Buzzbaits are exciting lures with the potential to pull in some seriously big bass. There’s a reason why buzzbaits are a preferred choice by Bassmaster Pros[1].
The best buzzbait is the Booyah Buzz because it has a clacker that generates even more attention. This is a great way of pulling lunkers out from hiding and I’ve seen it happen quite a few times.
If you’re looking to dive into the intoxicating world of buzzbaits, now is your chance. Stick around and see what we’ve got for you today!
Best Buzzbait Choices: My Personal Top 8
Buzzbaits are easily one of my favorite bass lures. There’s a lot of variety but overall, the presentation is pretty much the same across all of them.
What separates one from the next is the success of the action, how easy they are to fish, and how well they hold up in the water.
Some buzzbaits offer different features such as a bleeding color tone, double blade, or a different trailer to create a unique action.
All of these are awesome options with some being more affordable than others. My goal is to help you choose which ones will look best on the end of your line.
1. Booyah Buzz Buzzbait
If you’ve ever read any of the reviews I’ve written, you’ll know that I’m a huge fan of the Booyah Buzzbait.
I think this is one of the top five lures ever made for bass fishing and it’s a great option if you’ve never fished a buzzbait before.
It features a double-bladed design with a clacker. When you’re retrieving it, the blade spins around and hits the clacker each time it spins which creates a heck of a disturbance in the water.
The reason this works is because it generates attention in murky water where bass are using other senses besides sight to identify potential food sources.
I highly recommend using this lure in the early Spring when there’s a lot of surface runoff but it’s honestly a great option all year long.
Booyah offers this bad boy in a number of different colors and it comes in a ½ or ¼ ounce. You can add a trailer to it for a little extra weight, or fish it exactly as it is.
The company offers a ton of options and this is a larger version of the Pond Magic which we’ll take a look at shortly.
2. Strike King Tri-Wing Buzzbait
Sometimes, the best buzzbait is the one you’ve never heard of and this is a newer option from Strike King you may not be familiar with.
What makes this one different is that it has a three bladed design that all rotate independently from each other. It creates an unfamiliar noise that bass may not have heard before.
The blades are also bright and designed to reflect light so you get a two-for-one in this deal. Now you have light reflection, loud noise, and bubbling.
This is what draws the big fish out of hiding. When they eventually get tired of listening to this thing, they’ll strike simply out of aggravation.
The Tri-Wing comes in a few different colors and is ⅛ ounce so it’s definitely small. You’ll want to add some weight to it with a trailer or throw a split shot on to get an optimal casting distance.
If I was adding a trailer, I’d use a realistic paddle tail swimbait or swim jig to really sell the presentation and imitate a baitfish like shad.
3. Booyah Pond Magic
One of the best buzzbaits for bass is easily the Pond Magic. This is a great affordable option for those looking to dive into buzzbaits but don’t have a lot of experience.
They’re five bucks each, come in a ton of colors, and they simply work.
The main thing that separates this from the primary Booyah Buzz is the fact that it only has a simple propeller with no clacking.
It doesn’t make quite as much noise so that’s the reason why it’s designed for smaller water and smaller bass.
That doesn’t mean you can’t catch big bass on it. It just means you’re more likely to draw panfish, trout, and other fish.
I’d recommend fishing this on a day when the bass aren’t biting. It’s a great fall fishing lure if the bite is starting to slow down due to cold weather.
This may be able to draw them out with just enough action to generate some attention.
4. Lunker Lure Buzzbait
Take a look at the picture of this buzzbait and tell me what looks different about it. If you said the skirt is on backwards, you’d be correct.
This unique buzzbait for bass has a folded skirt and no, it’s not backwards, it’s like that on purpose.
The point of the skirt is to displace more water and generate more of a disturbance on the surface so you can get more attention to your topwater lure.
It’s a great option in the open water and when you’re retrieving it, the skirt expands making the lure look larger than it is. This is a great way to pull larger bass out of hiding.
This bad boy is a one hit wonder from Lunker Lure so it only comes in one color and size.
You’ll also need a trailer which can make this one a bit heavy otherwise the hook will be fully exposed and you’ll pull a lot of weeds.
I wouldn’t suggest this as a primary option because of that. I’d get the Booyah Buzz Buzzbait and have this in my arsenal for fishing deeper water away from the shore.
5. Megastrike Cavitron
The Cavitron is a highly slept-on buzzbait I think primarily because of its price. A lot of anglers have a hard time justifying paying $15 for one lure and I can totally understand that. It’s expensive.
But, let me tell you why it’s worth the cost.
This is an extremely popular tournament lure and it’s been successfully used by a lot of Bassmaster Pros.
