Squarebill Crankbait

[benthinkin]

What do you guys do differently or just in general when fishin a squarebill?

[aavery2]

Throw them shallow, run them fast, and bang them into everything around.  I also fish them on a much different rod than I typically use for crankbaits.

 

 

[F14A-B]

Crash them into Rocks, brush, stumps.. I really like banging them into riprap and I will destroy a few each year.. But it's effective and rather enjoyable.

[Catch and Grease]

They don't nessecary have to be thrown shallow because there are plenty of deeper diving squarebills, although they do shine In that 2-5ft area.

Square bills are a reaction bait and to cause reaction strikes you have to get the lure to do something different every now and again, with square bills you do that by running the crank through cover like stumps, laydowns, grass, etc... Square bills are good at not getting hung up because of the corners on the bill, instead of just hitting the cover and sliding to one side it hits the cover and stays in place, and as you pull the bill makes the back side of the lure rise guiding the trebles away from the cover it hit.

Square bills are not weedless, if you are fishing them correctly they WILL get hung up, If you are afraid of getting hung up then don't fish them.

Some good square bills I like are the KVD 1.5, Bomber square A, and H2O CRS they are affordable and catch lots of fish.

Remember that the square bill has to go to the bass, not the other way around. So getting that bait as tight to the cover your targeting is key, you want that bait running right past the bass's face.

I personally use squarebills with 30lb braid and a M/F rod but I'm sure other people will throw them on something else, I feel I'm more accurate with a Fast action and I can pull the bait through cover easier.

[ABW]

7 FT MH Mod Fast rod, 12 lb Yo Zuri Hybrid. Chuck and reel, varying speed

[smalljaw67]

If you have a rip rap bank in the waters you fish now is the perfect time to learn to use them!  Make a cast parallel to the bank and start cranking, I use a 6.4:1 gear ratio reel that lets me work the bait fast while just cranking at a moderate pace. You want to be banging the rocks on rip rap and normally the strike will come immediately after hitting a rock, rip rap is good to learn that lure because there are usually fish holding on it as it attracts a lot of baitfish. You also won't get hung up as much as you will around brush and you'll get fish and that is why I love cranking rip rap with square bills.

[ww2farmer]

Most of the lakes I fish have grass. I run the square bill into the grass. Some days they want it ripped out, some days I stop and let it float back up a little when it hits the grass, some times just a pause next to a grass clump triggers them, and some days just chucking and winding trough the grass works.  It's cliche' but you have to play around till the "fish tell you" what they want.

[CWB]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Same here. When I feel the grass, I stop it, it backs up and I start again. Sometimes this works and then sometimes ripping it free works. Either way, if you are around grass, you're probably around fish.

[BasshunterJGH]

I throw squarebills on 16 lb mono and I lose plenty. I fish them around grass, stumps, trees, and riprap. When I lose one 50% of the time I get it back, it usually floats up. I throw them on a powell max 7 ft mh mod fast. 6.4:1 speed spool. My favorites are strike king 1.5s and spro little johns.