You guys use them much?

I geuss the arn't the lure everyone talks about no more, but I still love them...

Caught a really nice fish this summer on a home made buzz bomb, but it broke when liting it into the boat. (that'll teach me not to lift it only with the line... it snapped instantly after I raised it out of the water)

So you guys still use them? If not what do you like to use when casting or mooching for Salmon from your little row boat (i use) or whatever you use?

Thanks,
BEn
-I havn't been here in forever

Hey Fishnhide, I don't use buzz bombs, but I do use a green 2.5oz point wilson dart. I have used this one lure for the last couple of years, while fishing from the Piers. It has produced good success.

I use the Buzz Bomb allllll the time! I fiddle around with cut plug herring, and if the fish are in, I'll switch to BB's. It's a standing joke in our boat about how many fish I can catch with them.
I taught my son how to fish them a couple years ago. He has a lot of fun, and it's a lure that he can actively fish with, and CATCH fish with, without having to cast. ( Trolling is really boring for kids ) I can't count how many silvers I caught with these this year.
I fish them from the boat and I fish them from the beach. Last August, I went down to Ediz Hook, 200 yards up from Daishowa Mill. I fished for an hour and caught 7 silvers. I called my husband from the cellphone in my pocket just to rub his nose in it, as he was in New Jersey.
A favorite place to cast them from is on the beach in Seiku. The beach in front of the Coho was the hot spot this year, but in years past it has been the beach over by the USCG house....we've caught many kings off that beach when they're running. I almost enjoy playing fish from the beach more than out of the boat.
So fine....let them fall out of favor with everybody else. There'll be more of them for me!
diana

I too will cast bbs off the beach at Seiku with great success. We don't have children but, if I did this would be the place to take them for learning how to play lotsa fish(4-10per hr.)when the silvers are running. Also a great place to teach the practice of catch and release as it is illegal to keep fish in the bay!

They seem to be very popular with the guys fishing from the piers at Redondo and W. Seattle. They can be productive for Chinook. I remember one day last summer when guys at the Redondo pier were catching Kings right and left with Buzz Bombs. I could not believe it. Just in the time it took me to put my boat back on the trailer I saw about six Kings landed from the pier.

Oh ya, I forgot fishing for Humpies from the north shore of Whidbey Island. Pink Buzz Bombs did the trick. You can knock them Humpies dead with a pink Buzz Bomb.

Here's some thing to try with your buzz bomb. Using some cutters on the hook end of the buzz bomb, one side only cut two small notches in it. This will give it an even more erratic movement to this lure.

Chubbytyee
sound good, I'll have to try...

What is your favorite color?

I paint mine all white (glittery) nail polish. THen put a omost but not quite neon (sparkly) grren stripe down one edge, and a red eye.. seems to work really well

During the summer does anyone fish area 11?

Thanks,
BEn

hey fish n hide, I grew up fishing buzzbombs, probly got more hours then I need to comment but heres what my success is for them, I use the 2.5 inch in green pearl or green and yellow casting from beach. the hot pink work well in a strait retrieve. 2 inch buzzbombs in the colors above work deadly in shallow water 2ft or less on a steady slow retrieve, and cutthroat cant resist a 2incher on a strait retieve, my favorite now is I paint them glow white with the bottom for the hook bright pink, caught 20 humpies in 2 hrs at possesion bar casting in 300ft of water in the middle of the day out 80 degrees, dont get much better than that, probly your most versitle lure around. tight lines, Ben

buzz bombs and darts!! if salmon are swimming, these will catch them...they are the old tried and true standards for sure. i haven't fished buzz bombs in a long time but growing up near redondo i cast them off the pier when i was younger. always plenty of YEAH to go around for everyone.

Chubbytyee, I fish area 11 all summer from shore and boat. I only use a Buzzbomb when fishing from shore. Mainly pearl/pink and pearl/green colors, 2.5". I change up the retrieve between straight and jiggin. They seem to work well from a boat while "jump" fishing resident silvers. I have never tried a smaller size to target SRC's but I think I will give it a try.

trailrat77
I'm the one that fishes area 11

what part do you fish? I'm on the west side of Colvos about 5 miles south of southworth...

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Rock FIsh you were using a buzz bomb in 300 ft. of water? just casting?

It's cool to know lots of people still use the buzz Bomb

Fishnhide, Area 11 is my home water. I fish primarily off of Redondo, ten minutes from my home-20. I have not done well off of Point Defiance in the past. Starting Feb 16th Area 11 opens up for Blackmouth. Yaa!!

Are you talking about the East side of area 11? Where is point Redondo? - I have no clue...

do you guys prefer shallower od deeper water when fishing the Buzz bomb, assuming the fish are in both places

I use buzz bombs when I cant get silvers to the fly. I try to jig the fish up to the surface. If I am reading fish on my graph down around 40 feet or so, I start there until I feel a tap, then I reel up like crazy. The fish will follow them up! once I can see the bomb, I start jigging, slowly working it to the surface. The trick is to NOT hook a fish down deep. we have made them chase the bomb out of the water! Its a kick. I use them a lot out of Neah bay and sekiu. Often catching too many to count.

