Bass Pro XPS square bill

[RedHeadAngler]

I would like some opinions on the XPS square bill. Are they any good? They are very reasonably priced and come in a 5 piece kit for $15 dollars I was wondering if they were worth the money?

[Senko lover]

I personally am not a fan of BPS hard baits at all.

[HoosierHawgs]

I find them to be a great value. They perform just as well as any squarebill on the market. They also come with oval line tie split rings, which is a nice touch. They run straight and deflect well. For 3 bucks a pop they probably can not be beat. Also in that range is the H2O XPress baits for $3.99.

Here is the review I wrote of the baits back last year: http://hoosierhawgsfishing.blogspot.com/2014/12/bass-pro-shops-xps-squarebill-crankbait.html

P.S. Yes that bass is my PB and was caught on an XPS Bait W/Stock Hooks so they do work!

[TorqueConverter]

One of my favorite squarebill cranks.  Highly buoyant bait with great rolling, wide tail kicking action.  I've caught significantly more fish with these than KVD squarebills or any other squarebill for that matter.   The downsides are that the bait is light weight, the hooks are poor and the the plastic is more brittle than other plastic baits.  

 

 

[Arobb2012]

16 hours ago, RedHeadAngler said:

I would like some opinions on the XPS square bill. Are they any good? They are very reasonably priced and come in a 5 piece kit for $15 dollars I was wondering if they were worth the money?

I bought this kit when bps had their classic sale this year. I only used them a couple of times and didn't have any luck with them. The paint jobs on these baits are very nice and the oval split ring is a nice touch also. The few times I used them I did like the action and tracking ability and how they deflected off of cover. 

[zeth]

Used to use BPS stuff many years ago and it all worked out well for me. for $15 it's worth a try.

[gulfcaptain]

Have a few BPS baits, mainly like the 2" wakebaits and the shallow squarebilled flat cranks which now are discontinued.  Have to agree, $15 isn't bad, give it a shot.  May find a gem in there and be plesently suprised.

[fishballer06]

There was a member on here about a year or so ago bragging about how great these lures were, and how they were on sale for $2.99 each at the time. So I went and ordered two of them based on his praise. 

 

Once I got the lures in, I was disappointed in the quality of the hardware. I replaced the split rings and both trebles. At that point, I had as much in each lure as I would have if I had just went and bought a SK KVD or a Mann's. 

 

So sure, you can save a $1 or so and get these lures, but for me personally, I'd rather spend the little bit extra and get something quality that I won't need to modify out of the package.  But to each their own. Some guys don't overly value having the best hooks on their lures, and that's perfectly fine if that's what suits them. 

[Bluebasser86]

IMO, BPS has the worse store brand hardbaits that I've tried. I bought several on sale a few years ago. Hooks and rings were junk and had to be replaced, so I should have just bought a Strike King instead. Then none of them ran right and a couple couldn't be tuned at all. Even tried putting the original hardware back on and still didn't work. I go to Academy if I want cheap hard baits. 

[thebillsman]

5 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

IMO, BPS has the worse store brand hardbaits that I've tried. I bought several on sale a few years ago. Hooks and rings were junk and had to be replaced, so I should have just bought a Strike King instead. Then none of them ran right and a couple couldn't be tuned at all. Even tried putting the original hardware back on and still didn't work. I go to Academy if I want cheap hard baits. 

While I haven't tried the BPS house brand, Academy's H2O Express line is pretty stellar for the price and design.

[HoosierHawgs]

3 hours ago, thebillsman said:

While I haven't tried the BPS house brand, Academy's H2O Express line is pretty stellar for the price and design.

I have heard lots of good things about Academy's in house baits. I would like to try a few. It seems like Academy sports is starting to expand farther north and there may be some here in Central Indy soon, that would be nice.

[Midwest Fisherman]

1 hour ago, HoosierHawgs said:

I have heard lots of good things about Academy's in house baits. I would like to try a few. It seems like Academy sports is starting to expand farther north and there may be some here in Central Indy soon, that would be nice.

You may know this but there is one west of the Airport, little bit of a drive but could be worth the trip. 

[HoosierHawgs]

10 minutes ago, Midwest Fisherman said:

You may know this but there is one west of the Airport, little bit of a drive but could be worth the trip. 

Interesting. Thanks for letting me know.

[Jaderose]

I do like them and have caught many many fish on them.  Get the kit.  It's cheap and if you don't like them, give them away

[Indiana Bass1]

There is an Academy in Terre Haute, In. Went down there the weekend of its grand opening, was rather disappointed in the fishing section. I guess I was expecting more than what they had. And on top of that what they have done to the All Star rod is sickening. I still have 4 of the original All Stars that were made in Houston. 

[Bluebasser86]

1 hour ago, Indiana Bass1 said:

There is an Academy in Terre Haute, In. Went down there the weekend of its grand opening, was rather disappointed in the fishing section. I guess I was expecting more than what they had. And on top of that what they have done to the All Star rod is sickening. I still have 4 of the original All Stars that were made in Houston. 

Yeah it's a sports and outdoors store like DSG so it has a bit of a limited selection. Their line of baits are great though, and when they clearance stuff they don't mess around.

[HoosierHawgs]

46 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Yeah it's a sports and outdoors store like DSG so it has a bit of a limited selection. Their line of baits are great though, and when they clearance stuff they don't mess around.

The ones I have been to when we visit family in the south are Head and Shoulders above local Indiana DSG. The selection is awful, not labeled correctly. Also, DSG seems to be making some moves in the light of recent events I don't care for. I only buy there when there is a killer deal on clearance items.

[Indiana Bass1]

Yeah I feel the same about DSG. Many times I went to buy stuff that was on sale only to find out at the register it was no longer on sale,although the sale sign was still on the shelf. Their reel selection is a joke too.

[HoosierHawgs]

1 minute ago, Indiana Bass1 said:

Yeah I feel the same about DSG. Many times I went to buy stuff that was on sale only to find out at the register it was no longer on sale,although the sale sign was still on the shelf. Their reel selection is a joke too.

Very true. I used to be able to go in and buy reels (good nice ones too!) on clearance at about this time of year at DSG for great prices. Now, no longer. DSG screwed over the outdoor community in Indiana after buying out Galyan's.