4 BUZZBAIT PATTERNS THAT NEVER WENT OUT OF STYLE
THE BUZZ
IS BACK
4 BUZZBAIT PATTERNS THAT NEVER WENT OUT OF STYLE
By Ken Duke
70
Fishing is fashion . You won ’ t see the latest tournament jerseys or topwater baits on the runways of Paris , but anglers can be as fickle as any fashionista . Just consider worm colors over the last 40 years . Some of the hottest colors of previous decades – blueberry , motor oil , pumpkin – have basically disappeared today . Only a few – black , watermelon , green pumpkin – have stood the test of time . The bass didn ’ t change . They still eat the “ old ” colors . It ’ s fishermen who changed . The fashion of the day changed them .
It ’ s true of lures , too . The spinnerbait was once universally regarded as among the most versatile bass lures available . You can fish it fast or slow , deep or shallow , in heavy cover or in open water . But over the last decade , the spinnerbait has fallen out of – you guessed it – fashion . It ’ s been largely discarded in favor of vibrating jigs and square-bill crankbaits .
The buzzbait has undergone a similar change in popularity . After rising to prominence in the 1970s , some of the luster wore off over time . Bass didn ’ t just stop attacking buzzbaits , but other lures came along , and anglers opted for Zoom Horny Toads and River2Sea Whopper Ploppers instead of reaching for a buzzbait .
Today , however , the venerable surface agitator is making a comeback – and for good reason . There are things you can do with a buzzbait you just can ’ t do with another type of lure – and that pester a bass into biting .
The buzzbait resurgence is real and coming to a fishery near you . To help you get back in the groove , let ’ s run down a few great patterns relied upon by four talented pros who know a thing or two about catching bass on buzzbaits .
FLWFISHING . COM I APRIL 2018