Since their inception, Squarebill Crankbaits have been deadly for bass fishing. Find out how to increase your odds with squarebill crankbaits, some of my favorites, the best equipment, and where they shine the most.
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Squarebill Crankbaits – How to Fish Them
This could be an article in itself, but I will try to keep it short. When the bass have moved shallow and they are up in cover like trees or rocky banks, the squarebill shines.
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If you are new to squarebill crankbait fishing, it can be intimidating to cast one over a shallow submerged tree or a laydown and bring it back through the branches, but that is how they shine. It is incredible how well you can crawl a crankbait through a tree, deflecting it off of branches without getting snagged.
To be successful with a squarebill, you need to give this a try. If you hit something and feel like you are going to hang up, pause for a second or two and give your rod an upwards pop, 9 times out of 10 you will come right through it. This is because the baits flow and will rise up. The square bill on the crankbait is also amazing at bouncing off of the cover and protecting the hooks from snagging.
If you haven’t had the lightbulb go off yet, the key to catching more bass on squarebill crankbaits is that most of your fish will come when that bait deflects off of the cover. This can be a branch, or a rock on a rip rap bank, but it will be magical.
This is why it is so important to get the fear of getting it hung up out of your mind. Experience will tell you that you will hang up, but much less than you thought you would.
I have a fishing buddy who is always afraid to lose his baits and so he will cast by cover in the open water. He will never be as effective as he can be until he overcomes this fear. When they are up in the submerged trees I will always outfish him because he is too scared to get his bait into the jungle.
The key is to get your bait to run into as much cover as you can. This can even happen when fishing weeds by letting your bait get into the weeds and then ripping it out. To be effective in this tactic the crankbait needs to be above the weeds most of the time or it will get too bogged down.
That is why the squarebill is often referred to as the 4×4 of crankbaits.
Squarebill Crankbaits – Some of My Favorites
There are a ton of squarebill crankbaits on the market. I’m going to share some of my favorites and the ones that you will most often see tied on. These are also not too hard on the wallet. The ones I share are in the picture above. Rapala’s on the left Strike Kings on the right.
Rapala DT-3 Fat Squarebill Crankbaits
This crankbait is awesome. It is one from my favorite series of crankbaits of all time. This bait is made of balsa so it is extremely buoyant. It doesn’t dive very deep, about three feet. It has a big profile in the water and gets good bites. It comes through cover with amazing ease and floats out of most snags. One thing that you will notice about this crankbait is the incredible thump it gives off in the water. If you are super shallow and don’t need to downsize this is one of the best.
Rapala BX Brat Squarebill Crankbaits
I included two BX Brats in the picture above. One is the three-foot diver and the other is the six-foot diver. I use them based on the depth of the water. These have become my favorite squarebill in the past few years and the one I reach for the most. From bass to walleye, these get it done. The cool thing about the Brat is that they are balsa coated in some type of polymer to make them more durable than normal balsa cranks. Put them up in the wood and crank them out. The key is deflection. They won’t disappoint.
Strike King KVD 2.5 Squarebill Crankbaits
If you need a little bigger presence the KVD 2.5 is a great choice. These baits are really affordable and really get the job done. When it comes to squarebills these are probably the most available on the market. They have the ability to come through cover and have a hunting action when they deflect. They are so popular because they work.
Strike King KVD 1.5 Squarebill Crankbaits
The KVD 1.5 is probably the most popular squarebill in the world. It flat-out produces and has the same great deflection and erratic action of the 2.5. It comes in a smaller package and sometimes that is what you need to get short strikers or finicky bass to commit. You can see the difference in size on the right side of the picture above. The 2.5 is on top and the 1.5 is on the bottom. These baits work well.
Since the KVD series is so available and so common, sometimes the BX Brat and the DT-3 Fat will be something just different enough to get you those bites in pressured lakes. At least that is what I have found.
As for colors, I like to keep shad patterns, craw patterns, and bluegill patterns. I seem to get the job done with these with the occasional chartreuse for super-stained water.
Squarebill Crankbaits – The Equipment
I have an article on picking the best squarebill crankbait rod here so I will not cover that much here. I will say that I like a moderate action in most cases with the sqaurebill. I always fish my squarebills on casting gear. I like a 6.3 to 7.1 gear ratio reel in most cases for this type of fishing.
The line size varies on the cover I’m fishing and the depth I’m trying to reach. These aren’t really deep fishing baits, but if you are trying to get a little more depth then go with a 12-pound test line. Many times I go with 14-16 pound test with squarebill crankbaits because of the heavy cover that I am fishing them in. If you hook into a big bass it is a lot easier to get them out with 16-pound test than 12.
Squrebill Crankbaits for Bass Fishing – Conclusion
If you are on the fence about trying squarebill crankbaits and getting them into the laydown trees, or submerged trees or bushes, I encourage you to give it a go. Hopefully, you can feel a little more confident. In conditions where they are up shallow unless the water just gets too cold and you need to switch to a flatside crankbait like the Rapala OG Slim, then you have a great shot at a good day.
To Your Squarebill Fishing Success,
Jonathan Burke