Dale Taylor knows exactly what he wants in his hands when he starts buzzing big bass. He starts with a seven foot Abu Garcia Veritas medium action rod matched out with a Lew’s 6.5:1 baitcaster.
He spools that with 20 pound Berkley Big Game monofilament, a line that he says has great feel and even better strength. He uses that for most applications, but if he knows he will be fishing thick grass, pads and other vegetation most of the day, he will use braided line to help cut through the grass.
His favorite buzz bait is the 3/8-ounce Original Lunker Lure. He fishes white and chartreuse on bright and sunny days. He fishes solid black or dark purple early and late in the day when light conditions are not so good. He also fishes solid black a lot at night.
“If you want to keep your senses tuned up as high as they can go, head out to the lake at night and throw a black buzzbait along a seawall or rocky bank,” Taylor says. “You will be on your toes for sure and when a big bass blows up on it in the dark and quiet, you’ll get a rush like no other in fishing.”
Sometimes Taylor will even add a trailer to his buzzbait. His favorite is a white Zoom Fat Albert curlytail grub. It not only adds more action, but it gives the bait more buoyancy so you can keep it on top of the water at slower speeds. He also always uses a trailer hook on the buzzbaits at night.
Taylor also throws some topwaters and a variety of frogs around the same type structure in the summer, giving the fish a little variety from which to choose.