers do on your water, and try something different. Pick a weird color to throw. Fish it underwater. Try it in early March. Put some sort of gaudy plastic trailer on it, or make one out of chicken feathers. There are some good buzzbait habits you should work on developing, but remember that there is no “wrong way” to fish one.
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