August 26, 2015
By Blake Russell, WorldFishingNetwork.com
I can understand why people are reluctant to throw crankbaits into gnarly cover. Crankbaits aren‘t exactly cheap, and they have six hooks that make it easy to hang up in a variety things. Squarebills, though, are designed to come through cover.
Lately, I've been pitching crankbaits directly into laydowns with great success. The square bill helps the crankbait deflect off the wood and rocks. If you fish squarebills long enough, you'll eventually get a feel for when the crankbaits about to snag. When I feel a snag is coming, I'll pause my retrieve, allowing my squarebill to float up a bit, then continue my retrieve. This usually allows for the crankbait to bounce off cover rather than dig into it.
Fishing aggressively with a squarebill in heavy cover ends up getting you more bites then you might expect. You're going to lose a few crankbaits, but you're also going to catch more fish.