Lost fish on BuzzBombs

We have all seen BuzzBombs sliding up the line.  This morning I hooked into 5 fish at Richmond Beach and only boated 1.  When netted the bomb slid back down the line, banged into the hook in the netted fish's mouth and knocked out the barbless hook.  I think the lost fish may have been lost in the same way, bomb slides up during the fight, then back down into the hook.  Thinking back I seem to lose more fish on a BuzzBomb than other lures.

Does anyone pin their BuzzBombs on the line?  If so, how?  I am thinking of putting a bead above the bomb and looping the line through it once or twice. 

jam it with a toothpick then break off the excess toothpick. 

I noticed this quite a bit as well while bank fishing at Browns Point. I feel like the lost fish stem from both the method of fishing the BB, and it's overall weight. The bite is typically when the BB is free falling in the water column, there for you typically don't feel the bite until you are raising your rod tip again. By this point the fish has figured out it was just a tasteless piece of metal, and are desperately trying to spit it out. Also on the drop the BB has separated from the hook, so they don't always grab the hook. And last but not least, you will have a slight belly in your line from the weight of the BB sliding away from the fish after hookup. This means that with just a little head-shake the fish temporarily eases the line tension throwing the barbless hook. Just my theory.

Don't go blameing your equipment now. Barbless fishing is more difficult but when you understand what not to do and not to do it get's easier and funner.

Z

besides breakin off the toothpick, add a couple beads below the bomb in front of the hook eye. maybe one or two above and shorten the leader to about 10 inches?

actually, been thinking about this since someone else told me they had the same trouble..

maybe tie the hook onto 10 inches of 25 -30 lb flouro, add 2 beads or rubber bumpers, add the lure, add 2 more beads, oh break off a toothpick in the lure, tie on a barrel swivel and be done with it?? that would take care of the slide problems, and give ya a leader, tho it would be a short one.

old timer salmon heads, what do ya think?

gosh, where's kallitype with his words of wisdom?


 

jam it with a toothpick then break off the excess toothpick. 

Does this withstand the cast?  I know about pinning a float, but a float is light and puts little stress on the toothpick. 

Only one way to find out.  Bring both toothpicks and extra beads.  Thanks.

Hey demonick,

What size of Buzz Bombs you using? I'm guessing your targeting pinks. I was again out at Point no Point all weekend and not 1 fish. There were fish under my boat in droves, but not 1 hookup. I tried everything in my box, buzzbombs, apex, quickfish, hoochie, and nothing to show for it. Normally I didn't feel that bad about it because I would only see the occasional fish under the boat. This time I could reach out and touch them, I'm surprised they didn't jump and land In the boat. People on the beach were landing them left and right, I think by the time I got my kayak in the water I saw 3 fish caught. Maybe its my technique, this is the First time Ive used buzzbombs but Ive watched other people do it and tried to mimic what they were doing but with no results. how fast do you retrieve the line? Do you follow the instructions on the box or do you do something else? you casting them or vertical jigging.

I need help!

Thanks,
Konigslachs

I didn't mean to sound like I was bashing barbless. I was just referring to the ease in which the hook can be thrown. Barbless if far better for the fishery and foul hooked anglers alike. As a kid I hung myself in the face with a roostertail after I jerked it out of a willow tree overhanging the pond. I was grounded at the time, and wasn't supposed to be out fishing. Needless to say my friends were no help, so I had to call my mom and spend a few hours in the ER. So much for the they'll never know black ops fishing I was trying to pull off.

Breaking off a tooth pick in the BB will stop it from "buzzing" on the drop. Isn't that the "attractant". The way I fished them was 10-12" of 20lb fluorocarbon leader, a pink gamakatsu octopus hook tied on with an egg-loop knot so it would lay strait, the rubber doughnut to protect my knot, then one bead between the BB and the doughnut, and one between the BB and my swivel (for extra "buzzing"). I give it a squirt of pink smelly jelly as well. I don't know if this helps, but the way I see it it couldn't hurt either. Also look at the BB. It only goes on your line one way. The the word hook with an arrow is stamped on the side. After casting let it sink to the bottom watching for excess slack or running line to indicate a fish with your rod tip just above parallel with the water. Then raise the rod tip to vertical while turning the reel over a few cranks to really bring it up the water column. Then quickly lower your tip back to just above parallel so the BB free falls again. Reel in excess slack when you you drop tour rod, but keep in mind you want it to free fall so Just the excess. If you are in deeper water, and the fish are closer to the surface, then for get the to the bottom part. Just start the jigging as soon as it hits the water. I'm a total nub when it comes to salmon in the sound, but I have been catching pinks from the bank @ BP with this set-up/method when everyone around me using the same BB are getting skunked. You will run into the missed fish problem though. Hope this helps.

