What's more versatile: Lipless or Squarebill?

[skekoam]

I know each has it's place, but for small ponds, which would you normally throw?   I'd say a squarebill since it floats a bit and has the bill to deflect off the bottom.  I've had 3 lipless and lost them all on snags.  At $10-15 each, I want something that is easier to fish.   A lot of times, I can't see what's on the bottom as the water is so darn dirty.

 

Thanks

[Hartwood71]

Don’t force choosing one.   Try getting a lure retriever.  

[jbrew73]

I would pay over $5 for a lipless or fish one from shore unless it was open water.  A lipped Crankbait would be better.

[RB 77]

For pure versatility, the lipless by a mile. However, they are so different form each other I wouldn't limit myself to just one. You should have both if you can swing it.

[DitchPanda]

Id say if your snagging up that bad id opt for the squarebill solely for its deflection qualities. As mentioned above I wouldn't pay that much for a lipless to throw from shore..Cordell spots are 3 to 4 bucks -Bill Lewis traps and red eyes shad are around 6 all are good baits. I also would agree that the lipless is more versatile... Yo yo it..medium speed reel it...burn it...rip it from grass...drag it like a jig...tons of options.

[mrpao]

If you fish from shore, you're going to lose alot of lures. It's a given. Sooner or later any lure will snag.

If I bank fish, I usually use cheaper lures. So that when I lose them, it doesn't hurt as much.

Academy sports has their H2O line that is fairly cheap and work well. Their selection is pretty good. At $4 to $4.5, losing one isn't too painful.

[Bluebasser86]

I rarely throw a squarebill in a pond, but fish a lipless all the time.

[JustJames]

As you know, SoCal pond mostly are dirty and shallow. I’d never have luck with any crankbait and lost them all, so I quit. If you must try Cordell super spot 1/4oz or 3/16oz at Walmart for 3 bucks a pop. Another option would be jerkbait Rapala Husky size 08. 

[Glaucus]

I almost never throw a squarebill in a pond. Ponds are generally shallow and full of weeds and grass, at least around here. They get all mucked up right away. A lipless allows you to control depth better with your rod tip and reel speed, and is good in the grass. 

[GreenPig]

A floating lipless works pretty good in ponds from the bank.

[scaleface]

Crankbaiting from shore can get quite expensive .Maybe go with cheaper models or forego crankbaits all together .Pick up some Hot Spots out of the bargain bins .

 

 Bass hang out around cover . You have already located it . Work it thoroughly  with Texas rigs..

[smalljaw67]

Get a floating Rat-L-Trap, ponds usually have muck bottoms which will bog down a square bill in short order. The other thing is to try lighter lipless cranks but a floating version will not only snag less but catch fish as well.

[Bankbeater]

As long as you have exposed treble hooks you are going to hang up, it doesn't matter what the bait is.  I would be trying to figure out how deep the snags are and the general area where they are located.

[Revival]

I used to have a lot of success in multiple ponds with the KVD 1.0.  For me lipless cranks are way more versatile though.  I use tons of different brands and only get snagged occasionally.

 

Out of curiosity, what lipless cranks are you throwing that cost $10-$15? 

[skekoam]

On 3/1/2020 at 4:30 AM, Revival said:

I used to have a lot of success in multiple ponds with the KVD 1.0.  For me lipless cranks are way more versatile though.  I use tons of different brands and only get snagged occasionally.

 

Out of curiosity, what lipless cranks are you throwing that cost $10-$15? 

I appreciate all the comments guys.   The 3 that I bought were all Strike King red eye shads from ebay.  I think I paid $10.96 each for them.

[JustJames]

You spent way too much, my friend. If I shop for any lures, I always compare price with Tackle warehouse. I would buy if cheaper other than that I’ll buy from Tackle warehouse. The tackle warehouse is located in CA so we pay tax and shipping(only under 50) but there always 10% off code floating around.

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/strike_king_red_eye_shad/descpage-skres.html

 

Added: BTW red eyes shad at 1/4oz is still a little bit too heavy for small shallow pond, last time I compared it a lot heavier than 1/4 Super Spot. 

[Jonas Staggs]

my vote is lipless crankbait. Its my favorite lure to throw. They are pretty effective as well. But for your scenario, a small pond, I would choose squarebill. That being said the small pond that I fish, has so many weeds and reeds and everything else for you to get snagged on, I dont throw crankbaits, or anything with treble hooks at all. Its pretty much only possible to fish it with a weedless texas rig, or a frog.  The pond has nothing but dinks, but ill use like 10lb test line, so I can yank the lures out if I do get snagged or if the fish get caught up on something. I see your from OC, what pond are you fishing dude? We may be speaking of the same one lol. Not many small ponds to fish in OC. Small hint, i dont bother with the pond much, and fish the other side more lol. PM me if you like. 

[Glaucus]

On 2/29/2020 at 5:03 AM, scaleface said:

Crankbaiting from shore can get quite expensive .Maybe go with cheaper models or forego crankbaits all together .Pick up some Hot Spots out of the bargain bins .

 

 Bass hang out around cover . You have already located it . Work it thoroughly  with Texas rigs..

It's not unusual for me to burn through 6+ squarebills on the river dams in one day but the reward is worth it. 

[Jonas Staggs]

On 3/2/2020 at 9:16 AM, Bass_Fishing_Socal said:

You spent way too much, my friend. If I shop for any lures, I always compare price with Tackle warehouse. I would buy if cheaper other than that I’ll buy from Tackle warehouse. The tackle warehouse is located in CA so we pay tax and shipping(only under 50) but there always 10% off code floating around.

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/strike_king_red_eye_shad/descpage-skres.html

was thinking the same, i get trapz for $5 

[thunderblack]

You want a killer little crank for ponds.....Megabass griffon 1/4 oz. More bass on this than any other. Big fish like it too. Elephants eat peanuts

[papajoe222]

On 2/28/2020 at 5:42 PM, skekoam said:

I know each has it's place, but for small ponds, which would you normally throw?   

This is what you're really asking, not which is more versatile. A square bill only covers the upper part of the water column and unless your ponds only get to six, or seven feet deep, you're missing a lot of potentially good water. A lipless can cover it all and, like any crankbait, with experience you'll learn when it's approaching a potential snag.  I fish standing timber in 15-20ft. of water and don't hang up any more frequently than when using a lipped bait.

[Kidflex]

Try using braided line, those red eye Shad hooks usually bend out fairly easy with 30lb braid. Might save you a few bucks