I've always been a lake fishing guy, but I recently started fishing a local river to me that is predominately loaded with smallmouth. This time of year, I really enjoy fishing topwater right before dark. However, with the current of the river, my jitterbugs, poppers, spooks, etc. get carried down stream quickly and I end up having to reel them upstream once they drift down past me, and thus making my casts pretty much a waste. Because of this, I need something that covers a lot of water quickly, and doesn't get carried down stream by the time I work it in. This is where a buzzbait comes in.

 

I've always had good luck on largemouth in lakes with buzzbaits, but I've never caught any smallies on a buzzbait in lakes that have them. So my question for you guys is, do smallmouth hit on buzzbaits? I only ask because I don't think I've ever caught a smallie on a buzzbait, and a buzzbait seems like it could be effective on this new body of water I'm fishing. I just don't want to waste my time throwing something that won't be effective. 

I hadn't, until yesterday.  Hit it hard!

they absolutely will and it is one of my favorite baits to use.  I try and find the ones that have three blades so you can work them slower.  I have fished buzz baits all day long or smallies on more than one occasion and caught some big fish too.

I use small buzzbaits (1/4oz being the heaviest) because the smallies in my river are around 12 inches.  I also have been running a Texas rigged Berkley Havoc Pit Boss topwater, which is producing strikes.  The Pit Boss's arms slap the water creating a different sound.

Oh yeah they will, try a black 1/4oz cavitron.       

Try floating the topwaters in the current seams with just a  twitch here or there. I've had crushing strikes on a little tiny torpedo just drifting , no added action at all.  

I use small buzzbaits (1/4oz being the heaviest) because the smallies in my river are around 12 inches.  I also have been running a Texas rigged Berkley Havoc Pit Boss topwater, which is producing strikes.  The Pit Boss's arms slap the water creating a different sound.

That was my trailer on my 3/8" yesterday that got me my new PB.  Black with purple fleck on black Terminator buzz.

 have done great with a buzzbait  catching smallies on some waters, others, not so much. A buzz over deep weedbeds will crush them at Otsego lake in central NY state.  I have never done very well with the Buzz in the Delaware river, my home water though.  I think in has something to do with weed growth.  I usually do well fishing the buzz over weeds.  Today we hit the smallies hard with topwater though.  I caught a few with a Sammie, the my buddy caught a few on  spittin image.  I caught a few more on a fly rod popper, then switched to a sebile bonga minnow.  We hammered the fish all day with those lures, and I don't think we went more than five minutes without a hit once they got on that topwater bite.  I am surprised that we didn't get a double as they were so competitive to get to that lure.  A few times I had five vicious strike before I hooked the fish. We ended up with over fifty fish caught on topwater today.  I hope this bite keeps up, it was amazing.  Unfortunately, Ed boated one fish a little green and managed to get hooked right through the index finger.  I tried to get it out using the string method, but ended up cutting the fishing short to drive him to the hospital.

I find smallies hit buzzbaits better and more aggressively/consistently than largemouths do even here in Colorado. Both species love them here but smallies especially. Even a nine or ten incher will nail a buzzbait around here.

Get some ultravibe speed craws and texas rig them weightless..."Finesse Buzz Bait".