Square-billed Crankbaits – Myths and Truth
– Part II
By Chuck Bailey
In Part I David Ryan helped us explore the history of squared-billed baits, and exposed a few of the myths surrounding this unique bait. In Part II Dave unpacks the confusion and misunderstanding centered around square-billed "deflection" (verses round-billed baits). From split-rings to hooks, rods to reels, from line to rod-position - all the secrets to the proper use of square-billed baits are examined. We also look at "premium" baits and ask the question: are they worth the high price?
Deflection!!!
The greatest misunderstanding having to do with square-billed crankbaits is generated by unscientific explanations of its deflection qualities. For decades outdoor magazines have declared that square-billed crankbaits “deflect” better than round-billed baits when coming into contact with stumps, rocks, laydowns, branches, etc... But what does that mean?
Nearly all experts agree that a crankbait contacting cover produces the appearance of forage displaying the natural fear-induced behavior that comes from recognizing the presence of predators, or perhaps the actions of a wounded bait fish. An unusual or erratic change in direction (as a result of that contact with cover) often triggers strikes from predators.
But somewhere down the road someone assumed that the “contact deflection” of a square-billed bait meant it bounced widely or shot way off to the side. It does not. In fact, that kind of “careening deflection” more accurately describes the behavior of round-bill crankbaits.
The Proof?
According to Dave, too many people continue to believe what they hear - without testing the theory themselves. So he challenges anglers to find a clear water lake and a submerged shallow branch or laydown and throw two specific baits over the obstruction. First, he suggests casting a Bagley DB3 – a round bill bait with the same body style as the square-billed Balsa B3.
Dave describes what happens, “A round bill or the DB 3 type of bait is going to deflect once that bait ‘loads’. That is, once you get it up to a limb or branch, it loads up as the line is stretched, and then the bait fires off of the obstacle. The rubber-band effect is going to shoot the bait out - 2 or 3 feet away from the cover. It’s unbelievable.”
How does the square-bill handle the same obstacle? “When it gets to the limb, it will come right over that limb,” declares Dave. “It will hug the limb and it won’t shoot it off to one side or the other, it just continues to wiggle as it crawls over it. It stays tight to the cover and the square bill assists in keeping it from getting hung up. It’s almost a work of art to watch that happen.”
Confusion!
Dave certainly understands the confusion this reality is going to cause some anglers. A bait careening off to one side after contact with cover “…is what the round-lipped DB 3 does. Without a doubt”, states Dave.
Obviously round-billed crankbaits have been getting a bum rap for years as the myth is propagated that their square-bill cousins are better at deflection. Had the term “deflection” been clearly defined in the beginning, perhaps the confusion would not have occurred. But readers were left to “assume” what the term meant, and many misunderstanding were then passed on to the next generation
So, if square-billed crankbaits don’t “shoot off” to one side when making contact, then why are they so effective around hard cover?
Staying Tight to Cover
Dave explains there is a definite advantage to the square-bill but it’s not what people keep thinking it is. Rather than the dramatic ‘careening deflection’, it’s the square-bill’s ability to stay tight to the cover that works so well. It is the bait’s crawling over the branch without hanging that makes it almost magical.
So if a semi-active fish has his nose right up against a tree trunk, an angler wants that bait to stay as close as possible to that cover, working its way over or around it, and not getting away from the fish’s small strike zone. And… without hanging up.
“Because it has those corners – when you are reeling it over cover, the bait lays up on its side, and stays close to the target. And it is wiggling all the time it does this. Then, after it clears, it resumes its regular hunting track again. I really believe that enables you to manipulate that cover better.”
Natural Action
Think about it; natural forage does not careen off trees. Neither does the square-billed bait. The square corners let the bait get up on it’s side to more freely swim like a fleeing bluegill coming over a log or a shad going over a limb, and it looks natural. It has a much more natural appearance than that DB3 with its round bill.
“I see that as an advantage,” states Dave, “because the bass is a predator and he’s going to use the cover as his ambush point. The square-bill is the perfect bait for attacking that cover.”
