When to Use Flat-Sided vs. Squarebill Crankbaits

When it comes to shallow diving crankbaits, two popular choices rise to the top: the flat-sided crankbait and the squarebill. While they share some similarities, their subtle differences can make a big impact on your fishing success. 

Let's dive in (pun intended) and explore what sets these crankbaits apart.

Body Shape:

Flat-Sided: As the name suggests, these crankbaits have, well, flat sides. This gives them a wider profile and a more subtle wobble compared to their squarebill counterparts.

Squarebill: These crankbaits have a wider body and prominent, square-shaped lip that deflects off cover and digs deeper. This creates a wider wobble and a more aggressive action.

Action and Vibration:

Flat-Sided: The flat sides creates a tighter wobble with a higher-pitched vibration. This can trigger more reaction strikes, especially in colder water, in finesse situations or when fish are pressured.

Squarebill: The square lip creates produce a wider, rolling action with a low-frequency vibration. This can be deadly when aggressive bass are hanging around shallow cover waiting to ambush unsuspecting forage.

Diving Depth and Use:

Flat-Sided: Can dig a little deeper, allowing you to crank around thicker cover or target sluggish, suspended fish.

Squarebill: Choose for situations when bass are staging on shallow cover and bumping the cover helps trigger reaction strikes.

Bass pro Bill Lowen loves cranking the shallows for bass throughout the year. Take a few minutes and watch as he explains his process for chosing between squarebills and flat-sided baits as well as the line he uses to maximize success with each...

Fishing Heavy Cover with Squarebills

When it comes to bass fishing, one of the most challening situations is triggering strikes from elusive bass hiding in heavy cover. Luckily, there's a bait that can help you tackle this challenge head-on: the squarebill crankbait. 

These versatile lures are specifically designed to navigate vegetation, rocks, docks submerged timber, and other types of heavy cover, making them an indispensable tool for catching big bass in hazard-filled environments.

Squarebill crankbaits are distinguished by their short, square-shaped lip in front. This design allows them to bounce off obstacles and deflect away from snags, minimizing the chances of getting snagged in heavy cover. Additionally, the buoyancy of squarebill crankbaits enables them to float back up when they hit obstacles, making them excellent at triggering reaction strikes from bass lurking in the shadows.

Strike King bass pro Greg Hackney is definitely one of the better anglers when it comes to fishing heavy cover shallow water and he loves using squarebills to draw bass from their hiding spots in cover like flooded trees. 

Take a few moments and watch as he explains his approach in selecting the right set-up, squarebill and presentation technique when fishing squarebills around heavy cover:

Squarebill Crankbaits Are the 4x4s of Bass Baits

When fishing shallow cover for bass, the squarebill crankbait can be one of the most important lures in your tackle box for triggering strikes. Often referred to as the 4x4 of bass baits, the broad lip and buoyant nature of most squarebills make it ideal for working through and deflecting off of wood, rocks, docks and even weeds.

Take a moment and watch as MLF pro Edwin Evers explains how he uses the squarebill to pull bass from shallow cover throughout the year...

To build on one of the comments made by EE regarding retrieve speed, bass legend Rick Clunn often tells the story of Clunn's introduction to squarebill fishing by Big-O originator Mr. Fred Young during a tournament in the 1970s. 

After giving a couple of his hand-carved Big-Os to RC and watching him methodically work the bait around the shallows, Young demonstrated his preferred method of squarebill fishing. Hold the rod against one arm, point the tip down and at the bait and burn the bait with a stop n go retrieve deflecting the bait off cover as much as possible. Rick says Young's fishing method still works for him today even though the squarebill itself has evolved...

Looking to add to your squarebill crankbait collection?

Check out all the different squarebill options available via the Omnia Fishing by clicking the following link:

Squarebills, the 4x4 of Bass Baits

Think Squarebills for Shallow Bass

There is a school of thought in the bass fishing world stating that a decent percentage of the bass population in most waters lives around cover in shallow water. I know from extensive personal experience that most of the bass I catch from ice-out until ice-in were enticed from cover in less than 5 or 6 feet of water!

Though there are many baits used to fish shallow water cover, one of the best is the squarebill crankbait...

Unlike other shallow cranks with rounded lips, the design of the squarebill's lip allows it to contact different types of cover like rocks and branches and still deflect away from it rather than hanging. A definite advantage since many anglers will opt for other types of baits like spinnerbaits, weedless-rigged soft plastics and jigs. This means shallow bass hanging around those types of cover do not see as many crankbaits and maybe less gun shy when your bait suddenly bounces by...

Take a moment and watch the following short video where B.A.S.S. Elite Series pro, Randall Tharp discusses the basics of fishing squarebills around shallow cover...