replace old square bills

[king fisher]

I lost three older Bagely balsa Square bills yesterday.  Don't know what the problem was.  Was able to coax them through the same trees in the past, I guess it was just bad luck.  I need to replace the ones I lost and add some more.  The only other Square bills I have are  H20  and Norman  Norman Fat Boy.  I prefer Balsa, because of their high buoyancy snag resistance( not yesterday) but  I don't want to pay the price for old Bagely's on Ebay.  Have heard the new Bagley's are not the same, is this true?  I have no issues with the Norman and H20 but would consider some in the mid price range if highly recommended.

[MitchellO86]

My favorite balsa SB is the Rapala BX Brat. I love the colors and unique shape. And it's one of the few crankbaits that I don't feel like I have to replace the hardware. They usually rum about $10. Good Luck.

[Fishes in trees]

My favorite square bills are the Timber Tiger DC8.  They are discontinued also.   I think that those baits excellent at coming through woody & brushy cover without getting stuck, better than any other crank I've tried.   The vast majority

of the time when they do get stuck, they get wedged in the V of a branch, rather than getting "hook hung" and they are relatively easy to retrieve, as long as you are able to get over them or reach then with your extendable pole.

 

I also have a few of the old Bagleys - I don't fish them, they are " collector items " as far as I'm concerned.  I keep them stored away in a box. I have to say "change over to hard plastic baits", however, should you choose to not pay the going rate for Bagleys, changing over to hard plastic square bills is your option.

 

Other plastic square bills that I've had success with are the Lucky Craft square bills (the ones Rick Clunn endorsed years ago for a while ) and wiggle warts.   I don't look at wiggle warts as medium divers.   I look at them, especially the larger Mag Wart, as square bills that dive a little deeper than the average square bill, kind of like the old Rapala Fat Rap.  Maybe that is an option, the old Rapala Fat Rap.  It has a squared off bill and dives a little deeper than the average square bill bait.

While we're on the subject, I have had some success with the Academy H2O brand of magnum square bills, the one that weigh an ounce, ounce & a quarter, something like that.  For me they come through brush ok as long as you keep them moving.   Using a stop & go retrieve is asking for it.  These baits overpower my regular square bill rig.  I use an older Diawa MH 7' Telescopic worm rod (circa early 90's ) and throw them on 20 lb line.  They will get 5 or 6 feel down on 20 lb test. 

[king fisher]

47 minutes ago, Fishes in trees said:

My favorite square bills are the Timber Tiger DC8.  They are discontinued also.   I think that those baits excellent at coming through woody & brushy cover without getting stuck, better than any other crank I've tried.   The vast majority

of the time when they do get stuck, they get wedged in the V of a branch, rather than getting "hook hung" and they are relatively easy to retrieve, as long as you are able to get over them or reach then with your extendable pole.

 

I also have a few of the old Bagleys - I don't fish them, they are " collector items " as far as I'm concerned.  I keep them stored away in a box. I have to say "change over to hard plastic baits", however, should you choose to not pay the going rate for Bagleys, changing over to hard plastic square bills is your option.

 

Other plastic square bills that I've had success with are the Lucky Craft square bills (the ones Rick Clunn endorsed years ago for a while ) and wiggle warts.   I don't look at wiggle warts as medium divers.   I look at them, especially the largr Mag Warte, as square bills that dive a little deeper than the average square bill, kind of like the old Rapala Fat Rap.  Maybe that is an option, the old Rapala Fat Rap.  It has a squared off bill and dives a little deeper than the average square bill bait.

While we're on the subject, I have had some success with the Academy H2O brand of magnum square bills, the one that weigh an ounce, ounce & a quarter, something like that.  For me they come through brush ok as long as you keep them moving.   Using a stop & go retrieve is asking for it.  These baits overpower my regular square bill rig.  I use an older Diawa MH 7' Telescopic worm rod (circa early 90's ) and throw them on 20 lb line.  They will get 5 or 6 feel down on 20 lb test. 

Thanks for the reply.  Have you had success with Mag Warts for bass?  I have dozens of the pre Rapala Mag Warts I used for King Salmon.  Mostly use Quickfish with bait raps for the past 20 years, but back in the day Mag Warts were the thing.  I would hate to loose to many of them, but if they catch big bass no problem.  They are just taking up storage space right now.  Only have salmon colors.  Lots of chrome, pink, orange, chartreuse and other bright colors.  Do you think they will work?  I did loose one regular size pre Rapala Wiggle Wart yesterday.  Not a good day for old tackle.

[mrpao]

Are you fishing from shore or a boat?

Because its rare that I ever lose a crankbait from a boat.

[king fisher]

3 minutes ago, mrpao said:

Are you fishing from shore or a boat?

Because its rare that I ever lose a crankbait from a boat.

From a kayak, and it is rare for me too most days.  The trees I'm fishing have old tilapia nets tangled in them.   Even spinner baits get snagged and lost.  I can usually  finesse a square bill through them, but some days are better than others.  The bass are big, so I don't mind taking a chance.  Would like to find a mid priced square bill that works well, so I'm not tempted to throw my old balsa ones when the chance of loosing one is high.   When the fishing is slow, I tend to throw cation to the wind.  Next thing I know I'm fishing my last favorite lure in the worst spot imaginable.  Then regret it when I get home.  I wouldn't mind loosing a mid priced lure that I can order any time I need to replace.

       I like the H2O brand, but my friend that brings stuff down to me lives in CA and Academy Sports wont ship to there.  It can be tough getting tackle to Mexico especially this year.  Nothing but salt water lures in the stores here. 

[A-Jay]

1 minute ago, king fisher said:

From a kayak, and it is rare for me too most days.  The trees I'm fishing have old tilapia nets tangled in them.   Even spinner baits get snagged and lost.  I can usually  finesse a square bill through them, but some days are better than others.  The bass are big, so I don't mind taking a chance.  Would like to find a mid priced square bill that works well, so I'm not tempted to throw my old balsa ones when the chance of loosing one is high.   When the fishing is slow, I tend to throw cation to the wind.  Next thing I know I'm fishing my last favorite lure in the worst spot imaginable.  Then regret it when I get home.  I wouldn't mind loosing a mid priced lure that I can order any time I need to replace.

       I like the H2O brand, but my friend that brings stuff down to me lives in CA and Academy Sports wont ship to there.  It can be tough getting tackle to Mexico especially this year.  Nothing but salt water lures in the stores here. 

A-Jay

[diehardbassfishing]

What fishing pressure!

[Bluebasser86]

What is your price range? Most nicer balsa baits are pretty pricey but they're worth it if you're wanting a bait to really work through wood.

 

[king fisher]

2 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

What is your price range? Most nicer balsa baits are pretty pricey but they're worth it if you're wanting a bait to really work through wood.

 

Would like to keep the price under $12.  

[camman]

Yes the newer Bagleys don’t hunt as well as the old ones.  They are still ok for a reasonable priced balsa bait.  The ones I like but they are pricey are the PH Custom baits.  They hunt the best out of any newer bait I’ve tried.

 

 

[garroyo130]

7 hours ago, camman said:

The ones I like but they are pricey are the PH Custom baits.  They hunt the best out of any newer bait I’ve tried.

 

 

Academy has them at a reasonable price $13 ... If they ever get them back in stock. For the past week it shows shipping only but upon checkout it tells you none in stock.

 

https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/ph-custom-squarebill-1-hard-bait#repChildCatid=8015654

[Catt]

6th Sense Movement 80X

 

Deflects off of hard cover better than any ?