JACOB WHEELER’S 5 FAVES
When it comes to covering water, few
baits are more effective in Jacob
Wheeler’s book than a buzzbait.
PHOTO BY BRODY MCWILLIAMS
1. BUZZIN’ TO COVER WATER
The five lures Wheeler discussed for this article aren’t
ranked, but if they were, chances are the buzzbait would take
one of the top couple spots.
“The buzzbait is high, high on my list,” he says. “It’s the
most efficient way for me to cover water, and it’s something
that I have so much confidence in.”
Wheeler is so fond of the buzzbait because he can fish it
quickly, making it one of his top lures for covering water in
search of active fish.
“I always have one tied on anytime the water is above 52
degrees,” he adds. “It generates bites and will also catch big
ones. It’s also one of my best tools for practice when I’m trying
to locate groups of fish because I can go down the bank
with my trolling motor on high and still fish it right.”
The pro never fishes a buzzbait with a standard skirt and
will always either modify the skirt – trimming it way back so
it doesn’t reach the hook point – or remove it entirely and
replace it with a soft plastic.
“If you have a soft plastic on the buzzbait, the bass will
hold it much longer, almost like a jig,” he says. “I’ve seen fish
come up and grab it by the boat and hold onto it, and they
don’t do that without a soft plastic on it. That makes it much
easier to get a good hookset.
“I’ll adjust the plastics to get a different look, and I’ll either
use a toad, craw or swimbait,” Wheeler adds. “I use the craw
trailers on river systems when the bait is small and the toad
may be too big for the caliber of fish in those waters.”
If he goes with a trimmed skirt, Wheeler will often use
contrasting colors for the skirt and soft plastic.
“I may have a white craw on a black buzzbait just to
change the look,” he says. “I also sometimes use a translucent
skirt with a black or chartreuse soft plastic.”
Not surprisingly, Wheeler’s favorite buzzbait is his signature
series from Accent Fishing Products because all the
details have been thought out to make the buzzbait exactly
how he wants it.
“The key to a good buzzbait is having the right blade,
hook and a crimped rivet,” Wheeler says. “Accent is a small
company, so they can pay attention to the little details and
get the best sound from a buzzbait. The blades are specially
anodized, and they sand down each rivet to create a
unique sound.”
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FLWFISHING.COM | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING.COM | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2020