What is your preferred method for breaking in buzzbaits? Fan? Tied to your truck antenna? Hold it up in front of you while your wife yells at you? Seriously though how do you guys and gals do it? Also I'm trying to get a concensus here as to how long you should spin a buzzbait before you consider it "broke in" or do you even worry about it? I usually spin mine in a fan taped to the top of a box for 6-8 hours. My buddy says it needs about a week tied to the truck antenna. How long is just right for you?

I remove the blade and use sandpaper to rough up the wire where the blade goes, use pliers to smash the rivet flat when I put it back together and rough up the top edge of that rivet that touches the blade for extra squeak, then bend out the wire a bit so the buzz air sits lower in the water and finally I put it in front of a fan for at least 3-4 days or it in hurry I’ll use a air compressor

I make my own and squeeze the lip of the rivet and the lip of the blade with a pair of pliers as hard as I can. This creates little ridges which squeal louder than any bait I have heard. I crimp the rivet on the wire so it doesnt spin. Berkley has a new bait out and they are now putting ridges on the contact points .

9 minutes ago, scaleface said:

I make my own and squeeze the lip of the rivet and the lip of the blade with a pair of pliers as hard as I can. This creates little ridges which squeal louder than any bait I have heard. I crimp the rivet on the wire so it doesnt spin. Berkley has a new bait out and they are now putting ridges on the contact point

The riveter. I bought one the other day and used it straight out of the package. It worked like a champ! Definitely gonna get some more of those.

I don't spin them- no need. Crimp the rivet and use fine sand paper or a nail file (I steal all the ones my wife throws away) on both the blade and the rivet face. It will be squealing in no time.

I've done the fan , held it out the window of the truck and soaked them in salt water. Honestly I don't think it matters all that much but if it adds to your confidence then it's worth it.

I used to buy them from a local guy. He used to hang them on the trellis in his garden and let em spin.

Take the blade off and use a drill!!! Some buzz baits you can't do that so proceed with caution.

I never knew breaking buzzbaits in was an actual thing!!!!

How would I break one like this in? Do inside that rivet up snug and crush it tight?

^ Crimp the rivet with some side cutters. Hold it out the window on the way to the fishin hole. Or take some small pliers of some kind and squeeze the contact points as hard as you can, try to make little grooves that will squeal loudly. Buzzbait anglers love that squeal.

I crimp the rivet first and then set the bait up in front of a fan. When it begins to squeek, it's ready. Then, the more you throw the bait, the more it will squeek.

I have absolutely no confidence in a buzz bait that doesn't squeek.

My favorite way to break in a buzzbait.

10 minutes ago, king fisher said:

My favorite way to break in a buzzbait.

Dangggg

My preferred method is foolproof.

1- buy new buzzbait

2- tie on and fish it

3- catch nothing, like always

4- throw in back of tacklebox, never to be seen again

5- buy new buzzbait

Rinse and repeat over the years

I use to take a bit of sand paper and rough them up a bit but now I just buy the JDM ones that come broke in, like the Teckel Maxsqueaker or the Raid Master Blaster. I can fish them right out of the box.

A buddy of mine used take some salt water, put about 1/4 inch on a plate or dish and place a bunch of rivets in the water on their side. After a couple days he would take the rivets out, put them in a worm bag with a few worn out soft plastics and seal it. When they're rusty enough he would store them. Every time he got a new buzzbait he would just replace the nee rivet with one of the rusty ones. Hes not so sure it makes a big difference, but if its just confidence you can, its worth it.

Personally I dont do it. I just the cavitron out of the packaging and tie it on.