May 14, 2025
By Shane Beilue
If you were to combine the surface disturbance of the old-school bladed buzzbait with the weedlessness of the hollow-bodied frog, the outcome would be the soft-plastic buzz toad. It’s an exciting way to fish, as bass tend to crush the steady-moving buzz toad with reckless abandon.
Featuring two kicking legs that gurgle across the surface on the retrieve, the buzz toad creates less surface action than the bladed buzzbait. We can take advantage of the noisy buzzbait in low light or when there’s some slight surface chop on the water, as the turning blade helps the bass find the lure in those conditions. The softer action of the buzz toad, however, allows it to excel when the surface is slick and calm, often drawing strikes from shallow bass in the middle of a bright, sunny day.
Why a Buzz Toad Lure Stands Out
The turning blade of the buzzbait limits its use around aquatic vegetation, as the blade often fouls, yet the weedless nature of the buzz toad makes it a prime choice for fishing across the top of surface mats. Bringing the toad across the open holes and pockets of matted vegetation will draw some vicious strikes in the heat of the day when bass are sheltering just inside the shade of the mat.
When weighing the choice of a buzz toad or its cousin, the hollow-bodied frog, consider walking a frog when you want a more methodical approach for pausing the lure beside a specific piece of cover. The constant movement of the toad makes it a classic “power-fishing” topwater when the cover is sparse. By making long casts across shallow flats, steer the retrieve near any isolated piece of cover to garner a sudden reaction strike from lurking bass.
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Experiment with Your Retrieve
The technique for tossing the buzz toad is pretty straightforward. Keeping the rod tip high, I generally fish the toad with the same pace as a bladed buzzbait. However, experiment with retrieve speeds, as a faster retrieve will often get a reaction strike from bass that hit the fast-moving surface lure out of impulse as they see an easy meal running away from them.
Rigging the 'Toad'
The buzz toad can be equipped with a single or double hook. A screw-lock attachment in the eye of the hook is recommended, as this prevents the soft-plastic body from sliding down into the bend of the hook. When using a single hook, opt for a belly-weighted design to keep the toad from rolling during the retrieve.
The twin-hook harness also works well and often comes pre-packaged with the soft-plastic toads. Once the nose of the body is threaded onto the screw-lock, it’s important to judge where the hook points should enter the soft plastic. To keep the toad weedless, bend the body of the toad so the hook points can push straight through the plastic and lay flush against the back of the bait.
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Tackle Set Up
When tossing the buzz toad, a long, heavy-action rod of at least 7 feet will have the necessary leverage to drive the hooks home. A high-speed gear ratio of 7:1 or 8:1 is also important to keep up with a bass that charges toward the boat after feeling the hookset. As you might expect, braided line is critical as it has no stretch and helps deliver maximum energy into the hookset. Fifty- to 65-pound braid is recommended for strength and abrasion resistance.
Everyone loves the sudden explosion of a topwater bite, and the buzz toad delivers some of the most exciting surface action of any topwater lure available. It’s a lure that should be within arm’s reach when targeting bass in the shallows, especially in the hot summer months ahead.
