Every style of crankbaits has its own unique properties and and performs better under certain conditions.
The squarebill crankbait is certainly unique and when it comes to fall pond fishing, it is almost impossible to beat.
Squarebill crankbaits are designed to be a shallow water crankbait. They typically dive between 2-5 ft and will remain very consistent at their max depth.
The wide, square shaped bill does two things. First, it creates a very wide and aggressive wobbling action.
And second, it helps to bounce and deflect the crankbait over or away from the cover that it makes contact with.
For the most part, ponds are going to be quite shallow. It is rare to find a pond over 10 ft deep, and are in that 2-5 ft range.
As you can probably guess, this makes the squarebill crankbait very effective as it’s diving depth matches the depth of most ponds.
Also, ponds will tend to have rocky bottoms with occasional laydowns, which are also perfect for the squarebill.
During the fall season, bass need to feed up in order to bulk up for the winter.
So they become very aggressive and chase after their prey much more.
Lures like the squarebill crankbait cover a lot of water. You can fan cast with it and finish the whole fan within just a couple of minutes.
This allows you to not waste any time and find bass much easier.
This is especially important when fishing ponds because the bass tend to be much more spread out.
They don’t have large ledges, grass flats, wooded banks, or other structural components of larger lake systems.
Instead, pond bass are much more spread out through the whole pond, so covering water is very important during the fall months.
During the fall, bass shift their predatory focus onto baitfish. Bluegill, shad, baby bass, and other small fish they come across.
A squarebill crankbait is clearly a baitfish imitation, and with limitless color options, you can match your crankbait to the exact forage in your pond.
For most ponds, bluegill are going to be the primary baitfish forage for the bass.
Many ponds do have shad, in fact the pond near my house has a huge population of shad.
So if you can see schooling shad on the surface, throw a shad colored squarebill.
But if you don’t think your pond has any shad, then bluegill are going to be the main baitfish.
When it comes of profile, a squarebill crankbait has pretty much the spot on shape and size of both bluegill and smaller shad.
With a bit wider and bulkier body, the squarebill looks exactly like what the bass are gorging on.
Squarebills are very easy to use. Just cast theme out and reel them back in.
That’s about all you need to know. Now to maximize your success, you need to utilize that wide, square shaped bill.
Reel the crankbait into rocks and large, log laydowns. This will cause the crankbait to deflect and jump off in an erratic motion.
As it bounces off the cover, near by bass can’t help themselves and will crush the bait.
And because the bait floats, you can adjust its depth by simply pausing or reeling slower.
This can help you fish all depths and keep the bait out or grass or big brush piles.
Chances are, your pond has a bunch or grass, slime, or weeds in it all throughout the summer time.
This frustrating vegetation makes it pretty much impossible to use any treble hooked lures.
But once the days start getting shorter and the temperatures drop, that vegetation starts to die off rather quickly.
I’ve found that once the daytime temperatures consistently drop 20-25 degrees, that vegetation decreases by about 50-70%.
Once you have noticed that the temps are consistently down for a full 2 weeks, tie on a squarebill.
Even in the shallow ponds, vegetation won’t be an issue and you will be able to cover all the water you need.
This is generally during the month of September to October depending on where you live.
Also Read: How to Catch 20% More Bass on Hard Baits
The squarebill crankbait is an essential tool for fall pond fishing due to its unique design and effectiveness in shallow waters.
Its ability to mimic baitfish, cover a wide area quickly, and navigate through rocky or wooded terrain makes it a go-to lure when bass are aggressively feeding in preparation for winter.
As vegetation dies off and ponds clear up in early fall, tying on a squarebill crankbait can significantly increase your chances of success, allowing you to efficiently target bass that are spread out across the pond.
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