How about a split shot 1/2 in above the body ??

consider Sickle hooks or jigs if the fish are in the top of water column  - this will definitely increase the hookup ratio

we did you hook the 6

Hey demonick,

What size of Buzz Bombs you using? I'm guessing your targeting pinks. I was again out at Point no Point all weekend and not 1 fish. There were fish under my boat in droves, but not 1 hookup. I tried everything in my box, buzzbombs, apex, quickfish, hoochie, and nothing to show for it. Normally I didn't feel that bad about it because I would only see the occasional fish under the boat. This time I could reach out and touch them, I'm surprised they didn't jump and land In the boat. People on the beach were landing them left and right, I think by the time I got my kayak in the water I saw 3 fish caught. Maybe its my technique, this is the First time Ive used buzzbombs but Ive watched other people do it and tried to mimic what they were doing but with no results. how fast do you retrieve the line? Do you follow the instructions on the box or do you do something else? you casting them or vertical jigging.

I need help!

First, I am not an expert.

Targeting whatever is in the first 30-ish feet of water.  From shore I have caught pinks, coho, and chinooks on Buzz-Bombs.  I was using 2-1/2 and 3L with a 2/0 and 3/0 hook respectively on an 8'6" (now 8' :-) medium spinning rod.  I pre-rig my bombs on about 3' of 20# mono, or fluoro if I have some around, with an orange or pink plastic bead between the hook and bomb rather than the rubber bumper.  Wash your hands, use alcohol wipes, or latex gloves when rigging your gear - on the water I don't worry about it, because by the time I am fishing my hands have been well soaked in salt water.  I always use some sort of scent, currently shrimp or salmon fest smelly jelly.  I've cut some pipe insulation into about 6" lengths, then in half the long way creating two troughs.  Each trough will hold 2 pre-rigged lures, Buzz-Bomb, hoochie, Coho Killer, Coyote, jig, whatever.  Stick the hook into one end of the insulation and wrap the leader loosely the long way around and pin the loop with a short sick pin.  Reverse for the second lure.  They stack 2 high in the tackle box.  I have started to use a "dirty" tackle box so I don't put used gear in with the unused gear.  Can then just rinse and clean the used gear, and I do not waste time on the water trying to keep the tackle box neat. 

I've been cast and retrieve unless I am changing locations then it's trolling - the more time your gear is in the water the better.  Various retrieves.  Pull rod tip up a few feet, then back down to introduce slack in the line to let the bomb fall free, then reel in 3-6 feet of line.  The whole cycle takes about 5 seconds.  Sometimes I'll give long slow pulls rather than a faster shorter one.  Sometimes I'll go shorter multiple pull/slacks before reeling.  Sometimes I won't pump, just reel, pause, reel, pause, ...  With some practice you can get the timing so on the drop you follow the bomb down with enough, but minimal slack.  Slack at the rod tip can loop around the rod, particularly working braid into the wind.  Hits come during the drop, so you may not know you have hooked a fish until the next pull. 

I am new to the world of the fish finder so I am still trying integrate the FF information into my fishing.  I have been seeing a lot of fish on the FF at all depths in shallow to deep water.  They seem to be "organized" into both streams and waves that varies with time and tide.  Paddling out from the beach I may see a "stream" of fish in 75' FOW, then another in 200' FOW then another in 350' FOW.  Last week I followed jumpers into 600' FOW.  When I stop seeing fish for 10 minutes or so, I'll paddle in or out while trolling looking for another "stream".  Cast ahead of jumpers.  Let the bomb sink before working.  I assume they sink at 1/foot per second, but I have not tested it.  I always check out where the sea lions and seals are working. 

One thing I do wonder is whether it is generally better to cast in the direction of their travel or opposite to it.

I have heard the holographic Buzz-Bombs are very effective, but I've not tried them as I have enough pink, chartreuse, and white to last this season :-)

I have tried vertical jigging a bit, but I find jigging to be boring (no offense meant!!) and I can't keep it up for very long.  Also the bombs sink very slowly compared to something like a Point Wilson dart so if your target is deep the bomb may never get there because of wind drfit and/or tide.

Good luck!

we did you hook the 6

Sorry?  Where?  Richmond Beach.  When?  From about low slack tide to two hours later. 

Some input from recent experiences using buzzbombs.

Up at Foggy Bay we had large schools of silvers crashing in calm, clear water.  I could see the buzz bomb while I was working it and I could see the schools of fish and how they responded to it.  They definitely were interested in it on the drop, but would rarely take it.  It seemed like they were checking it out but decided it wasn't what they wanted.  But the moment I jigged it, they would take it, kind of like a reaction bite.

While I started out using barbed trebles, I quickly went to barbless singles.  I had no problems.  I was tying directly to the line without a leader.  I could see the buzzbomb sliding way up the line, but in the water it wasn't sliding anywhere near fast enough to knock the hook loose, at least I didn't think it was fast enough.

As an aside, my experience with pinks is that they like a slow steady retrieve.  No jigging necessary, just a wobble to the buzzbomb.  And use the smallest sized pink one you can find.

-Allen

Reason why it's floating free on the line is for the action. That spin/flutter gets fish to bite. And like Pole said, you'll most likely get the hit just as you pause the retrieve and jig. Pin it down and it won't have the action. And w/o the action... you know where I'm going.

Z

 Try these,, they will hook up somewhere!!! ( Freestyle jig ) Leader attaches to hook ring..