![]() ![]() But even though it's thick, check it frequently, especially if you're cranking around rocks. "Murky waters call for bigger baits, and there's no need for thin line. "Work it at a moderately brisk pace," Quinn says, "with an occasional pause after it hits something, to allow it to jump backward and hover momentarily. But for shallow bass, the square-bill is deadly. Note that at the same time, other fish may remain deep, holding in clearer areas. "During this period, with water temperatures typically in the low- to mid-50☏ range, big largemouths have moved up to shallow pockets with darker water that warm quickly. And the key is to bang it into stumps, shallow rocks, tree limbs, and riprap banks, and any other cover you can find. ![]() "That bill shape gives the bait an attack angle of about 40 degrees. "It basically dates back to Fred Young's hand-carved Big-O, but today we find variations in the dimensions, as well as the angle of these short bills, as well as several lure sizes," he explains. In-Fisherman Senior Editor Steve Quinn, another accomplished bassman, says the squarebill is one of his favorite lip styles for springtime cranking in rivers and reservoirs. "They work well in hard cover like timber because the lip deflects off it and the lure stutters, which often draws strikes." "Different manufacturers create differing actions, but these lips generally create a searching action, with up-and-down motion along the horizontal axis," Bonnema says. Moving slightly deeper, square-bills typically run 3 to 5 feet, but divers capable of breaking the 15-foot barrier, such as Bomber's Fat Free Shad Deep Square Lip, are available. Most have loud rattles, which, coupled with their action, excel in dirty water, when bass are searching for prey." "Short-lipped baits are ideal in three feet or less of water. "They're great in early spring and again in fall, when bass move shallow just before heading for deeper water," Bonnema notes. They have wide bodies and produce an exaggerated side-to-side rolling action. The Mann's 1-Minus class, which run a foot deep or slightly deeper, have short stubby, often cupped lips extending at about a 45-degree downward angle. "This group can be divided into wakebaits and subsurface baits like Mann's 1-Minus." Wakebaits like the Jackall Mikey and Strike King Wake Shad feature flat, downward-facing lips that push the head from side to side, causing them to swim at or just beneath the surface with an accentuated wobble-creating a wake like an injured baitfish that can't dive to safety. "In spring, when lots of fish are moving shallow, small-lipped, shallow-running baits shine," he says. Using the calendar as a cornerstone of crankbait lip selection is an easy way to narrow your options. ![]()
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