I have really gone into detail with square bill fishing doing the research and applying the knowledge learnt on the water and this is what I have learnt.
First off and in my opinion square bills are the best and most versatile crank bait on the market. The square bill crank bait can be fished all year round as long as the conditions are right and bass are relating to shallow cover.
Square bills are all about Deflection, I cannot stress that enough! The erratic action and reaction of the bait as it deflects off cover is what makes bass eat them.
The trick to fishing these baits is not an unsolved mystery but needs to be done right. Square bills can be thrown into some really thick cover and you will get hung up, but do not let this be a deal breaker.The body is usually round and the wide angle of the bill dictates the amount of wobble, and this is what gives this bait its unique vibration. The amount of water displaced by a square bill makes it a great choice for dirty water situations. The bait in general is very weedless. This allows the angler the opportunity to cast it in and around heavy cover as it deflects off cover and this is what creates those heart stopping hits.
To fish it correctly you will need to be spot on with your casts and the right equipment will make you more successful. When fishing thicker cover you will need to go heavier than your usual open water application if I can call it that, so I suggest a medium heavy action to heavy action rod, a baitcaster spooled up with 14 to 20 lbs fluorocarbon line. Fuorocarbon will just give you a bit more depth at times and can take a lot more abuse dished out by the cover.
Common mistakes made by anglers! They don’t make enough casts at a section of cover. By making repetitive casts it gives the bass time to locate the bait from within the cover. Remember to make a few more casts at the cover after landing a bass and you might catch a few more of the unexpected bass lurking around.
Article & Images by Roy de Wet
Bass Digest/July, 2014