Product Review: Hart Buzzbait

Buzzbaits are one of those essential lures in a tackle box. As a topwater lure they are good producers at dawn & dusk, but I've watched my little brother pull over 20 bass from a pond between 11am and 3pm on a sunny day with one too.

Last week I was fishing a pond with a Hart Buzzbait. I've had this in my tackle box for a few months, but I've only used it about 5 different occasions. Much of the time I use a Lunker brand buzzbait with a black lead head and a black & blue skirt. This one is a white lead-head with a Hart white skirt with red trailer strands.

On the 2nd trip out with this bait, the factory skirt started sliding down the body and on to the hook. It refused to stay in place regardless of what I did. Every cast resulted in the skirt being halfway down the hook. OK, fine, put a Strike King skirt on which looks a lot better in the water. Problem solved.

Tonight, about the 5th trip out with this bait, the bottom of the blade comes off. The bottom pivot hole in the blade that the axle runs through is gone. Completely gone. This broke at the blade.

At $3.99 it's one of the cheapest buzzbaits at Bass Pro Shops. But come on. Really? 5 trips and it disintegrates into uselessness?