Squarebill crankbaits getting snagged 2024
EGbassing reply :
I've only fished a squarebill a couple times, and I love fishing them. Thing is, there are so many dead leaves/moss/etc. on the bottom of the pond I fish that the hooks are always snagging leaves or something. Is there any way to prevent this? They've been really effective for me when they weren't covered in leaves.
Glaucus reply :
Not the best to fish subsurface trebles in these conditions. You could choose a squarebill that doesn't dive as deep, or fish a lipless because you get to determine the depth. However one of the things that makes a squarebill so good is it bouncing off of rocks and wood.
EGbassing reply :
On 2/22/2019 at 7:30 AM, Glaucus said:Not the best to fish subsurface trebles in these conditions. You could choose a squarebill that doesn't dive as deep, or fish a lipless because you get to determine the depth. However one of the things that makes a squarebill so good is it bouncing off of rocks and wood.
Yeah, lipless don't seem to snag very much for me.
WRB reply :
Slow down your retrieve pace and rip the lure once in awhile to clean off any debris and this action tends to initiate strikes.
Tom
EGbassing reply :
On 2/22/2019 at 8:04 AM, WRB said:Slow down your retrieve pace and rip the lure once in awhile to clean off any debris and this action tends to initiate strikes.
Tom
I'll try both of those. Thank you. Do you think cutting the front treble point off the front hook will help very much?
WRB reply :
On 2/22/2019 at 8:17 AM, EGbassing said:I'll try both of those. Thank you. Do you think cutting the front treble point off the front hook will help very much?
Hooks swing a lot and cutting off the treble hook at the base of the bend on the point that tends to snag does help. Try removing the front hook before cutting it.
Developing the skill to prevent digging into the bottom pays off long term with other crankbaits.
Tom
EGbassing reply :
On 2/22/2019 at 8:30 AM, WRB said:Hooks swing a lot and cutting off the treble hook at the base of the bend on the point that tends to snag does help. Try removing the front hook before cutting it.
Tom
Ok, I cut the front point off. Hopefully that helps with the snags.
Swbass15 reply :
Another way to fish it would be with long rod sweeps picking up slack as you go back to the bait. You won’t achive max depth, the pause and slow rise sometimes is killer for me.
scaleface reply :
A Bagleys Honey B is my crankbait of choice under those conditions .
EGbassing reply :
On 2/22/2019 at 8:54 AM, scaleface said:A Bagleys Honey B is my crankbait of choice under those conditions .
This one? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018K9ZPW0/ref=twister_B01AGNQYGY?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
scaleface reply :
On 2/22/2019 at 9:47 AM, EGbassing said:This one? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018K9ZPW0/ref=twister_B01AGNQYGY?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
I have never used the Rattlin one . It might work the same . The ones I used are balsa with no rattles . It appears they are not being made now . I'm interested in getting a couple of these rattlin ones myself .
EGbassing reply :
On 2/22/2019 at 9:58 AM, scaleface said:I have never used the Rattlin one . It might work the same . The ones I used are balsa with no rattles . It appears they are not being made now . I'm interested in getting a couple of these rattlin ones myself .
I prefer silent but the rattling one will probably be fine so I think I'm going to get one of those.
scaleface reply :
On 2/22/2019 at 11:03 AM, EGbassing said:I prefer silent but the rattling one will probably be fine so I think I'm going to get one of those.
They are small and dont dive as deep , only a quarter ounce .
junyer357 reply :
I was also taught years ago when i was learning to fish cranks that "if you aint getting hung up, you aint gettin where the fish are boy".
fishballer06 reply :
The water you're fishing is too shallow for the squarebill you're fishing. Try using a Mann's Baby 1-. They only run about 6-12" deep and they're a killer crankbait.
Brett's_daddy reply :
I would also try one of the new 6th Sense Movement 80x...they are very shallow divers only 1 - 3ft. and the people who have them love them, haven't heard anything negative about them yet (except possibly their cost at $8 each).
