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More Flash and Splash with the appropriately named Booyah “Bi-You Buzz”
(continued)
 Retrieving
cont'd: We got the
pictures and released the fish back into the water. When I finally had a moment
I sat down in the bass boat, still out of breath. I turned to my side and turned
to see my “Save Phace” mask with a crack right down the middle of it. In the
excitement Cal had jumped over and stepped on the mask. I held up the busted
mask and turned to Cal, “for a fish like that I’ll sacrifice a mask any day.”
It is easy to plane the Bi-You
Buzz with a normal baitcaster, no burner reel is necessary with this bait
That Striper tested the
durability of the Bi-You Buzz, as well as showcased an interesting feature in
this lure. When the fish surfaced I noticed that the hook was bent in the exact
same direction as the fishing line. The flexible hook makes it difficult for
fish, even large ones, to break free from the lure by exerting leverage on the
wire. It certainly helps that the Bi-You Buzz makes use of an extra sharp
XCalibur Tx3 hook.
Churning back on the Delta I was
suddenly hit with a splash
Price & Applications:
While we only caught that single striper with the Bi-You Buzz during our tests
we did catch plenty of bass with the bait. The Bi-You Buzz held up well, and
unlike some competitor buzzbaits the blades required no maintenance to perform
over the long term just as the manufacturer intended. The silicon skirts
continue to flare up nicely, and we did not lose many strands over the course of
all our tests.
It turned out to be a good sized
striped bass!
The Bi-You Buzz retails for
9.99, a two dollar premium over the Counter Strike Buzz. The ten dollar price
point puts the Bi-You Buzz in premium territory when it comes to buzzbait
pricing, with many competitor dual blade offerings like those from Strike King
retailing in the 6-7 dollar range.
During the fight my Save Phace
paid the ultimate price as Cal stepped on the mask while trying to net the fish
The Bi-You Buzz is able to
justify part of the price delta with the uniquely designed hydrodynamic head and
flexible hook system. While the flexible hook system doesn’t increase your
strike ratio it does improve your chances of hanging on to big fish. Whether
that is worth an extra two dollars is a choice anglers will have to make at the
register.
This surprise catch tested the
durability of the flexible leverage hook system, and it survived nicely
Ratings: (We've re-calibrated our ratings standard for 2008 and have included a key at the bottom of the following matrix as a guide):
|
Booyah
Bi-You
Buzz
Buzzbait
Ratings (?/10)
|
| Construction/Quality |
Great
build
quality,
this
multi-blade
buzzer
is built
with
excellent
components
and
exhibits
above
average
durability |
8 |
| Performance |
The
Bi-You
Buzz
surprised
us with
the
ability
to
perform
in
vegetation
and
caught
bass
(and
even a
quality
striper)
in clear
water
and
heavily
stained
conditions |
9 |
| Price |
This
bait
costs
more
than the
average
buzzbait,
and this
includes
other
twin
bladed
baits as
well.
While
not the
most
expensive
it isn't
cheap
either |
6 |
| Features |
This
bait has
more
features
than the
average
buzzbait
including
a
quality
hook,
flexible
hook
design,
twin
counter
rotating
blades,
and a
proprietary
head |
9 |
| Design (Ergonomics) |
Great
overall
design
that is
easy to
fish
even in
areas
with
obstructions |
8 |
| Application |
The lure
works in
varying
water
conditions
and
clarity
thanks
to a
combination
of flash
and
generous
splash.
The bait
does put
out a
good
amount
of water
churning
noise |
8 |
|
Total Score
|
8.00 |
Ratings Key:
1 = terrible : 2 = poor : 3 = lacking : 4 = sub par : 5 = mediocre : 6 = fair : 7 = good : 8 = great : 9 = excellent : 10 = unbelievable!
For More
Details
of the
updated
rating
system
visit
our
explanation
here |
Pluses and Minuses:
|
Plus Minus
|
| J
Bulky
yet
nimble
profile |
L
Higher
price
than
other
buzzbaits |
| J
Fast
plane
action |
|
| J
Leverage
hook
system
keeps
fish on |
|
| J
Easy to
use, and
catches
fish in
both
clear
and
murky
water |
|
Conclusion:
Booyah’s Bi-You Buzz quickly won my heart with a quality design that proved both
easy to fish and effective for calling up bass (and even the occasional striper)
from the depths. With a unique combination of generous splash and flash with a
choice of colored blades the Bi-You Buzz is able to separate itself out from the
field. When a fish strikes the lure the XCalibur Tx3 hook and patented flexible
hook system ensure that anglers have a good chance of landing that fish. There
are few lures that can cause me to stomach the loss of a Save Phace mask, but
the Bi-You Buzz delivered, and continues to prove to be one such a bait… making
it a winner of our Editors Choice Award.
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