Some of the best fishing of the year is right in front of us in November and December, and if you can take some time away from the tree stand, you can get into some excellent bass fishing. That’s always hard for me to do this time of year — after all, hunting season is for hunting. However, the bass are biting, too, and if I’m on the water, you can almost guarantee a buzzbait rod will be locked in my hands.
Winding a buzzbait is a fun way to fish, and it’s one of the best lures you can use this time of year. Throwing a buzzbait isn’t just a warm-water technique – I’ll be throwing one well into the fall because I know it’s my best chance at getting bigger fish to bite.
When and where
I always pay attention to water temperature, but keep this in mind: 50-degree water means different things depending on the lake and time of year. If you get a warming trend early in the year and it cools down to 50, it’s not a good time for a buzzbait. Fall is the opposite, and those dropping temperatures really get fish going.
A good example was the Toyota Series Championship a few years ago on Lake Cumberland — a clear-water, highland impoundment that’s perfect for a buzzbait in the fall. It was early December, and the water was in the low 50s. Then, we got a cold front, and it started snowing, which dropped the temperatures overnight. I caught all my fish at that event on a buzzbait. It wasn’t a bunch of them, but they were all quality fish, and I cashed a check. That’s one thing about about a buzzbait in the fall: You’re not going to catch a lot of fish, but they’ll be the right ones.
I’m generally moving down the bank, burning that buzzbait as fast as possible in the fall, but there’s usually a key spot where the fish will be. That might be simple transitions between different types of rock or gravel. Another key spot is anything that’s visually different. If you’re fishing down a bank and all of the cover is vertical — maybe it’s trees sticking out of the water — and then you have a log laying horizontal, that’s a place to make an extra cast or two, because one should be there.
Choosing the right buzzbait
Not all buzzbaits are equal, and there are times when fish want one over another. That’s why I use several different versions. Some are clacking baits, some have a squealing sound, and some can be fished much quicker than others. Each will be better on certain days, and I also use several different sizes; it depends on the lake and how fast I want to fish.
The Epic Baits Buzz Bait Burner is a small-profile version that you can use to fish quickly. I also use some homemade baits as well as the Epic Baits Slow Roll’r, and I almost always remove the skirt and use a Zoom Horny Toad instead. Adding a toad adds bulk and weight to the whole package, which is crucial when they’re slurping it off the surface — they seem to get it much better. I keep it simple and only carry black or white — those are really the only two colors you need.
I also modify buzzbaits by bending the blades or wire a little to change the sound, either from the blade clacking on the head or giving that rivet a squeakier sound. Another little trick I do is to drill a dimple right where the blade hits the head, insert a little tungsten bead made for Carolina rigs, and use some J-B Weld to keep it in place. Now, that blade is hitting tungsten instead of lead, and you won’t believe how much that can help on some days. Those little changes can make a big difference in your fall buzzbait fishing.