i have two never caught any fish on them no idea when or where to use them. i use torpedos on topwater to and i catch lots of fish on them but i can never get even an courious spalsh around a buzz bait. help please. i have two booyah counter strikes in , white and black.

While I don't fish buzzbaits as often since I started fishing toads a few years ago, I still enjoy using them from time to time.  I usually use a buzzbait in many of the same places I'd fish a toad, but usually not quite as deep in the thick stuff as I might use a toad.  I've had plenty of success throwing them over pad fields and emergent grass and they're great for throwing parallel to reeds or other emergent vegetation and working along the edge.  

As for action, try changing up your retrieves periodically to see if the fish just want something a little different.  Sometimes they'll hit best when I barely crank it along the surface at just fast enough to keep it at the surface.  Other times they want it ridiculously fast, but my most popular presentation is a chugging-type retrieve much like KVD always talk about using his spinnerbaits.  Pull it up to the surface and then use the rod to sweep the bait forward and let it drop back over and over again.  

Usually, as with any bait, the more you use it, the more you'll find out for yourself how you can fish it to be successful where you are.

Some folks limit their buzz baits to dawn and dusk. Some even say it's only good in the Fall. I, however, fish buzzbaits all day long all year. I love em! I would agree with most though, overcast and/or a little wind helps the buzzbait bite.

The main thing to look for is some sort of cover: a log, an overhanging tree branch, a dock, a little clump of pads, etc. Cast past the target area and buzz it back to you. If you can hit the cover, even better! Keep your rod tip up and reel it back at a steady pace. Try slowing it down and/or speeding it up if that doesn't work. Myself, I never burn a buzzbait, but some do. On occasion, I will twitch the rod tip to get an extra splash every now and again.

On your cast, try to slow down the bait before it hits the water and start reeling immediately. You will sometimes get bit a second after it hits, so watch your landing. I've heard some say that a bass can track a bait as it flies through the air so they can snag it as soon as it goes under. I will sometimes let mine sink a second two, but more often, I'll pull the rod tip up and start reeling before the bait hits the water so it just skims the top and takes off right away. Like with frogs, you can easily pull a buzzbait out of a fish's mouth, so wait 2 seconds after the initial hit; you want to feel the bass pull before you set the hook. It's hard though.

If a fish boils on it, and you don't freak and yank the bait out of the water, there's a good chance the bass will go after it again. Stay calm and keep reeling. I always follow up with a second cast to the same spot. But, after that, if you have another rod handy, throw a worm or fluke to the spot the buzzbait was attacked and let it sit there for a while. If not, I say keep casting around that area for a while. I think bass often get so ticked by a buzzer, that they just want it gone. It might only take a few more passes by that noisy thing for the fish to hit it again. I do think you can over buzz an area too though, so keep that in mind. Give it a break after a while if you're not getting hit. Throw something else for a bit or move on down the shore for a while and come back later.

I've never tried those Counterstrike buzzers, but they look like they would throw a lot of water with those two blades. Keep at it with those and I know you will get a strike. I suggest grabbing a cheapo black buzzbait off the rack and try that too. Sometimes, it's just a steady bubbling gurgle, not a big splash, that gets the most hits.

The counterstrike buzzbait isn't too good, it requires a fast retrieve to keep it on the surface. I like cavitrons because you can really crawl them nice and slow. Generally, but not always, the slower you can reel a buzzbait while still keeping it gurgling on the surface, the more strikes you will get.

I use buzzbaits generally at dawn and dusk, or during cloudy weather. Once in a while they will work on sunny days with a slight wind chop, or if you are covering expanses of shallow water with lots of weed or wood cover.

I use a black on black cavitron buzzbait at dawn,dusk,night and overcast days.  Even if you dont catch anything on it you can see swirls in its wake a lot of times, then follow up with a finesse set up.

I'm not familiar with the counter strikes. But in addition the specific tips you've received, my best advice is to keep 'em wet!!

Some folks limit their buzz baits to dawn and dusk. Some even say it's only good in the Fall. I, however, fish buzzbaits all day long all year. I love em! I would agree with most though, overcast and/or a little wind helps the buzzbait bite.

Same here.

Early AM.

Late PM.

All Day.

Suggest you consider purchasing

Lee Bailey, Jr.'s Fishing Factors Buzzbait Secrets

ff#42

Bass Challenge, LLC

P.O. Box 177

Hebron, CT 06248

877.369.8687

Cavitron buzzbaits are top of the line.

Great bait to use.  Fun to catch bass on them.

If a bass misses the buzzbait, throw a Senko to the spot immediately.

Good luck.  

I usually break out the buzzbaits after trying my usual search routine, aside from known spots where I already have the bass figured out.

1. Plastics.  Worms or creatures first.  Work the area.

2. Spinners on the outside edges of cover or grass.

3. Topwaters, shallow cranks, rapala minnows.

3. Buzzbaits.

What do you all believe is the best setup for buzzbaits?

6'6-7'0 MH rod with at fast tip

Low stretch line (basically anything but mono)

At least a 6.3:1 reel

This is what seems to work for me. I switched to a faster action rod and notice my buzzbait and frog hookup ratio increased dramatically.

6'6-7'0 MH rod with at fast tip

Low stretch line (basically anything but mono)

At least a 6.3:1 reel

This is what seems to work for me. I switched to a faster action rod and notice my buzzbait and frog hookup ratio increased dramatically.

Why is this? I have no experience with buzzbaits, so I'm trying to figure everything out.

I consider myself a seasoned buzzbaiter. I mostly fish them at night. Color is irelevent at night. The most important feature of a buzzer is the squeek. The louder the better. Any buzzer that has beads behind the blade is poor. There should always be a rivet. I prefer the standard 2 bladed buzzer and I dont like clackers. Just a nice loud sqeek! I cast paralell to the shore with long casts and reel it just fat enough to get it up and churning. I also try and make the retreive as mathodical as I can. a constant speed with no iregularities.

The real issue is blade configuration and head design. Using the same blade configuration and head design in every situation will vastly limit your success with buzz baits.

Longer shafts under certain conditions means missed fish every time

Shorter shafts under certain conditions means missed fish every time

Squealer under certain conditions means missed fish every time

Clacker under certain conditions means missed fish every time

Small blade under certain conditions means missed fish every time

Large blade under certain conditions means missed fish every time

Right rotating blades under certain conditions means missed fish every time

Left rotating blades under certain conditions means missed fish every time

My Buzz Bait setup

All Star Pro Series PR826C

Length: 6' 10

Line Weight: 12-25

Lure: 3/8-3/4

Action: Fast Medium Heavy

Handle is extra long for solid hook sets

Shimano Calcutta CT50A Gear Ratio: 5:0.1

Berkley Big Game 15# Mean Green