Well, I Think I'm Done With Rapala Squarebills

[Shockwave]

If this is what I am to expect when I fish their squarebills the way we're supposed to fish them, then I'll look elsewhere!!

 

[CRANKENSTIEN]

Unusual, Are you sure you didn't cast it hard into something at some point and then it broke off later?  I like your thread title.  LOL  

[Senko lover]

Dang. That's not usual.

[F14A-B]

They will & do break.. Easier than most IMO.

Give Spro a try..

[Heron]

You do know, that youre supposed to bounce it off of trees and rocks that are UNDER the water, right? 

[fisherrw]

wow that's weird never used rapala squat bills but I have had that happen to a strike king when I banged a rock. Spros are very durable give them a try

[Ratherbfishing]

You might try gluing it back together and then sealing it.  Just sayin'

[noway]

I've found with square bills that slapping them on top of the water to remove weeds will occasionally

break the bill.

[Montanaro]

Square bills break no matter what they are made from.

Part of the game

[iabass8]

It's a Balsa bait. If you accidentally cast it on top of a rock or anything hard it can and will break like pictured if hit hard enough. Also, slapping balsa baits on the water clearing weeds will all but certainly have the same outcome. It's the nature of the beast /w balsa baits.

[Shockwave]

Yeah, I never slap lures on the water to clear weeds from them. It's just something I learned to not do, kinda like closing the bail on a spinning reel by turning the reel instead of closing it with your hand after the cast. I was taught that it's not good for your equipment. I didn't cast it into anything but I did bang it in rocks and such on the retrieve. Nothing out of the ordinary really. Halfway through the retrieve, the lure popped to the surface while I reeled in the bill.

[iabass8]

Rocks will definitely do that to Balsa squarebills. I'm a huge fan of Balsa and fish them a lot but they are something I just do not fish through rocks/boulders.

[Bluebasser86]

That's how most of my Rapala balsa baits end up looking, minus the Shad Raps. 

[Matthew2000]

Tis but a scratch. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zKhEw7nD9C4

If you don't under the reference.

[Gone_Phishin]

That's what happens when a Cheesehead supports da Bears.

[flyfisher]

weird, i love my rapala square bills but i throw the clackin' crank and the crankin' rap and haven't broken one yet.

 

Which one is that one anyways, the DT fat?

[CJ]

That's very common with Rapala nowadays. Don't make them like they use to.

[FlipSide]

I've found with square bills that slapping them on top of the water to remove weeds will occasionally break the bill.

Learned this the hard way

[fishballer06]

Like many others have said, this will happen with ANY balsa bait. Slap the water to remove weeds, hit a bridge piling or a rock or tree on a cast, smack the outboard while launching a cast, etc...

 

I've broken a few DT's and every time it has been my fault. First one I ever broke was from slapping the water. The rest have come from hitting bridge pilings and big rocks. 

[Shockwave]

That's what happens when a Cheesehead supports da Bears.

HEY!!  I'm originally from Chicago so I take offense to being associated with the rest of the Cheeseheads!!!  

 

And isn't the fact that we're stuck with Cutler for another year enough??  I have to watch Cutler AND lose squarebills?!?!  This is getting a bit excessive ain't it????

[BannedForSpamming-1234555]

That's sad.  RIP to your Rapala squarebill

[NJSalt]

I've had 3 do the same thing. I won't be buying any more either. It's a shame because they catch, but I can't replace them at the rate they were breaking.

[Shockwave]

Yeah, it sounds like the Spro's are a bit more durable so I'll give them a shot and see how they hold up.  I'm pretty much going to use any other Rapala squarebills I have with the expectation that they will break at any moment.  If they don't I'll be pleasantly surprised.  If they do break, I at least won't be shocked about it.  

[smalljaw67]

I keep the boxes of all Rapala baits in a storage box, if I get one that breaks like that and it isn't a year old I simply send it back and they give me a new one. People forget the Rapala baits have a 1 year warranty on them but Rapala likes to see the broken ones so you have to send them back. I have only ever had 1 do it and I was fishing a DT Fat 3 around docks and I hit the bait 6 or 7 times that day off of dock posts and then it happened, I hit the post one too many times and I heard it crack, and when I got it back the bill was ready to come out. . I sent it back to Rapala and they sent me a new one and so I can deal with it since it doesn't happen often, at least for me it doesn't. If you have any DT Fat-3 or DT-Flat 3 baits you want to sell let me know what colors and how much and I'll gladly buy them off of you.

[blongfishing]

Happens often to me. I dont use them much though. I am a hard caster so that may be the issue. I use more bandit, storm, and a few more. Rapala is the only ones ive seen to break like that. May just be a weak one but in that case all of mine are weak ones. haha.