Squarebills: Rattles Or Not

[Sonik]

"Let the fish decide" is the correct answer, right?

But what do you start with? I have a feeling this may go similar to the same question someome else asked about jigs a while back.

I always fish them with rattles but I'm going to try them without this year with some KVD 1.5 cranks. I think Bass Pro has the rattling version but I have plenty of rattling squarebills already.

I've heard some people start with rattles and then go to silent and they'll pick a few more fish up. Then, I've heard people say that all they fish with is silent versions because the hooks and rings make enough racket anyway so it doesn't matter.

Just looking for some thought on the matter.

[scaleface]

Heres my rule of thumb that I break often . When I am casting at visible targets I usually start with rattleless baits.  When I am casting at structure that is not visible I usually throw baits that rattle .

[Big Bait Fishing]

i'm seriously thinking of converting my rattling crankbaits into silent ones with the okd drill a hole and squirt some super glue inside and epoxy them up again ....

[poisonokie]

I catch fish on them either way. If I tie on a square bill and beat the bank without a bite, I move on to something else because I figure they aren't biting squarebills at the moment. Which one I tie on depends on the water and time of day, though. If it's really stained I'll use a rattling blue back chartreuse or something like that, if it's relatively clear, I'll go with a bream or shad colored silent one.

[NotnatsSamoht]

I use rattles in stained water and silent bait fish colors in cleaner water.

[bigbill]

Rattles all the time it's a plus. I put rattles in my jigs, on my plastics most of the time. They ring the dinnerbell.

Using rattles and scents is a plus.

But I use rapala with no rattles but I do throw a mix of baits till I find the pattern.

[Jrob78]

I don't use rattles much with squarebills unless the water is really dirty.  If you are fishing them right you don't need rattles to draw attention.

[MasonV]

If the water is clear and there's a lot of fishing pressure I'll go silent.

[Senko lover]

Rattles: muddy water, pressured water. No rattles: anything else 

[smalljaw67]

My rule of thumb is that when you have clear water, 3' or more visibility or highly pressured areas, go with a silent model and stained water, 1' or less visibility, you use a rattling version. Now, when you have a lightly stained water where it has color and around 2' - 2.5' of visibility, well I'll start silent and change if the fish aren't responding. Right now in my area we haven't had much rain so the water is clear and what is funny is there is a good reaction bite going on with square bills, a Bagley's Rattlin' Killer B2 is bluegill has been the best bait by far and as the name implies, it has a rattle. That leads me to another part of rattle or silent, what about the pitch of the rattle? The Bagley bait I'm using is their new plastic version and the rattle sound it makes is a low pitch, it is the only square bill I have with rattles that sounds like it and it is working. So I guess the best thing to do is start with what you are confident with and then adjust based on what the fish are, or aren't, telling you.

[ww2farmer]

I use "silent" ones 90% of the time, clear or dirty water. I have a few with rattles and occasionally use one, often in the same situation's that I use the silent ones.... I have never noticed a big difference in the end results.

[WIGuide]

Most of my squarebills are silent. I've used them in clear water and muddy water and caught fish in both places and everywhere in between. Between the split rings and hooks clanking as well as the bait crashing into cover and the water it displaces it seems they can find the bait in any water condition. 

[CTGalloway21]

there is a reason most JDM squarebills and the KVDs are silent.  You don't need rattles in them, even in murky water. If you are fishing a crankbait correctly, they know where it is.  

[A-Jay]

I have & use both.

 

Use it live by the clear water silent bait & dirty water Rattle bait mantra.

 

Not any more - both work interchangably for me - I've had good luck with a silent bait in off colored water and even better results with a big time rattler in the clearest of gin clear water.

 

Just fish it.

 

A-Jay

[RyanFishing]

I never use rattles. I use squarebills all the time and catch plenty of fish in all conditions. I just feel the rattles can be overpowering in a lot of conditions especially when it's giving off plenty of sound with hitting cover.

[roadwarrior]

I haven't found it makes any difference at all.

 

 

 

[senile1]

Like others, I have followed the mantra of using rattles in muddy water; however, I can't say I have seen a noticeable difference between rattling and silent square bill baits.  The square bill baits I use move so much water that I think the bass have no trouble finding them.  

[dcmclassic]

Depends on location, pressure and activity of the fish. I use rattling the most though, usually in very stained water. Clearer water I'll start with noise but if I don't get bit I'll go silent.

[F14A-B]

I don't use rattles much with squarebills unless the water is really dirty. If you are fishing them right you don't need rattles to draw attention.

This! Exactly this.. If your bumping structure, no need for rattles w a square bill. I vote no rattles with squarebill cranks.

[A-Jay]

As much as we would like to believe that our lures are somehow closely similar to some actual bait that the bass eats, down deep I think we all know the reality is they are not.

 

 So does it really matter if the freaky looking and completely unnatural "thing",  with the wildly mechanical side to side swimming action that just fell from the sky into the middle of the lake, piece of plastic makes a rattling sound as well or not ?

 

We'll never really know - but what does matter is if that fatty which is driven completely by instinct but has a brain the size of a tick-tack, would try to eat it any way

 

 

A-Jay

[bigbill]

Now we're forgetting the low pitch and high pitch rattles.

The bomber crankbaits have smaller diameter balls in them but there are more balls which admits a finer more distinct rattle.

There are one knocker rattles too which have one larger ball. The bps topnocker has this one ball knocker. I can actually hear knock even on my farthest casts. It's louder than a dinnerbell on a farm. (Not exactly)

Silence, to rattle or to knock that's the question.

Don't sweat it squirt the scents and vary your baits.

In stained and muddy water a vibration, larger size, a brighter color, a rattle and a scent you covered it all we can't lose.

On a slow day throw everything we learned and try something out of the norm. Be flexible.

I try to cover it all when I answer.

The original Rapala is quiet. Yet it works on sight/movement. I'm going to add with silent baits size and color is the key to success.

[fisherrw]

I really like rattling cranks