“For instance; let’s say there is a series of stumps somewhere out in front of the boat in three feet of water. The square-bill is the perfect thing to throw because you can manipulate it through the cover, and it stays in the strike zone. Or whenever the fish are on laydowns; the bait is thrown out and it wiggles its way through the cover, doing its horizontal hunt, staying right there in the strike zone of the fish.”
Dave admits there are better baits to throw in weedy or grassy environments, but wherever stumps, rocks, laydowns, submerged trees and branches exist – hard cover is where the square-billed crankbait shines.
Split-Ring Magic
The correct way to fish a square-billed crankbait begins with addressing the proper way to attach the bait to the line. “I am very adamant about this – the only way an individual should fish this bait (to get the optimum performance out of my Black Market Balsa), is to use a split-ring on the nose; a round split-ring, not an oval one.”
Recently a customer was complaining that his crankbait was not running right. Dave took him to the test pond and replaced the client’s oval ring with a #2 round split-ring. Instantly the customer saw the difference and admitted “Dave, that bait is doing stuff now that it wasn’t doing before.” Dave replied, “I know it is. That oval split-ring was not allowing the bait to wiggle the way it needed to. And therefore it was limiting the horizontal hunt.”
As to tying directly to the line tie? Dave insists, “It will suffocate it.”
Mono Rules!
Dave suggests using monofilament line. He strongly believes that using fluorocarbon is a big mistake. “The line is not only too stiff, but it sinks. When I’m throwing a square-billed bait, I don’t want a sinking line. I tend to fish this bait extremely fast. When it hits something, I pause it, and I want it to start rising. I don’t want to pause the bait and have it just sit there. But when you are throwing 20 pound fluorocarbon that line will sink and it will drag the bait down.”
As to line diameter, Dave explains, “Three feet is what I always expect this bait to run and I always run my baits, (my Mediums and Larges), on 20 pound test mono. And I’ll throw 15 or 17 pound test mono on the Smalls. You need a little lighter line to get the most action out of that little bait.”
Critical Hooks
According to Dave, “The size of hooks are very critical to how the bait runs.”
What does he recommend? “For my Black Market Balsa Large you want a size 2 round-bend Gamakatsu. For my Medium, which is the same size as a Bagley B2, (and this is where it becomes personal preference), you can either throw the EWG (extra wide gap) or the round-bend number 4’s. And on my Smalls, which is like a B1, you are going to throw round-bend 6’s.”
Why only allow round-bend trebles on the Small and Large Balsa’s and yet allow both EWG and round for the Medium? “The reason is that the EWG hooks will deter the action from the smaller and larger baits. For example; I have had so many people who have purchased my Larges and the first thing they do is put #2 Gamakatsu hooks on it, and then say “Dave, my bait is not quite running right”. If you will weight the two different styles of hooks, you will discover that the EWG weighs more than the round bend does. And it does weigh the bait down, …and it doesn’t run as well.”
The Proper Rod…
If you are getting the idea that Dave Ryan is a man who believes that true quality and fishing success is found by paying attention to the minute details, then it won’t surprise you to know that Dave is picky about the rods he uses to throw his premium baits.
“I have a definite preference in rods. The lady who makes my rods is the wife of Jim Higley, who passed away a few years ago. Jim made rods for me, Brent Chapman, Randy Blaukat, Gary Klein - a lot of guys on the circuit. But his wife Cindy now makes the rods. The rod I use is a 7 foot, S-Glass, the blank is a Seeker blank, and without a doubt this is the rod that works best on my shallow running baits. It’s the rod a person needs to throw.” (J. Highly Custom Rods)
What are its characteristics? “It’s got a fast tip, it loads well, and it performs typically like your quality fiberglass rod will. It has enough back bone that you are able to get a solid hook set, yet it is forgiving enough that when the fish surges the rod will absorb its energy. This particular fiberglass rod is a medium-heavy action that gets the job done.”
…and Reel
When it comes to picking a reel, Dave explains, “I throw my square-billed baits on a 6.3:1 gear ratio reel. Why? Because I cover a lot of water with this bait, and fish it really fast. I’ve seen few people fish the bait in a rapid fashion like I do. “
But if an angler is tempted to think that the newer 7:1 gear ratios might make the cranking even easier, Dave cautions against it. “You will find that if you use a 7:1 reel you will over crank the bait. To produce the proper cadence during the retrieve you will have to crank a lot slower on the 7:1 than if you used a 6.3:1.”
