Square bill crankbaits are usually fished along the shoreline. Most only dive from 2 to 6 feet (with some designed to go deeper with proper line size). They work best when thrown at targets such as laydowns (a tree which is laying in the water), rocks, bridge piling, docks, etc.

 

All crankbaits, including square bills get the most strikes when deflecting off of objects. It’s important to choose the right bait for the target depth that you are fishing. If you are finding that bass are shallow (say around two to five feet) you want to choose a square bill that will dive to at least five or six feet. You want the lure to ‘grind’ it’s way back to you when it’s in the target range of the fish. Doing so will have it deflecting in different angles which will cause the bass to react.

 

Many times repetitive casts to the same spot may be required to get a bass to strike. Try casting at different angles to the same area.

Colors: There are times when color is very important and times when it is not. If you believe the fish are shallow and the square bill you are throwing is not generating strikes than try changing to a different color bait. As a general rule, use natural colors when the water is clear and bright colors when it is stained or murky. Also if you have an idea of what kind of bait fish the bass might be feeding on, try to ‘match the hatch’.  I have found that springtime bass seem to like reds and orange colors the best however let the bass “tell you” what they want on any given day.

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Equipment: With the possible exception of a very small square bill, all square bill fishing should be done with baitcasting equipment using fairly heavy line.

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Take a look at some videos on square bill basics.