I went fishing today and decided to try my Cavitron buzzbait. I rigged it with a 3.75" Rage Swimmer but on retrieve it kept listing sideways instead of running straight. any ideas?

I'll ask the obvious questions..Did the buzzbait run true w/o the trailer, and did you have the trailer centered..?

Maybe retrieving it too fast? I've found most buzzbaits I use have a speed ranhe where they'll run straight up and down. The max speed of that range is usually fairly slow. 

56 minutes ago, Hammer 4 said:

I'll ask the obvious questions..Did the buzzbait run true w/o the trailer, and did you have the trailer centered..?

Honestly I didn't try it without the trailer but yes, the trailer looked centered to me.

5 minutes ago, Brett's_daddy said:

Honestly I didn't try it without the trailer but yes, the trailer looked centered to me.

Then the next thing to do is..................

  Buzzbaits run sideways . Use it to your advantage .

Is it running “on it’s side” or running “to the side (veering left or right)? If the former, your trailer is too bulky or your retrieve speed too fast. If the latter, that is normal for most single blade buzzers due to blade torque (rotation).

1 hour ago, Team9nine said:

Is it running “on it’s side” or running “to the side (veering left or right)? If the former, your trailer is too bulky or your retrieve speed too fast. If the latter, that is normal for most single blade buzzers due to blade torque (rotation).

Nope, it's running on it's side, not to the side. If I don't reel fast enough though the blade doesn't stay on the surface and runs just under the water.

Edited September 19, 20196 yr by Brett's_daddy

Like Hammer 4 suggested, remove the trailer and see how it runs. Sounds like the trailer you are using is too bulky or creating too much drag for the blade size and head weight of the bait.

2 hours ago, Brett's_daddy said:

Nope, it's running on it's side, not to the side. If I don't reel fast enough though the blade doesn't stay on the surface and runs just under the water.

 

1 hour ago, Team9nine said:

Like Hammer 4 suggested, remove the trailer and see how it runs. Sounds like the trailer you are using is too bulky or creating too much drag for the blade size and head weight of the bait.

A Cavitron is the slowest buzzbait I have ever found. I fish them on a 5:1 Chronarch because of how slow they can be retrieved. 

 

I fish the 1/4oz version, and I'll cut a 1" piece of an old senko up and thread it on the shank of the hook. This gives my bait a little more weight to get me some more distance, and it gives the fish something soft and salty to feel whenever they bite the bait and make them hold on a little longer.

 

There's no need for a big bulky trailer on a buzzbait unless the fish really want a larger profile. In which case, a Fluke or some sort of craw trailer is probably a better option than a paddle tail type swimbait. 

I agree. Ditch the trailer. 

Most of my Cavitrons run to one side or the other. I prefer a buzzbait to run off to the side so I can run it into obstructions during the retrieve.

 

Running on it's side is another issue though. I never run a trailer on my buzzbait, but I've always felt like the bait not running correctly would be the end result.

I don't think it's running sideways, I think it's walking on water...