Retrieval and Cadence
According to Dave, finding the proper cadence or rhythm during the retrieve is essential when fishing square-billed baits. Too slow or too fast is going to negatively affect your catch numbers. “I’m not saying people can’t use a slower retrieve. They can still catch fish that way. But I’m talking about the difference between an angler who goes out and catches 5 keepers on a typical day, verses my style which might produce 25 keepers. The cadence and speed makes a huge difference.”
Dave believes the 6.3:1 reel just seems to be geared properly for this unique bait because the optimum presentation for a square-billed crankbait utilizes a rapid retrieve.
Rod Position
Another important but often over looked factor when throwing square-billed cranks involved retrieval technique. “Rod position, the angle the rod is held at, makes a tremendous difference in how my square-bill baits run. The old “point the rod at the bait” or “hold the rod tip down just off the water” – that’s not going to cut it. That is not the proper way to throw a wooden square-billed bait.”
Why does rod angle make a difference? “It all has to do with geometry; of where the line is in conjunction with the line tie and with the proper position of the bait’s bill. Each individual bait is different but for the most part that rod needs to be up to increase the bait’s horizontal displacement or hunt. If the rod is down you are taking away from the optimum performance. It will still perform; it will still have horizontal displacement and hunt. But if an angler will just experiment with rod angle, they will discover a position that optimizes its performance.”
That Occasional Hesitation
Interestingly enough, Dave rarely makes a second cast at a piece of cover in a tournament situation. “I have supreme confidence that if I bring any of my square-billed balsa baits by a piece of cover and there is an active bass there, I am going to catch him on the first time through - without a doubt. But if I do have that strange feeling that there ought to be a fish there, I’ll make another cast to it at a different angle, and I’ll kill it for just a half a second. That little hesitation may trigger a strike.”
Warm Water Fishing
When a bass fisherman is usually fishing shallower water, this implies they are fishing during the warm water season. While Dave admits to having some success throwing square-billed baits earlier than most (when water temperatures are only in the low 50’s), he admits that “…when the water temperature flirts with 70 degrees, that would be the appropriate time to start throwing the bait.”
“And you are going to be able to throw the lure all the way through November.” Then Dave adds, “Obviously you will want to look at your water temperature late in the year. But if the Gizzard shad are still up in the shallows and there are bass in the shallows with them, you are still going to be able to throw the square-billed balsas.”
“On the other hand, the shallow bite could end in late October – it just depends (geographically speaking) on where you are located. But it is a bait that catch bass from 4 to 6 months out of the year.”
The Black Market Slim
What is the difference between Dave’s “Black Market Balsa” which comes in three sizes and the “Black Market Slim” which has one size? Dave explains, “The Black Market Slim is a little bit different; a bit more specialized than the Balsa’s. It’s a bait made in one size which falls in between a Medium and a Large Black Market Balsa.”
“What I have done is shave the sides a little to make it slightly flatter. But it’s not a flat-sided bait like the Tennessee Tuffy - which doesn’t weigh very much and is extremely hard to cast. You can still cast the Slim on 20 pound test because it is a half ounce bait.”
“The Slim has a tighter wiggle and a slightly different bill than the Balsa’s. It still has a square-bill, but it is more tapered than what the Black Market Balsa’s have. I recommend this bait to people who fish lakes that have a lot of floating docks.”
“I started playing around on Lake of the Ozarks with the Slim and it really has a lot of the characteristics of the Black Market Balsa, it’s just a little bit freer moving. This is because it is less buoyant, (being flatter on the sides). When you are throwing along side a floating dock, the Slim can really dart up under the foam and come back out.”
“You won’t necessarily throw the Slim along a laydown. Because it has less buoyancy and flatter sides it has more opportunity to snag up. I would encourage a person to use the Black Market Balsa for wood cover.”
Premium Prices
Needless to say, hand-crafting square-billed crankbaits (that ‘hunt’ every time) is a time-consuming and demanding art form; and therefore an expensive process. Like every premium bait on the market today, the price makes many anglers a little nervous about putting out that kind of money for a single bait. It will cost an angler $40 dollars for the Black Market Slim and $50 dollars for the Black Market Balsa’s. The initial question that enters an angler’s mind is, “Is it worth it?”
