Fished a Strike King Hack Attack buzzbait yesterday and went 1/7 on strikes.  Is that normal for buzzbaits, something wrong with the hook placement/size on this buzzbait, or just one of those days where switching from a topwater to a wakebait would of been a good idea?  Three were obvious short strikes, however the other 4 I felt the weight of the fish every time before setting the hook but only managed to connect on one.

I usually use a trailer hook and have a pretty good success rate . I also pour my own and incorporate the stair step design like on the Cavitron . I dont know if that helps or not but it seems too . I was just out last night , no moon until midnight and caught over 50 percent of the strikes .

 

 

and dont set the hook until you feel the fish , which is easier said than done .  Our reflexes want to jerk when we see or hear the strike .

6 minutes ago, scaleface said:

I usually use a trailer hook and have a pretty good success rate . I also pour my own and incorporate the stair step design like on the Cavitron . I dont know if that helps or not but it seems too . I was just out last night , no moon until midnight and caught over 50 percent of the strikes .

I was hoping to avoid the trailer hook since I fish pretty grassy areas.  My thought process on picking one up is that the topwater bite at the ponds I typically fish has been great this year, but the grass has reached it's summer peak with a hard defined edge on the surface.  The buzzbait right now lets me get right next to that edge without picking up grass, not sure how much grass the trailer hook would pick up.

If I miss more than one fish on a buzzer or spinnerbait, I'm doing something wrong. I'll either change speeds, color, or blade configuration.  Start with changing speeds and believe it or not, speeding up seems to work more often than slowing down. 

I find with topwater baits the bass do one of two things. They either inhale it, or just swipe at it. If I go on a streak like you had of bad hookups, I start to assume they're just swiping at it and switch up my game plan. Bass are insanely accurate and don't usually miss often, and we aren't humanly fast enough to pull the lure out of a fishes mouth. 

I’d slow it down a bit. 

 

Second choice would a trailer hook but since it’s weedy that wouldn’t work. 

 

If I had that much grass I’d use a paddle tail frog.  

Some days they just aren't eating it. Last time I was fishing one a couple weeks ago I probably had 20 boils, hooked 1 of them. I was able to catch about half the misses on an Ocho throwing it back at the boils though. 

Thanks for the advice everyone.

 

6 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Some days they just aren't eating it. Last time I was fishing one a couple weeks ago I probably had 20 boils, hooked 1 of them. I was able to catch about half the misses on an Ocho throwing it back at the boils though. 

I always hear about having a follow-up lure ready for buzzbaits which is why I wasn't sure if it's pretty common to miss most of the hits.  Out of a boat I would have been rigged up for this, just inconvenient to bring a second rod bank fishing in my opinion.

My hook ups went way up when I switched to the D&M Buzz Saw. With the big, free-swinging EWG hook that's farther back, I can rig a Fluke, big grub or even a Trick Worm and it's weedless to boot. I also will sometimes remove the skirt and use a swimbait like the LFT Magic Shad.

I try to resist the urge to setting the hook immediately. i try to feel the weight of the fish before leaning into him. if anything if gives them another chance to hit it again.

 

1 hour ago, YoTone said:

 i try to

I try not to  ,too but still pull the trigger early  at times .

If the bass strikes the blades a trailer hook or hesitating doesn't help.

Tom

1 hour ago, WRB said:

If the bass strikes the blades a trailer hook or hesitating doesn't help.

Tom

Any suggestions for this situation?

16 minutes ago, jbrew73 said:

Any suggestions for this situation?

Use a trailer and different color blade(s) to help the bass target where the hook is located.

Tom

Gotcha.   I'm really surprised hook up ratios are as good as the are with bladed baits!

we throw spoons expecting fish to bite the blade but expect them to bite the skirt on spinners, buzzbaits, etc.

On 7/3/2018 at 10:42 PM, bigbassin' said:

I was hoping to avoid the trailer hook since I fish pretty grassy areas.  My thought process on picking one up is that the topwater bite at the ponds I typically fish has been great this year, but the grass has reached it's summer peak with a hard defined edge on the surface.  The buzzbait right now lets me get right next to that edge without picking up grass, not sure how much grass the trailer hook would pick up.

You could then try a buzzing toad along the same edgeline.

The rage tail shad(although not very durable) is the one with the biggest thump followed by the rage tail toad.

My personal favorite is the Keitech noisy flapper.

 

 

 

NOT TOOTING MY OWN HORN BUT I would consider myself as one of the top buzz bait fishermen in the world . I have studied every aspect of fishing it imaginable.

It is my #1 confidence bait . There are so many variables and conditions that will alter results  yes the construction of the bait itself . The blade ,the ,wire,the hook, the skirt,the aggressiveness of the fish ,the angle the fish strike,the angle of the hook .you name it I have studied it. 

Other factors include profiles, speed, distance from back of the blade to where the end of the wire near the rivot.. 

It all has to be synchronized together. 

Now we add in rod,reel retrieve speeds , line ,diameter weather braid ,mono,floro. 

Hook.size to large to small,ewgs

 

I have done it all Rock. 

Light conditions also have an effect.

 If anyone has any questions  I'm here to help .