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Buzzing for Bass with Brent Chapman

   
The water has cooled down, and the bass have migrated to the shallows to feast on baitfish. During this annual fall feeding spree, bass can be coaxed into biting just about any lure you want to throw. However, if you enjoy living on the edge and relish the suspense of topwater fishing, then try a buzzbait. Few fishing experiences match the excitement of watching a buzzbait suddenly disappear when a bass engulfs it, yet the lure is shunned by some anglers in many situations.

“Some people just think it is a morning and evening lure,” said Bassmaster Elite Series pro Brent Chapman. “I think that is one of the biggest misconceptions about topwater fishing. I think some of the best topwater fishing is more during the mid-day.”

Another misconception about buzzbaits is that they are only effective in cloudy weather.    
“That’s one of the amazing things about our sport,” Chapman said. “Some of the days that I would have sworn that the buzzbait fishing would be great, yet it was terrible. Other days that I thought they wouldn’t touch a topwater lure they were actually eating it up. It’s one of those things that you just really have to keep an open mind, and if you have fish that are shallow enough then you need to be throwing a buzzbait.”

The Kansas pro favors throwing a buzzbait in the fall in stained to dirty water.  

“The fish are more in that strike zone of five feet or less and are more apt to eat a buzzbait, whereas in the summertime the majority of the fish are deeper.”

If he is catching a lot of keepers on a spinnerbait, Chapman likes to switch to a buzzbait, which generates fewer strikes but usually produces heftier fish.
 
As the water temperature continues to cool down, some anglers stop throwing the buzzer, which Chapman believes is a mistake.

“I remember times at Lake of the Ozarks in those old Bassmaster Invitational days when I would have sworn that they wouldn’t bite a buzzbait, but they were still eating it.”

Chapman has caught bass when the water temperature was in the 40s and it was snowing.

“I think we all have the misconception that when the water drops into the upper 50s that the fish get off the buzzbait. You just have to keep it in your arsenal and be willing to try it.”

Chapman’s favorite target for buzzing in the shallows is some type of aquatic vegetation, such as milfoil or hydrilla. The seven-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier runs his buzzbaits through the open holes of weed mats or tries to bump the lure into any hard cover on the surface such as stickups, stumps, docks or rocks. A medium-paced, steady retrieve triggers strikes most of the time.

“Sometimes I like to throw it out, pop it, reel it, then kill it for a split second and then just keep reeling it. It seems like there have been times where I have drawn strikes like that from fish that might be following it, and that little bit of hesitation causes those fish to strike.”

Chapman relies on an array of buzzbait sizes for his fall topwater tactics.

“I use them all depending on the size of the baitfish and the amount of water clarity and how thick the cover is. There are also times in clearer water and for heavily pressured fish I will go to an 1/8-ounce buzzbait.”

When bass are feeding on large gizzard shad in off-color water, Chapman throws a magnum-sized buzzbait with the biggest blade he can find.  However, for most situations he selects 3/8- or 1/2-ounce models. The features on Chapman’s buzzbaits are pretty basic. He prefers a standard metal blade and uses models with clackers when fishing around vegetation.

“If a fish is eating a buzzbait that day, it is more important when and where you are throwing it than which blade you are using.”

A gold blade has produced best for Chapman although he has caught fish on black or white blades. He usually matches a black blade with a black skirt and a white blade with a white skirt. Black buzzbaits trigger the most strikes for Chapman on cloudy days or in dirty water, while chartreuse and white buzzers work best on bright, sunny days.

Thinning the skirt on 1/8- and 1/4-ounce buzzbaits gives the lures a smaller profile is one modification Chapman makes for his buzzers.

“One thing I am religious about is always using a trailer hook, I don’t care if you are throwing it in the thickest of cover I can promise you that you might catch eight out of 10 fish on the main hook of that bait but two of those 10 are going to come on that trailer hook and one of those might be the key fish of the tournament.”

Choosing the wrong line is another mistake some anglers make when fishing a buzzbait.  Chapman prefers throwing braided line because of its abrasion resistance and low stretch. When a bass engulfs his buzz bait in the vegetation, Chapman can drag the fish across the mat with braided line. He believes monofilament is too stretchy and allows fish to burrow into the vegetation after the hook set.

No matter what time of day it is or what the weather is like, throw a buzzbait to the shallows this fall and you are likely to catch your biggest bass of the season.