“I’ve had this conversation since my bait’s inception,” says Dave. “My baits are hand-crafted for the serious bass fisherman. My customers tend to be more tournament oriented – trying to get an edge on the next guy. If an angler fishes competitively, then I’ll tell them ‘This is what I can do for you: First, I can provide you with a bait that will be colored to your specs, (I don’t have only three options to choose from, I have any color or pattern that you want). So it’s customized – you pick the color.’”
“Secondly, when you get a hand-crafted bait from me, you don’t have to wonder if it is going to catch fish, it is going to catch fish! It’s going to run perfectly because I test them before they go out of my shop. Each and every bait hunts.”
“And thirdly, the proof is in the pudding. Check my track record. Tournaments have been won on this bait. Several championships have been won on this bait. I personally have three baits in my box that have won me a total of $50,000 in just regional events. So $40 to $50 is a small investment to win that kind of money back.”
Summary:
Let’s review what we’ve learned:
1) Square-billed crankbaits are shallow running baits (usually three feet or less in terms of running depths).
2) The square-billed crankbait shines in lakes full of hard cover; rocks, stumps, laydowns, submerged trees and branches. Other lures are better equipped to fish weedy or grassy lakes.
3) Deep diving versions don’t exist because of the square-cornered lip design. Longer and larger square bills, (necessary to dive deeper), makes a crankbait unstable as water tries to flow around its sharp corners, limiting square-billed baits to shallow applications.
4) Most square-billed baits have a stronger wiggle (than round bills), and emit a pronounced vibration and a unique underwater sound.
5) Not all square-billed crankbaits “hunt”. (Wiggling tightly with horizontal displacement – moving in a regular path from right to left and back again when retrieved.)
6) Deflection: Round-billed baits tend to hit a branch, load up, and shoot off erratically after coming into contact with cover. Square-billed cranks tend to hug the cover, turning on their sides to run over, or around cover – which more closely imitates forage behavior.
7) The square-bill's unique wiggling action as it comes through horizontal shallow cover makes the bait more snag proof than rounded-bill baits. (But even so, they are not entirely snagless. The nice thing is they are utilized in the first few feet of the water column and easy to recover with a rod tip or plug-knocker.)
8) A handcrafted square-billed crankbait runs optimally with a round #2 split-ring on 20 lb test mono. The bait is so delicately balanced that even the wrong size or weight of the attached hooks can negatively affect its action in the water.
9) The baits perform optimally when thrown on a 7 foot, fiberglass medium-heavy rod that has a firm backbone and a fast (or soft) tip.
10) Because a fast retrieve is recommended – a reel with a 6.3:1 gear ratio work best. An occasional hesitation upon contact with cover may help trigger strikes.
11) An angler must keep his rod tip up, experimenting initially with the rod angle until optimum “hunting” performance is achieved.
12) The square-billed bait’s depth limitations requires the forage and bass to be up in the shallows, making it a warm water presentation. While some fish can be located when temperatures are still in the 50’s, the prime time to throw the bait in when water reaches the 70’s.
13) Square-billed crankbaits come in a wide price range, but the premium hand-crafted lures are expensive and tend to cater to the more serious tournament fisherman who demands customized perfection and optimal performance.
It makes sense to find that among the most knowledgeable users of square-billed crankbaits ...is a master craftsman who builds and tests them. Dave Ryan has spent countless hours cutting through the myths, and discovering the truth about the unique bait that legendary Jim Bagley originally handcrafted. And any angler who applies these fact-based lessons to their fishing quest will discover that being “square” has its advantages.
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Having stepped back from the national B.A.S.S. circuit in 1998, David Ryan is still a well-known name and serious competitor and champion in the regional tournaments around Missouri. (Dave just missed going to the Bassmaster Classic by two places in 1997, and again by one place in 2005). He is now owner of Dave's Custom Baits, and his hand-crafted premium balsa baits are found in the tackle boxes of some of the big name professionals on the bass fishing tournament trails. You can contact him through his website at
Dave's Custom Baits.
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