Square Billed Crankbaits
There are many types of crankbaits. Each of which has their time and place. One very important type is the square billed crankbait.
Some of the most popular square billed crankbaits include, Bagley Balsa B, Lucky Craft RC series, and Mann’s Baby one. There are also two main types of materials for these crankbaits and each has it’s own unique characteristics. The wood crankbaits tend to have more sporadic action, higher buoyancy, and usually a more unique action. A lot of people really like the wood cranks because each one has it’s own unique action. Unfortunately, these baits are a lot easier to tear up and sometimes you have to search through a few to find just the right action you want. The plastic crankbaits are more durable and tend to track more true. They also usually have good textures to them which allows them to have extremely good paint jobs such as this fine custom paint job by Casey Sobczak. Square billed cranks are usually used for power fishing through rock or wood cover. The square bill and the wide wobbling action allow the bait to come through some really thick stuff. I witnessed this first hand from the back of Takahiro Omori’s boat on red river a couple of years ago. Tak broke out three rods all rigged with Bagley Balsa B II’s and proceeded to pound them through all kinds of treetops and even through a duck blind. Square billed crankbaits usually draw a reaction strike from fish hanging close to cover, and they don’t hang up or snag very easy.
This allows you to fish where the big fish hide. However, they do not work real well through vegetation. They have a tendency to bog up with grass. These crankbaits are a good choice anytime bass are holding close to shallow wood or rock cover. If you have any other questions about these short fat works of art feel free to ask.