EGbassing reply :
On 2/22/2019 at 9:38 PM, fishballer06 said:The water you're fishing is too shallow for the squarebill you're fishing. Try using a Mann's Baby 1-. They only run about 6-12" deep and they're a killer crankbait.
It's a 4 foot diver in about 3 feet of water so I don't think it's too shallow. Everybody says it's supposed to bounce off the bottom to trigger strikes. I think the bottom composition is just not the best for crankbaits.
On 2/22/2019 at 9:06 PM, junyer357 said:I was also taught years ago when i was learning to fish cranks that "if you aint getting hung up, you aint gettin where the fish are boy".
That's true, but snagging a pound of leaves on every single cast gets annoying after a while. ????
FCPhil reply :
On 2/22/2019 at 8:17 AM, EGbassing said:I'll try both of those. Thank you. Do you think cutting the front treble point off the front hook will help very much?
Cutting a treble is going to hurt your hookup ratio. I would start with other approaches first. Try EWG treble hooks that have the hook points tipped slightly in and a shorter shank. You can also downsize the hooks.
Sam reply :
Not really, to answer your query.
It is part of crankbait fishing that can drive you crazy.
But you have to put your crankbait where the bass are and if they are deep you have no choice.
You could remove the rear hook to reduce the snags and leaves/muck which is done with lipless crankbaits all the time.
But overall, it is just part of fishing and if you want to minimize the glop on your hooks use a spinnerbait or Chatterbait.
EGbassing reply :
On 2/22/2019 at 11:22 PM, Sam said:Not really, to answer your query.
It is part of crankbait fishing that can drive you crazy.
But you have to put your crankbait where the bass are and if they are deep you have no choice.
You could remove the rear hook to reduce the snags and leaves/muck which is done with lipless crankbaits all the time.
But overall, it is just part of fishing and if you want to minimize the glop on your hooks use a spinnerbait or Chatterbait.
Yeah, the one place they don't snag for me is an brush/wood cover because it can deflect off that pretty well. I may try removing a hook if I still snag a lot.
fishballer06 reply :
On 2/22/2019 at 9:38 PM, fishballer06 said:The water you're fishing is too shallow for the squarebill you're fishing. Try using a Mann's Baby 1-. They only run about 6-12" deep and they're a killer crankbait.
On 2/22/2019 at 11:07 PM, EGbassing said:It's a 4 foot diver in about 3 feet of water so I don't think it's too shallow. Everybody says it's supposed to bounce off the bottom to trigger strikes
Fair enough. What do I know 
Sam reply :
On 2/22/2019 at 11:25 PM, EGbassing said:Yeah, the one place they don't snag for me is an brush/wood cover because it can deflect off that pretty well. I may try removing a hook if I still snag a lot.
Remove the rear hook. Old pros' trick for Rat-L-Trap type lipless baits. Even VanDam does it at times.
You can also cut some small pieces of foam and place them on the tips of your crankbait hooks. It looks strange but it can minimize the leaves problem. Not so much for the bottom gunk.
And you may want to go heavier on your line test to 12 or 17 pounds with baits that go no more than three to five feet deep and do not scrap the bottom.
Just experiment and have fun seeing what works and what doesn't.
WRB reply :
Just learn to control the diving depth by holding the rod tip high, changing the pace by stop,and go retreive or.....change to another lure.
Tom
scaleface reply :
The water you describe a crankbait does not bounce off the bottom .It is silted in with lots of scummy black debris ,the crankbait digs in and gets covered in the stuff , which you already know . Its horrible bass cover so there is no need for the crankbait to run that deep . Use a shallower diver that doesnt hit the bottom .You may have to hold the rod high .I have fished this type of water a lot and crankbaits work well , just keep it out of the muck and cast at visible cover . Spinnerbaits , buzzbaits and lightly weighted Texas rigs also have worked well for me . I fish irrigation ditches that are filled with fertile bottom-land soil and half digested vegetable matter .
ratherbfishin1 reply :
Problem... Solved
It looks like a joke to me, but hey, who knows!????
primetime reply :
On 2/23/2019 at 12:15 AM, ratherbfishin1 said:
Problem... Solved
It looks like a joke to me, but hey, who knows!????
