What to Throw 1/4 Oz. Square Bills On?

Been getting bit on the fry bite with 1/4 oz. Lucky Strike and Strike King square bills thrown on a Dobyns 704 CB and Curado 51E series with 8-10 lb mono line. I don't particularly like the outfit as I think even this rod is too stiff for the small bait and keeping better fish hooked up a low percentage deal. Switched out the #6 hooks for #5's and that helped but I still think I need a more forgiving rod, maybe something like an All Star popping rod. Any suggestions? Thanks, 'spoon

use FLouro if you are switching to a more flimsy rod. You don't want to have double the stretch. You wont be able to drive the hooks in otherwise.

I would recommend a 6'6" MH with 10lb flouro. If you go with a medium/moderate rod, stay under 7ft.

i have a 6'6" - M BPS crankin stick that i use for tiny cranks like a RC.5 - it does amazingly well with casting the light weight lures but has enough power to fight big fish on it. not sure if they make them anymore though, doesn't look like they have them on the BPS website.

I have a Quantum Smoke rod, and it is absolutely perfect for square bills. It has a very soft tip for long casts and I can feel the bottom great. It loads up really well when you get a bite too. Only thing is if you catch a big one you will need to not horse it. I believe you would be very happy with it.

TackleTour research on fluorocarbon lines showed they actually stretch very close to the same as better monofilaments. I don't think you win a lot there. Fluorocarbon does tend to stay elongated after the initial stretching and doesn't retract like mono. But, not much gain there I suspect using one over the other.

For a quarter ounce, have you considered using spinning gear? You'd be able to use a 4000 series reel with a stronger drag maximum capacity to pull against larger bass better, yet throw it on a stiffer rod. The larger spool makes for larger coils of line to pull off, longer casts. The stiffer rod hurts here a bit, for sure, but the distance you gain from the reel averages this out. The stiffer rod will help you battle the fish.

The downside is a bit slower repetitive casting and retrieving. Most of us can't fire off repetitive casts with spinning tackle as fast as with a casting reel.

Brad

Fluoro sinks which I like for crankbaits. Past that a 7' MH rod is fine.

Try your square bills on a Dobyns 733.

For light / smaller crankbaits I like the Falcon Cara Reaction CCB-4-17MR. I use it for baits like KVD 1.0, Bandit 100/200, Bomber 4A/5As

I use my Dobyns 764 for small to medium built CBs with good success. Of course, I also use McCoys Mean Green, that gives the fish more stretch to play themselves out with. If you are ripping the hooks out of their mouths, pull your drag down so a 3# fish can pull a little drag. THAT suggestion is for ALL that are not keeping fish hooked and ripping the hooks out. Sounds like you might be doing that, with those smaller #5 hooks, try that first, before you go buying another rod. Hope this helps. Tight lines, keep safe and good luck.

Thad Rains

I use the old green Falcon Cara Reaction Shoal Cranker. They don't make it any more. It is great for the smaller baits. It will be a sad day if it ever breaks!

Picked up 2 of the Lews White speed sticks in med. action 7ft. and have been impressed nice tip and back bone throw 1.5s a mile tip is soft enuff to roll or side cast. Teamed up with Lews LFS 12-15lb floro. Both rod and reel $99 each. Switching from carbonlites to these.

Really? I'm sorry, I'm just a mediocre bass fisherman...you're really considering a new rod, or entire setup, for 1 bait? You're getting bit with what you have, just not landing (it sounds like) the better fish...loosen your drag a bit and thumb when needed.

+1

Get the spinner bait special from Ron @ Reel Time Rods at lake Fork. It is an awesome rod for moving baits. 6-9 in length.

7'4" KVD tour model cranking stick in medium action with 12lb fluorocarbon on a Shimano curado 5.3:1. Great control for casting in tight spots, u can cast it a mile and the rod has plenty of backbone.

I like this rod so much that I ordered two of his 7'11" cranking rods/reels for deep diving CB's

Here's a tip: You can get a 40% discount on up to 5 items on the quantum website with the promo code KVDQPTPC1. A great deal if you are interested in ordering multiple items, otherwise shipping is a bit high for a single rod. Also there are some nice rebates as well.

First, thanks for all the great responses. I have several cranking setups (Dobyns 684cb, 704cb, 705cb, 705cb glass etc) for the various size cranks and I get along really well with all of them for their intended purpose and bait sizes. It's just the 0.5 size 1/4 oz. sq bills that I am struggling with, especially with smallmouth which we have a lot of in West Texas and Eastern New Mexico. The reel part is fine between 51E series Curados and a Calcutta Conquest. But too many pull off after getting a good hook and playing them as aggressively as I can knowing that those little #5 hooks can't take too much pressure. I back off the drag midway to the boat and take my time as I don't use a net much, if ever, when by myself. I have an All Star Broken Back Special saltwater rod that is more forgiving than anything in my arsenal and I will try it and let you guys know how it works. It keeps soft mouthed speckled trout hooked up well and it may be what I need. Again, thanks for all the suggestions. Here are a couple from this year so far 'spoon

Let's try this agin on the pics. Here area couple from this year so far along with a pic of a tournament in New Mexico the last weekend in April during a blizzard. Enjoy

I throw baby cranks on a jerk bait type rod. I prefer mono on crank baits, but I never throw under 10# test.

Those are some good 1 pounders. Haha nice fish! What did they weigh?

Top 12.73 middle 10.84 bottom 34 degrees