Silver Buddy Lures

I've just bought a couple of these baits and was wondering how successful some of you have been who have fished with these baits? And, if you were successful, how were you fishing it, steady retrieve or jigging or ????

Ive used them sine 1990 and caught fish with the Silver Buddy
from Canada to Dale. They work good on lakes and in rivers anywhere
except where you hwve a lot of brush or grass. I let the the fish
tell me how to retrieve it. Arbe

When I lived up north, I wouldn't consider going smallie fishing on Lake Erie without a supply of Silver Buddies. The only way I ever fished them was vertical jigging or casting them out and jumping them back to the boat. On one trip, I tossed out a marker buoy and never moved more than 15 feet from it for four hours. In that time, I landed 24 smallies, the smallest of which was 3+, the largest over 5. That doesn't count the fish that got off.

Pick your spot and drop the lure over the side until it hits bottom (or the depth the fish are holding at). Then snap your rod tip. You'll feel it vibrate as the lure jumps. Let it drop back on a fairly tight line. Most strikes will come as the lure drops back. Watch where your line enters the water. If you're dropping the lure and your line coils on the surface.....SET THE HOOK!!! You'll also go to snap the lure upwards and darn near get your arm broke with a big smallie on the end;-)

Of the three sizes, I like the half oz the best, although IMO they did something to them over the years, and they no longer vibrate like the old ones did. Older versions had just a plain blob of lead on the nose. The newer ones have the weight painted/plated like the rest of the lure. The vibration isn't the same. Newer 1/2 oz buddies feel like the old 3/4oz ones did to me. I've caught bream, smallies, and walleye/sauger on them. Drum like them, too. Strangely, I've never hooked a LM on one.

Make sure you buy or make some lure knockers to take with you when fishing Silver Buddies. They hang up quite a bit and you can lose them in a hurry without a lure knocker.

I make cheap lure knockers that work great! Buy some big snap swivels and some 2 oz. sinkers. Snap the sinker to your line when you're snagged on the bottom and drop the sinker to your Silver Buddy. Position the boat right on top of your snagged lure and jig the sinker & swivel a few times. You'll retrieve the lure almost every time.

luv em! jig em,burn em,yo yo em, or fish em like a rat-l-trap. like they said before let the fish tell ya.

CLASSIC BAIT! I like to retrieve.

I seem to do better with them in the winter months,You can down right sleigh the bass with them.

do they have a web site?

Tim,

One of the most versatile baits around. I like the 1/2 oz model the best. I will keep one tied on in October to fan cast around schools of shad for Stripers or Schooling Smallies or Ky's. My favorite time to use is in the Winter if the FNF is not working. I will get out on the deep flats and make LONG cast out in front of the boat. Take up the slack the rip it up a foot or two, reel in slack, drop to bottom, rip it up, reel, drop all the way back to the boat. Whent he buddy gets directly under the boat I will vertical jig it a couple of time before reeling up to make another cast. Other winter retrieves is cast it to the bluffs and let it work down the face of the bluff. Cast it shallow on a long sloping black shale point and work it the length. Straight retrieve slowly barely touching the bottom or rip technique down the point. Like the others said, let the fish tell you. Take your plug knocker because they do catch a lot of rock and wood. I have yet to find a copy that gives me the vibration or confidence that the ORIGINAL SILVER BUDDY gives so be warned of copies.

By the way, it was good talking to you about Cumberland. Can't wait for the end of October to get here. Putting fresh line in 9 different reels tomorrow to get ready for the BIG STRIPERS or is it STRIPPERS.

Hello. I fish Erie(Bass Islands and Rattlesnake area) quite a bit and have never fished these lures. What colors do you use for up there? and if you fish Cumberland what colors for down there?
Any help would be appreciated. Dad and I are fishing Cumberland last week of Oct. and would like to pick up some of these at the Cincy,OH Bass Pro. Thanks.

Silver, only Silver for me. They have gold plus painted colors but Silver 1/2 oz is the only one for me.

The best bait in the world. Tried to help keep them secret, but the word is now out. I've had nothing but success with these baits. Some trips to Lake Cumberland or the Dale I don't even take any other baits. Keep casting into rock points at the mouth of major creeks, usally close to the dam, and vertical jig back to the boat. I had one night on the LC with a friend of mine where we landed 6 stripers, 3 of which weighed over 25.lbs, 7 nice 5.lb + wallies, and 14 smallies over 3.lb, largest was 5.11. The buddy's can't be beat on Dale or Cumberland, absolute bottom line. The great Billy Westmoreland turned a friend of mine on to them many years ago.