I would imagine the hook up ratio would be very poor on that design, but it does look the part. I actually purchased the bill norman weedless rattle trap a few years ago to get to $50 on TW, and the only time I ever hooked up on it was when I added the treble hook which defeats the purpose.
When I fish in places with a soft bottom, I rarely use a crankbait, but I would simply slow down and then do a random hookset to create a deflection/direction change. You can find crankbaits that dive 2-3' but one of the things I do in a few ponds where I live, is throw a deep diver like the DT 10 and fish it in 4-5' of water and bottom is soft. I simply pull it down quickly to the bottom, let the bill hit, then kill it and let it float up slowly....then just repeat, the bigger bill protects the hooks. The rapala seems to work best when I do this since it floats slowly, and is not too loud. It either scares the fish, but if they are active, it often gets choked by a bigger fish.
I am not a crankbait expert by any stretch, but I think the vertical action and bigger body creates bigger strikes in ponds. I rarely throw cranks in ponds for the reasons you mentioned, too many weeds and soft bottoms, but in order to get long casts and fish a bit differently, I usually try this before leaving, and when it works, they rip the rod out of your hands, or you simply spook everything, so I do it last.
Hope that helps.
WRB reply :
My advice is stop trying to use the wrong lure in the pond you fish. IMO Rapala F13 Joint minnow will catch more bass from what the OP has discribed as the pond he fishes.
Tom
MN Fisher reply :
On 2/23/2019 at 9:52 AM, WRB said:My advice is stop trying to use the wrong lure in the pond you fish. IMO Rapala F13 Joint minnow will catch more bass from what the OP has discribed as the pond he fishes.
Tom
Either that or the Jointed Shallow Shad Rap. I use that one in shallow, log-ridden areas myself without major issues.
J.Vincent reply :
On 2/23/2019 at 12:15 AM, ratherbfishin1 said:
Problem... Solved
It looks like a joke to me, but hey, who knows!????
Interesting lure, but not as a 3 to 5 ft diver. With that soft lure body and hook design it might be better if they redesigned it as a wake bait.
MarkH024 reply :
Get some Manns -1. Change your hooks and hang on. Great shallow crank that you can keep in the 1-2ft depth. I run it above grass in the springtime. Works really well.
IgotWood reply :
It’s actually very easy to control your depth with squarebills and even deeper running coffin-bills.
Keep your rod tip up high to keep the bait running shallow. Lower your rod tip to let the bait run deeper. Obviously speed is also a major factor. It’s also helpful if you use the same bait often so that you learn very well exactly how it behaves.
If if you feel a bump, pause and let the bait float up and away from the snag. If you feel drags on your bait like leaves of grass, give it a sharp rip. Often it will pull the debris off, and also can generate a strike.
waymont reply :
On 2/22/2019 at 9:38 PM, fishballer06 said:The water you're fishing is too shallow for the squarebill you're fishing. Try using a Mann's Baby 1-. They only run about 6-12" deep and they're a killer crankbait.
Hey. What colors do you like? I would guess Bluegill or shad.
fishballer06 reply :
On 2/24/2019 at 1:41 AM, waymont said:Hey. What colors do you like? I would guess Bluegill or shad.
All depends on what the fish want. Time of year, location, water clarity, etc.
I get a lot of mine custom painted by a buddy because I'm not a fan of most of the factory colors and honestly, the factory paint doesn't hold up too well. Some waters I use bright chartruese, others I use bluegill colors, and other times I'll use a sexy shad pattern. In the spring of the year, a brown craw with an orange belly can be a killer.
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