Crankbait Question

[Mudrider34]

This is definitely a noob question but here it goes. everything I read or watch says to bump square bills into any and everything that you can find and it will help out tremendously. well ive tried this a couple of different times and don't really feel it bump off anything I just get hung up and loose the lure. its easier on me and the wallet to loose soft plastics so I can deal with that but hard baits can get expensive fast. any advise?

[Ozark_Basser]

You're gonna lose them less the more you practice. A square bill is definitely worth learning to use.

[scaleface]

I'm guessing you're fishing from bank. If I was fishing from bank I wouldnt be bumping my expensive cranks into snags. Like you I'd stick with plastic.

[gulfcaptain]

If I'm cranking around cover, I normally keep my rod tip a bit higher then I normally would as to keep the line  angle up some.  This why if I hit the cover the lure tends to want to rise up over the cover as oppoesed to digging into it.  Sometimes if you feel it hit stop the bait and let it rise up to clear then crank it back down. The more you get used to using them the less you are going to.  I would suggest fishing a bit heavier line right now then you are.  Bump it up a couple pounds...instead of say 12, fish 15.   And get yourself a lure retriever to recover your stuck baits.  It will pay for itself.

[Rented Mule]

When I'm throwin cranks around heavy wood, sometimes I'll bend the hooks in just a couple of degrees. When I'm throwin them in open water & having fish just swipe at it, I'll do the opposite & bend them out a few degrees.

[gulfcaptain]

When I'm throwin cranks around heavy wood, sometimes I'll bend the hooks in just a couple of degrees. When I'm throwin them in open water & having fish just swipe at it, I'll do the opposite & bend them out a few degrees.

Why would you bend trebles out?  I use EWG trebles due to the angle of the hook bend so they can't toss the lure.  If you open the hook outwards you give the fish an easier time to throw the bait as well as decrease the holding power of the hook which could lead to it being straightened by a larger model fish ending in heartbreak.  I don't advice this but to each their own. 

[the reel ess]

http://www.banditlures.com/product/flatmaxx-shallow/

 

This is my favorite. It gets hung up a lot less than you'd think. My buddy's pond has flooded timber and cypress at one end. I've fished this among all that wood with good results. It catches fis too. I've got several square bills but I only seem to use this one. But I use a kayak. When it eventually gets hung, I just go get it. You can help by reeling it SLOW. If the fish will still bite at that retrieve you'll get hung up a lot less. You could try removing the front treble and replacing the rear with a single hook. But it will still probably get hung some.

[Ski213]

This is a little inefficient as far as catching fish but maybe pick a spot where you know there is a tree or brush or whatever there. Make a cast and retrieve slow enough to keep it above it. Then cast again. Get it a little deeper. A little at a time till you're ticking whatever is down there. Maybe that will help you gain that "feel". As Jiggin' said you're gonna get better with practice. That's a fact. Working into the cover slowly might reduce the cost of learning a little.

[Senko lover]

Your bait will travel bill down. So ideally the head of the bait, and not the treble-infested underside should bump the cover, unfortunately, that doesn't always happen.

Throw to visible cover like the guy above me said. You know the cover is there, so judge how it feels when the bait runs over it.

And BTW: get a lure retriever. It will pay off if you're losing so much.

[ivanbrawer]

Try throwing shallower cranks. If you are constantly getting hung, then you crankbait might be too deep for where ever you are fishing. Thats all i got. 

[Jd_Phillips_Fishin]

Try a bill that gets wider as it gets farther away from the plug instead of vice-versa 

[speed craw]

If your bank fishing pick and choose your battles. A balsa squarebill might be a higher winning outcome. Ultimately if you dont fish where their at your not going to get bit anyways.

[cjam93]

Last year I decided to really try to learn how to fish a squarebill, the first several outings were filled with hang ups. I have heard other people say to work the bait slower through cover will help, and I'm sure that does work. However, for me I have better luck when I am reeling it fast. If I go slow I seem to get hung up a lot more. I throw my squarebills on a 6:3.1 ratio and I burn them into cover. Sometimes when I hit something I stop and pause, other times I just keep reeling. It seems different ways work better different days. I maybe way off here but I think burning the crank will get it hung up less because the faster speed helps it hit harder and deflect farther away from the cover. Kind of like a bouncy ball. If it hits something going slowly then it just bounces off of it a little ways, but if you throw it hard at the same thing it will bounce farther away. Squarebills are really really great tools though so keep working at it!

[CRANKENSTIEN]

i throw 10 lb pline cxx and it works great in the cover. keep casting in there, if you are in a boat you can usually get them back even if you have to go in and disturb the spot. Boat position and getting a good in there is very important. Getting hung up high is the worst. Practice casting to spots in your yard low side arm cast work the best for me. With experience you can guide your bait out. It can be rewarding go through the hassle of honing your skill.

[wuchr20]

I would throw it against harder materials.  Not branches but boat docks or rocks.