Tuning a buzzbait

I've bought lots of buzzbaits before but why do I always have to tune a bait made by Strike King? Never had the issue with Booyah . Just aggravated !!!

Everyone thinks different. I for one always think any buzz bait i buy is too tight. My cure is to tie it to the tie down on the back of the trailer and drive to the lake. Then cast it and bend so it will run like i want it to. Different strokes for different folks.

Tweaking a bait is something that just has to be done. Don't get aggravated. Learn to do it. You will get better and better at picking up on all the little and big things that have to be done to them in order to catch the big Bass.

Looking at a buzzbait; it has to play the music that the Bass want to hear. I have never pulled one out of the package that didn't need tuning in some way; not even a Booyah. There is so many things that you can do to one. It is not just making a bait run true.

I want a buzzbait to do it's thing at the slowest speed possible and that takes some work. Some have to have the break in time. Some have to be worked on in other ways with a small rat tail file. The key to a buzzbait is the squeal or chirp it makes at the slowest speed possible. Running off to the right or left is the easy fix.

I have two buzzbaits made back in the 1930's. They were used on the end of long cane poles with about 5 ft. of braid, around stumps.

The baits have a oversize alum. blade, The head is hammered out of a kitchen spoon. The hook is a huge 7.0. The skirt is hand tied deer hair. They play the music like none other. The human ear is not very good at picking up on this sound but it is all I have to go by.

I set up two rods. One with the Old Doodle Socking Buzz and one with the buzzbait of choice; then just go to work. It usually takes about 2 hours to tune the new bait to the old one; but it works.

I will be glad to do this for you. You will be very pleased with the results. Just send me your baits and I will get it done. There is a small fee or course; just a little over the shipping charges.

My bait of choice to work with is any buzzbait with a rivit on the shaft for the blade to rub against. If it doesn't have it, I will put one on it.

Buy Papa Marks papas buzz. Ready to go right out of the package.

Position it in front of a fan and let it spin! Eventually, it will develop that perfect squeak.

It you ain't tweaking you are behind the fishing curve. There are very few baits I buy that I don't tweak.

I use a air compressor to tweak mine. With the blower attachment and 120 p.s.i.. I can make one squeak in no time.

Alum. parts makes the best squeaks. This is all hand done. Alum. cannot take the high speed turning of wind to tune the blade and how it rubs against the rivit.

If you put it against high speed wind devices or hang it out the window then it will be worn out in a matter of minutes. I learned this the hard way. I did have 3 of those old stump baits and hung one out the window on the way to Big Sam. In a matter of munites the blade came off and was gone. Now it has a after market Alum. blade and rivit; the value is "0" except for its fish catching abilities.

Which grade of aluminum due you prefer? 2024-T3, 6061-T6 or 7075-T6.

I have tried them all over the years.
The standard 2024-T3, is the softest of the 3 and will get the corrosion build up that makes it squeak. This is the material that came out in the 1930s and it works for me.

The other two are harder and layered, heat treated, stronger and will last longer. They are aerospace material and just generally last a lot longer.

I have to be honest, I was just messing with you... Actually all three are aircraft material and are heat treated. 2024-T3 is the most common aluminum used on airplanes. But, thank you for your response, it was well done...

I knew you were 007.. You know the 2024-T3 has 4.5% Copper in it. That is what may make it sqeak better than the others that have Magnesium, silcone (6061-T6) and Zink (7075-T6) in them.

Hold it out your car window while you drive down the road. This will add some squeak to it. Don't know about tuning one.

I'll give these tips a try. The baits blades just don't turn as smoothly as I think they should. Can't tell that when the bait was in the package.

Also, I'm frustrated by the fact that it won't run straight.

There isn't much you can do on this if it is a single blade. You can bend the arm at an angle (away from center, only the straight shaft section going to the blade) a little to help. Unless you have a dual counter rotating blade, they will normally run to the side a little. Fish don't seem to mind. If you are targeting docks, it may be worth your while to have 2 buzzbaits on with different blades so that you can run the right and left edge of the dock.

Back in the day, when I knew everything there was to know about bass fishing, I had a very good friend Jimmy Smith tell me that if you tie the buzzbaits to you antenna, it will tune them and make them squeek perfectly. Well one weekend we were fishing a tourney on Cedar Creek, had the big CB antennas going and the whole 9 yards. Went by Smitty's bought a bunch of buzzbaits, tied them all on the cb antennas and away we went. Well Jimmy may have said a hundred yard drive or so, not a couple of hours at 75mph. We got to Cedar Creek with no skirts,blades,rivets, or even paint on the head,. all we had was a hook ,bare metal, and a bent frame

if you want it to squeak. bend the ears on the blade where the shaft goes thru. it creates a oval and rubs on the shaft making it squeak. crimp the rivet on shaft behind the blade helps too

i have to tune every med-deep strike king crankbait that i have with the only exception to the 1.5 and 2.5's.....ive switched to h20 brand, norman and a couple others because i was too aggravated, i figured one of the biggest companies in the business would make something i wouldnt have to work on out of the box.......try cavitron buzzbaits +1 in front of the fan

Now that is funny right there. That's what happen to the old bait I duck taped to the mirrow. At least I stopped befor all the deer hair was gone.

I'm more concerned with having it run straight. No matter which way I bend the wire it will always run to my left during the retrieve.

Papas buzz from papas baits is the only buzz ill ever use. He makes great colors and is ready right outta the bag. Lures made for fisher by a fisherman and veteran can't n beat that combination! !

Kinda off topic but the double bladed hart buzz bait I never had to tune. Also cant find them anymore