The water temp is warming to the mid 60's and the weather has been good the past few weeks. It's the end of April, some of the bigger bass are coming off beds and some are still on beds. My question is, when to start throwing the buzzbait early? Is there a set water temp before the topwater bite is best? I've been throwing a buzzbait with no success however I've been throwing a topwater frog in grass and tearing them up. What's wrong with the buzzbait? Not time yet?

If it's windy outside, and sunny, go ahead and throw it.

I've caught them in water temps as low as 60 on buzzbaits. They will begin to work about now up here in Colorado, so they should for sure in 'bama.

Windy and overcast, windy and sunny both work well for me. If the water is flat, I'd choose another topwater, like a jitterbug, or wakebait.

Over here in NJ we've had a weekend of nice weather (weather in the 80s). I've had some good topwater results lately, though alot of short/missed strikes for what ever reason.

I'm already catching bass well on poppers here in Colorado, with water temps in the mid to high 60s.

i throw'em year round........i do frequent other topwater options more though, but the buzzbait is definately a staple of mine......

as for watertemps.....i usually dont pay much attention (maybe i should, but its never been a problem for me so far!!)

....then again, im in central florida, and the weather is far different around these parts

You just never know man! I remember catching bass on them one day after a freeze here in FL(believe it or not)!

    Anytime you want too.  Many people have caught fish in freezing weather and water tempuratures.

    I was out fishing last Saturday and caught about a 4 pounder on a black Lunker Lure buzzbait.  I was "buzzing" it right beside a laydown and she just exploded on it.

    The water tempurature in that area was about 66 degrees but in sunny areas it was as warm as 72 degrees.

me and my buddy would start throwing them about 2 weeks after the ice came off in michigan and catch fish. so im sure you can catch them in alabama no problem.

i was told something before about the barometric pressure has an affect and days where bubbles form and stay on top  for longer  in your trail are good days for buzz baits  

When the sun sets

I talked to the guy who won the tourney and he caught all of his fish on a top water frog in grass where the shad were. I couldn't find any grass with shad, I could only catch the 3-4lb largemouth from the grass with no shad. I caught them all on a frog and spinnerbait, none on a buzzbait.

I guess I'll wait until the water warms a bit more.

Quick question, do you guys think color really matter when fishing buzzbaits? I primarily throw Black/Black or Chart/White and sometimes a Silver Shad (Silver/Grey/White). I use the Cavitron and the Culprit buzzbaits.

Blade shape

Blade color

Direction of blade rotation

All are more important then skirt color  

Gary Klein throws a buzzbait year round and he said he has good luck all year.

i have just started to throw them around my parts and im tearing em up on a buzz bait.. i caught 2 over 6 just a feew days ago.. of course the 95 degree air temps are certainly helping haha ;D

You can start throwing one today if you don't want to catch anything  .  I'm kidding....I just said that because I threw one this morning for a good 45min in textbook buzzbait conditions (textbook topwater conditions actually), and couldn't get even a boil. I'll stick with a buzzbait longer than a popper due to the size of fish they product.  It's the 'jig' of topwaters.  

Living in south Louisiana allows for throwing a buzz bait all year, but I have to say my favorite time in during the Post Spawn, especially in the month of May when I throw it all day. With the bass being scattered after the spawn, the buzz bait allows me to cover alot of water during the day. A lot of times, I find the fish with a buzz bait and then I'm able to use something else to pick off a few more fish in the area before moving on. I don't really pay attention to water temperature, it's more about the weather, wind, and light conditions for me.

And as far as colors, I keep it very simple. I use a black skirt with a black blade during low light and overcast conditions. When the sun is out, I use a white skirt with a gold blade. In murky water, I'll use a chartruese blade with a chartruese & white skirt. We have a lot of green tinted water down here and I have found an anodized green blade works well in this situation. And I like my buzz baits to make a lot of noise.

I am partial to the Boogerman Racket Buzz, the original Lunker Lure and a locally made bait called a Bass Trap

I havent been out fishing much yet this year but I caught my first bass on a cavitron the other night. It was about 8 pm on a 80 degree day -water was 67 along a stone wall. Usually I can get them earlier than this.I have caught them in lakes with springtime water temps at 52 degrees. The prime water temp for buzzbaits is when its in the 70's. bass are feeding and its the funnest way to catch them in my opinion.