If your reel is too big for your rod, the setup will feel tip-heavy and awkward
Its still a good bait, but for the most part, a buzzbait is speed-specific to keep it working along the surface

Geez, that doesnt usually work out like that at big tournaments. The Top 20 pros that made the cut and will advance in competition at REDCREST 2025 on Lake Guntersville are: 1st: Chris Lane, Guntersville, Ala., 44 bass, 127-0 2nd: Jacob Walker, Springville, Ala., 38 bass, 109-9 3rd: David Dudley, Lynchburg, Va., 33 bass, 102-14 4th: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., 39 bass, 99-13 5th: Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 34 bass, 99-1 6th: Edwin Evers, Talala, Okla., 34 bass, 92-3 7th: Jake Lawrence, Paris, Tenn., 32 bass, 91-1 8th: Bobby Lane, Lakeland, Fla., 34 bass, 90-8 9th: Ron Nelson, Berrien Springs, Mich., 28 bass, 89-6 10th: Jeff Sprague, Wills Point, Texas, 30 bass, 87-7 11th: Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., 29 bass, 87-1 12th: Justin Cooper, Zwolle, La., 31 bass, 85-5 13th: Martin Villa, Charlottesville, Va., 33 bass, 83-4 14th: Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., 27 bass, 80-8 15th: Paul Marks Jr., Cumming, Ga., 29 bass, 80-6 16th: Marshall Robinson, Landrum, S.C., 26 bass, 79-4 17th: Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala., 26 bass, 78-9 18th: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 24 bass, 76-13 19th: Jacob Wall, New Hope, Ala., 28 bass, 76-13 20th: Nick Hatfield, Greeneville, Tenn., 28 bass, 73-13 Finishing in 21st through 50th place are: 21st: Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., 27 bass, 72-13 22nd: Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 24 bass, 69-1 23rd: Casey Ashley, Donalds, S.C., 24 bass, 68-4 24th: Alton Jones Jr., Waco, Texas, 24 bass, 66-11 25th: Tyler Stewart, Dubach, La., 25 bass, 66-7 26th: Jacob Wheeler, Harrison, Tenn., 22 bass, 65-5 27th: Mark Daniels Jr., Tuskegee, Ala., 24 bass, 64-15 28th: John Hunter, Shelbyville, Ky., 24 bass, 64-8 29th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 23 bass, 63-11 30th: Mark Davis, Mount Ida, Ark., 21 bass, 61-7 31st: Andrew Nordbye, Guntersville, Ala., 24 bass, 60-6 32nd: Drew Gill, Mount Carmel, Ill., 23 bass, 58-1 33rd: Luke Clausen, Spokane, Wash., 18 bass, 55-14 34th: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., 19 bass, 55-13 35th: Alec Morrison, Peru, N.Y., 19 bass, 55-7 36th: Gerald Spohrer, Gonzales, La., 19 bass, 53-6 37th: Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., 21 bass, 51-11 38th: Skeet Reese, Auburn, Calif., 17 bass, 50-15 39th: Braylon Eggerding, Grand Rapids, Mich., 17 bass, 50-3 40th: James Elam, Tulsa, Okla., 16 bass, 48-2 41st: Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, 16 bass, 44-9 42nd: Hayden Marbut, Birmingham, Ala., 14 bass, 42-6 43rd: Ott DeFoe, Blaine, Tenn., 16 bass, 41-14 44th: Jesse Wiggins, Addison, Ala., 16 bass, 41-2 45th: Matt Becker, Ten Mile, Tenn., 13 bass, 40-10 46th: Keith Carson, DeBary, Fla., 14 bass, 40-1 47th: Keith Poche, Pike Road, Ala., 13 bass, 37-2 48th: Terry Scroggins, San Mateo, Fla., 12 bass,32-15 49th: Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., eight bass, 23-0 50th: Dylan Hays, Hot Springs, Ark., eight bass, 17-8 Overall, there were 607 scorable bass weighing 1,706 pounds, 3 ounces caught by the 50 pros Friday

Youll need a net with a large head, deep mesh, and long strong handle that youre able to reach over the side of the boat
Generally, medium-action rods are more beginner-friendly to cast, whereas a fast-action rod might take more practice to get the timing just right