It’s one of the slowest buzzbaits ever and requires you to retrieve it extremely slowly to allow water through the holes of the blade.
There’s a lot of quality in this lure as well. It features an extremely sharp hook and they’ll place it ever so slightly further in the silicone skirt which helps improve the hook up without exposing too much of the trailer hook.
The design also reduces the need for a trailer and the added weight on this lure also helps ensure you get optimal casting distance.
It’s a unique option I wouldn’t recommend for the bigger buzzbait angler but if you’re looking to step up your game a little, this is the lure you want.
6. War Eagle Buzz Toad
In many cases, the best buzzbaits don’t look like buzzbaits at all. Sometimes, they look more like a swimbait.
This lure is a great option if you find yourself angling in a lot of vegetation and you need something to work around pads.
This is where frogs hang out and it’s a reason why frog lures are so popular in these conditions.
The lure makes a great disturbance on the water when worked slowly, exactly like a buzzbait. But it offers the presentation that bass are looking for in these areas.
The Buzz Toad comes in a number of colors and a few sizes. It’s a great soft bait and noisy comparable lure to the weedless Booyah Pad Crasher.
7. Strike King Bleeding Bait
This guy isn’t too different from any of the other Strike King buzzbaits with the exception of its coloring.
Having the best buzzbait color is more important than you think. Any time you can mimic a certain fish behavior, you increase your chances of catching bass.
In this case, you’re using a bleeding color tone to make the bass think that your lure is injured. Bass are opportunistic predators so they’re more likely to strike something they think is hurt.
It comes in four different color tones and offers the same level of noise and reflection as the typical Strike King Buzzbait. It’s a good idea to have one of these with you at all times if the bass aren’t biting.
8. Arbogast Buzz Plug
Here’s another buzzbait you may not have seen before. This is the Buzz Plug and it’s quite different from the traditional buzzbait.
This floating buzzbait will remain on the top even when you stop working it because the front blade will rise out of the water and the hook at the bottom will stay suspended below.
This is a great option for when bass comes striking out from the depths because it positions the hook right where you need it to set it.
As you’re working it, the unique blade design has a number of connected holes that almost creates a whistle sound as it moves through the water.
One thing I find misleading about the picture on Amazon is the size of the blade. These blades are huge and the lure itself is quite big as well.
I’d recommend buzzbait fishing these during optimal conditions only by casting parallel to the shore and working along dense vegetation to pull bass out from hiding.
Types of Buzzbaits
So, what is a buzzbait? There are three primary types of buzzbaits and having options is always a good policy in my book.
Single Propeller
A single prop buzzbait is exactly what it sounds like. It’s one propeller that spins independently as you work the lure.
It’s the most common type and it won’t make as much noise as some other options but more noise isn’t always better.
If you’re fishing in clear water conditions in late Summer, early Fall, less noise is the better option.
Single Propeller with Clacker
A clacker adds another noise element compared to a single blade buzzbait. If the water is murky and fish are relying entirely on sound, this is a great option.
Double Propeller
Fishing a buzzbait is the ultimate noisemaker. It creates twice the disturbance and really generates attention. These are tough to work because they’re heavy and they’ll bring in every piece of green they touch.
When to Fish a Buzzbait
Buzzbaits are good all year long but they’re most commonly used in heavy cover.
If you’re casting from the shore and you’re trying to work beyond the weeds, these don’t snag easily but you’ll want to make sure you have enough weight on them to get out far enough and work them back.
Buzzbait vs Spinnerbait
The main difference between a buzzbait and a spinnerbait is the blade. The blade on a buzzbait is a propeller that is designed to spin around and churn water as you retrieve it.
The blade on a spinnerbait is not really a blade and is more of a spoon. It’s there to reflect light and generate attention when the water is clear.
Each lure looks almost identical depending on the kind you’re using and you can add trailers to both.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best buzzbait color?
The best buzzbait color depends on the conditions. Light colors like chartreuse are better when the sun is shining and dark colors are better in low light conditions.
What is the best rod for buzzbaits?
The best rod for buzzbaits is whatever rod you have. That said, a medium spinning rod is the preferred choice.
What do you put on a buzzbait?
You can put most trailers on a buzzbait including swimbaits, craws, and most creature baits.
Final Thoughts
I really hope you enjoyed this deep dive into buzzbaits and I hope you have a better understanding of how to choose the right one.
The Booyah Buzz is hard to beat so I highly recommend having this one in your tacklebox at all times.
If you have a favorite buzzbait or a cool buzzbait story, be sure to tell us about it in the comments! Good luck out there!
