As the old saying goes, you can tune a buzzbait but you can't tune a fish. "Tuning" a buzzbait may sound a little extreme, but if you've spent any time at all tossing a topwater, then you've probably noticed that the ones that have the "broken in" sound, the one that squeaks and screams like the pistons in a 74 LTD, tend to produce more hits. Why? Because the fish can hear it coming from a mile away, and the noise, flash and flutter of a broken in buzzbait creates the perfect scenario for a reaction strike, much more so than a buzzbait that's just been popped out of its package. So what can you do to get that "broken in" sound without having toss a new buzzbait 2000 times? It's easy. Just take your pliers and fold down the rivet on the blade end of the bait. Then, take your straight file and score the wire, but be careful not to file your way through! The rotation of the blade over the scored surface of the wire will give your new buzzbait that screeching sound right from the first cast. And for even more sound, bend the wire down so the blade makes contact with the head of the bait. This old head-knocker trick along with the screaming screech you've just created will lead to more strikes, guaranteed.

Winter is the perfect time of year to get out your gear on one of those bone chilling days and experiment with not only buzzbaits, but others as well. Remember, fishing season is right around the corner, so this year be ready with a few new tricks up your sleeve.