There are certain lures that everybody has in their box, baits that will catch fish day in and day out. One of those lures is a squarebill crankbait. When it comes to fishing shallow cover, this is easily one of the most popular choices.
However, fishing a squarebill is about more than just chucking and winding to the seasoned angler.
It’s all about getting the most out of your presentation and coaxing a bass to eat, even when they aren’t looking for a meal.
When I first started fishing a squarebill, I pretty much just made a cast and reeled it straight back to the boat. And guess what, that works…pretty well as a matter of fact. That being said, just because it is putting fish in the boat doesn’t mean it is performing up to its full potential.
Bass see countless jigs, spinnerbaits, plastics, and shakey heads come dragging by hard structure such as wood and rock. What they don’t see is a crankbait come whizzing past them, twitching and darting in every direction and banging off of the cover they are laying under.
Breaking Conventional Wisdom
Typically, fishermen don’t like throwing treble hooked lures into the jungle. I don’t like losing crankbaits myself. Fishing is already expensive enough! But, if you want to trigger the bigger bass into biting, you need to bring that squarebill through the jungle, places no one else is throwing a crankbait.
If you make a cast and don’t have to worry about getting hung up, you are missing out on the big fish potential of the lure. It needs to be a precise, pinpoint cast that will bang off of the cover and get a reaction strike from that weary bass.
Selecting a Crankbait
There are a ton of squarebill options on the market. I typically tend to lean toward the Strike King KVD 1.5 for this techinque. If you get hung up, you can typically retrieve it since you are in such shallow water, but I still prefer throwing a less expensive bait. The new Storm Arashi is an excellent choice, as are the Stealth Custom Shop squarebills that are exclusive to ALFC. When it comes down to it, the best option is the one that gives you the most confidence.
Catching fish on a crankbait has always been one of my favorite ways to fish. Give these tips a try and see what kind of results you can stir up! If you have any tips of your own, we’d love to hear them. Drop us a line anytime!
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