can i get a basic guide to them? like the how, what, when, why. kind of the ins and outs of fishing them. never really used them and want to try them out

If you think a CB would work, put on a balsa bait. That is as simple as it it. DO NOT HIT COVER/STRUCTURE with them, as they can break easily. I caught 5 fish off of a Cedar Shad yesterday, biggest was only 2-12, but it was the thought that counted. They were swallowing it whole. Killed one fish because he was small and had it past his gills ;o(. Wish I could have saved him, but no dice. Just like any other bait, you will develop an instinct on when/where to throw them. Throw them where you would throw a CB normally, just watch for anything HARD and avoid that. MOST are much more expensive and you have to take care of them, as much as possible.If you are banging them off the bottom, I try to ease up a little bit and not do it constantly, because that can also break them. Treat them with care and they will last a long time, treat them like a normal plug and you will regret doing so. Hope this helps. Tight lines, keep safe and good luck.

Thad Rains

DO NOT set the hook REAL HARD on them, I do a sweep set and let it go at that, but you will learn with thorwing them.

tr

You can spend a lot or a little. If you want to try them, the Rapala DT series are good at the low end of the price scale. Get some DT-6's and go to town. They flat catch fish. Once you get into the square bills and other higher end ones, you are generally $20/each and up, but they are good. I'm a fan of the PH Customs, but there are a lot of other good ones out there. If you want to see an expensive one, check out the Black Market Balsa. Got one to see if it was that good, bounced it off of concrete one time and broke it. First time that ever happened to me, and I shed a tear.

I forgot to say any brands, but I am partial to the Lee Sissons, hard to find and expensive, but well worth the money for my idea of balsa crankbaits. He even has some with a rattle in it, I believe it is a .22 calibur shell cut down to fit in the bait with 1 bb in it. GREAT on murky lakes and when fishing is tuff. They do not see or hear many of those lures anytime and I am a BIG believer in throwing something different, if I can. He also has some 20+ CBs out there, too. Not as hard to find them, or it used to not be as hard to find them. Hope this helps. Tight lines, keep safe and good luck.

Thad Rains

Have thrown a LOT of Bagley's for many years.

Good when you want silent.
Good when you need buoyant (back then it was called a Balsa B, now it's a "square bill")
Good when you want something unlike what everyone else is throwing.

Sorry if this is hijacking the thread, but if anyone has any of the cheap, crappy, no fish catching old balsa boogies from bass pro shop, I will take all of those sorry things you have off your hands. They have been discontinued, that's how bad they are. Especially the splatterback ones, but any color should not be in your arsenal.

Another worth mentioning is the WEC. Initials of the founder of Zoom that liked making crankbaits as a side deal. The E-I squarebill is good. I�ve got several of those too and always interested in picking up more.

Thad nailed it and joe Friday has the brand.

Chartreuse Black back balsa b (bagley) is as good as it gets fishing shallow cover. Watch the rocks, docks and metal or you�ll be crying.

WEC and black label are the wood baits I throw. I have some vintage bagley baits I throw on special occasion, along with some Thad has given me in the past

Big bodied wood baits in dirty water, flat sided wood baits in clearer water.

So I don't guess I've ever realized how much more fragile the wood baits are. I figured they'd be fairly tough and I could bang them through brush and rocks. But from what I'm gathering they'll break? Kinda disappointed if that's the case. And does anyone make a true squarebill in them? I keep seeing round bills and coffin bills. Nothing really in a squarebill

Wyatt, WEC makes em in sure enough squarebills. They�re 17-22 a piece but well worth it.

Watch eBay for those and old bagleys. You can find a deal every once in a while.

I wouldn't say they are that fragile, but if you hit them hard on rock or concrete, they can break. I've banged around a few, but the Black Market is the only one I had break on me.

Here's an example. WEC E-I
Simmons had a lot of E-I's on ebay, but after Ed Chamber's passing today, I'm guessing his originals will become more rare.

Paul Krew makes a true Square Bill also (Its actually a Jaw Jacker SB, but they make them for Paul) haven't tried them, but have heard good things.

This guy makes some really good crankbaits out of redwood. I have a few.

https://www.facebook.com/CatchingConceptsLures/

I noticed on the April 8th post a MajorCraft GC Speestyle setup with their custom crank. Very Nice! If you are chunkin' wood cranks that is a good rod to utilize with that technique.

I'll second this. I have tons of Catching Concepts! Very nice crankbaits!

PH Custom Lures are great too.