Growing up in Edmonds as kids we were always around the docks and the jetty fishing for what ever would bite. We'd jig for bass or lings and float herring or spinners for salmon. Later they put the big fishing pier in and that's say this older gentleman using this strange jig that slides on your line. Seeing him out fish our herring 5 to 1 it wasn't long after that that we were buzz'n to. My favorite was the 2 pink pearl then on cloudy days the gray/black one was a killer. Where the notches came from is once in a while you would get a hit but the hook was a few feet from the jig and you missed it, and there were teeth marks left. This marked up one became very hot and I would out fish my buds and they were right next to me. After several fish or trips I lost that lure, so I put a new one on and comense the process again, it was later that I figured out to notch them right from the package. I don't use them very much any more, but they are a good change of pace form trolling when the fish are feeding on the surface.

my perception of this lure was wayyyyy of base,I thought it was more of a river salmon lure,in the river it seems to be more of a snaggers tool

I ran into a guy and his kid this weekend fishing a pristine pool with buzz bombs.I had to laugh as they were doing this quite inocently.They were new to fishing and had caught salmon this fall with them so figured why not stealhead! I tied them up some rigs and gave the boy a couple of spoons.They were quite thankfull.

I like use buzz bombs when jigging for salmon in less than 60 feet of water. If it is deeper than that I think there is too much line in the water to let bb work as well so I will switch to a dart. By the way don't laugh at a guy fishing a bomb in a "pristine" river pool. I have seen them slaughter dollys in the extreme upper Sauk whitewater. Not a method I would expect but it was really effective in that deep fast water.

Anyone ever play with rigging the buzzbombs differently?

I used to rig them normal, so they slid on my line, about a foot of line from the hook to a barrel swivel. I thought I got hits on the buzzbomb that I didn't hook, so I started tying the leaders shorter, thinking the fish were hitting the bomb, and missing the hook, because the bomb was slid up the line a little.

So this summer I rigged a couple of buzzbombs on spinner wires, the wires you use to make your own spinners. I put a bead at the top and bottom, and a loop at the top to clip into. They still seem to spin freely, and I'm not sure, I haven't done enough research yet, but I think I get more hookups this way. The drawback is I also probably lose more fish, because the bomb is now more like a regular jig, and when the fish shakes, it can chake the entire lure loose if you're not careful.

-N.

How about them Nordics??
Keith

Fishnhide, Redondo is not a point. It is a public access area just north of Browns Point where Federal Way meets Des Moines. There is a boat launch, pier, dock, board walk, and Salty's restaurant. In the summer time the scenary is spectacular on the board walk, know what I mean?? Just so happens there is great salmon fishing just south of the boat launch. Heck you can start fishing as soon as your boat gets wet. I used to fish it with my electric motor because you don't have to run very far.

ltlCLEO, don't be too fast to judge them being used for steelehead, I'm sure those that you saw were, but years ago buzz bombs and zingers were the norm prior to the worms under floats on the island.

Ct
Actualy This hole is one I jig spoons off the high ground at the head of it.It is probably a good 20 feet deep at its deepest.I was actually thinking that in certain conditions,when the fish are holding in the pool a certain way that a buzz bomb would be deadly in the right hands!I could never bring myself to fish one in the river though.

I have been tying my buzz bombs between two barrel swivels about 8'' apart for a few years now.I attach the hook to one and my mainline to the other.This keeps the jig from wandering to far from the hook and alows me to use a heavy leader and lighter main line.I also believe that it keeps you more in touch with the jig which is important as salmon usualy bite these on the drop.

I've had success with buzz bombs in lakes, rivers, and the salt. When I was a kid I hooked into some monster kings off a pier in the south sound - only to lose them most of the time. I still have bad dreams of jigging the big white bomb about 10 ft down, then watching this 20+ lb king come out of no where and munch it. I set the hook, the line breaks (my knots were not that great back then and the line was usually pretty old), and the fish disappears just as fast as he arrived, and my buzz bomb quickly flutters to the bottom. This happened several times. I think I need counseling...

On another note, buzz bombs are a snaggers best friend. At hoodsport, guys chuck them into a school of fish, weight a couple seconds, then 'set the hook'. Say a guy nail one every cast for about an hour - in the tail or back. I think he was keeping the females with eggs.

Anyway, buzz bombs work great for bottom fish too. And bass and trout love them in lakes. If I see fish on the finder suspended or on bottom and I don't get them trolling the usual stuff, a buzz bomb dropped down and jigged will usually get their attention.

Also, how do you guys usually jig your bombs?

I raise the tip firmly, but not too fast, then let it free fall 12 to 36 inches (or so). When doing a retrieve or trolling, I'll occassioally drop the tip to let it flutter for a second or 2 as well.

Most snaggers (or maybe they just don't know any better) rip the rod tip up and slowly let it fall. I know some guys feel this works best. What do you do??

I've also had success with da bombs.I normally fish them in shallower bays.I usually rig them with a stopper a few inches above so they can't slide too far up the line.I like to cast them as far as I can and follow them down while they spin.Caught quite a few Kings this way.

8 lb mainline a small barrel swivel 12lb UG 18 in leader works all around casting and jigging, can reach depths easier with light line, I've tried rigging something so the jig dont slide but it messes with the action a bit, but if you get the feel it wont slide as much.
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fishnhide I was surface casting at the bar for those humpies, best day ever on buzzbombs in puget sound, the silvers at point no point 2 years ago when they thought it was a week run and had it all closed then a near record run came with no pressure had some 10 fish days casting off of point no point and the surrounding area. Ben