Hard baits: Squarebill crankbaits

The shallow crankbait with a short square lip: it dives 0.5–1.5 m (2–5 ft), hits wood and rock and bounces off instead of hanging up. The bite comes on the deflection.

ItemDetail
Depth0.5–1.5 m (2–5 ft); 2 m (6 ft) models exist
BodyFat, 5–7 cm (2–2.75"), loud or silent
WhereLaydowns, stumps, riprap, dock posts, shallow rock
SeasonPre-spawn and fall shallow; any time the water is stained
Rod / line7' (2.13 m) moderate; 12–17 lb fluorocarbon or copolymer
ModelsStrike King KVD 1.5 / 2.5, Lucky Craft LC 1.5, Bandit, Berkley Frittside (flat), Bagley Balsa B

Cast past the cover, reel into it, and stop for half a second when it hits: the pause after the deflection is the strike.

Top 10 in four markets

United States

  1. Strike King KVD 1.5 HC Squarebill Silent Crankbait — $9.99. Tackle Warehouse 'Shallow Diving Crankbaits (5' or less)' > Square Bill section (148 items) sorted by Popularity: #1; 3-6 ft (0.9-1.8 m), 2-1/4 in (57 mm), 3/8 oz (10.6 g); the reference squarebill: short square lip, silent (no rattle) body, hunts and deflects off shallow cover; 5.0/5 avg (2 reviews)
  2. Bill Lewis ATV Squarebill 1.5 Crankbait — $8.99. Tackle Warehouse 'Shallow Diving Crankbaits (5' or less)' > Square Bill section (148 items) sorted by Popularity: #2; 3-6 ft (0.9-1.8 m), 2-1/4 in (57 mm), 1/2 oz (14 g); 1.5-size squarebill built to crawl through laydowns and grass without hanging; 4.1/5 avg (12 reviews)
  3. Lucky Craft LC 1.5 Silent Squarebill Crankbait — $9.99 - $10.99. Tackle Warehouse 'Shallow Diving Crankbaits (5' or less)' > Square Bill section (148 items) sorted by Popularity: #3; 3-4 ft (0.9-1.2 m), 2-2/5 in (61 mm), 1/2 oz (14 g), floating; high-float silent squarebill for banging shallow cover, gravel flats and stumps; 5.0/5 avg (1 reviews)
  4. Strike King KVD 1.5 Hard Knock Squarebill Crankbait — $9.99. Tackle Warehouse 'Shallow Diving Crankbaits (5' or less)' > Square Bill section (148 items) sorted by Popularity: #4; 3-5 ft (0.9-1.5 m), 2-3/4 in (70 mm), 3/8 oz (10.6 g); same KVD 1.5 body and square lip with a single hard-knock rattle; 4.9/5 avg (44 reviews)
  5. Yo-Zuri 3DB Series Squarebill Crankbait 1.5 — $8.99. Tackle Warehouse 'Shallow Diving Crankbaits (5' or less)' > Square Bill section (148 items) sorted by Popularity: #6; 3-5 ft (0.9-1.5 m), 2-3/8 in (60 mm), 1/2 oz (14 g); square lip gives an erratic hunting action and unpredictable deflections off cover; 5.0/5 avg (1 reviews)
  6. Strike King KVD 2.5 HC Squarebill Silent Crankbait — $9.99. Tackle Warehouse 'Shallow Diving Crankbaits (5' or less)' > Square Bill section (148 items) sorted by Popularity: #11; 3-6 ft (0.9-1.8 m), 2-3/4 in (70 mm), 5/8 oz (17.7 g); the big-profile silent squarebill of the KVD HC line; 5.0/5 avg (2 reviews)
  7. Megabass S Crank 1.5 Squarebill Crankbaits — $19.99. Tackle Warehouse 'Shallow Diving Crankbaits (5' or less)' > Square Bill section (148 items) sorted by Popularity: #12; 5 ft (1.5 m), 2-1/2 in (64 mm), 1/2 oz (14 g); high-buoyancy JDM squarebill; the precisely shaped square bill keeps the trebles from snagging
  8. Strike King KVD Elite 1.5 Squarebill Crankbaits — $11.99. Tackle Warehouse 'Shallow Diving Crankbaits (5' or less)' > Square Bill section (148 items) sorted by Popularity: #13; 3-6 ft (0.9-1.8 m), 2-1/4 in (57 mm), 3/8 oz (10.6 g); KVD 1.5 squarebill with upgraded trebles and premium components, silent; 5.0/5 avg (3 reviews)
  9. Strike King KVD 1.0 HC Squarebill Silent Crankbait — $8.99. Tackle Warehouse 'Shallow Diving Crankbaits (5' or less)' > Square Bill section (148 items) sorted by Popularity: #15; 2-4 ft (0.6-1.2 m), 2 in (51 mm), 1/4 oz (7 g); smallest KVD HC squarebill, same square lip and silent body; 5.0/5 avg (1 reviews)
  10. 6th Sense Crush Squarebill 50X Crankbait — $9.99. Tackle Warehouse 'Shallow Diving Crankbaits (5' or less)' > Square Bill section (148 items) sorted by Popularity: #17; 2-5 ft (0.6-1.5 m), 2.25 in (57 mm), 3/8 oz (10.6 g), floating; compact squarebill for crashing shallow cover and ripping grass; #4 trebles; 4.5/5 avg (2 reviews)

Canada

  1. Strike King KVD 1.5 Square Bill — C$10.99. anglingsports.ca 'Crankbaits' collection, best-selling sort #2 of 97; fishingworld.ca 'CRANKBAIT' collection, best-selling sort #33 of 50; runs 0.9–1.5 m (3–5 ft); 2.5" / 7/16 oz; square coffin bill, deflects off cover
  2. SPRO Hunter 65 SB — C$11.99. anglingsports.ca 'Crankbaits' collection, best-selling sort #8 of 97; fishingworld.ca 'CRANKBAIT' collection, best-selling sort #10 of 50; runs 0.9–1.5 m (3–5 ft); 65 mm / 1/2 oz; SB = square-bill version, silent hunting action
  3. 6th Sense Crush Mini 25X — C$12.99. anglingsports.ca 'Crankbaits' collection, best-selling sort #7 of 97; runs 0.6–1.2 m (2–4 ft); 2" / 1/4 oz; compact squarebill
  4. Rapala BX Brat 03 — C$16.49. anglingsports.ca 'Crankbaits' collection, best-selling sort #10 of 97; runs 0.9 m (3 ft); 2" / 3/8 oz; balsa-core squarebill
  5. 6th Sense Crush 50X — C$13.99. anglingsports.ca 'Crankbaits' collection, best-selling sort #11 of 97; runs 1.2–1.8 m (4–6 ft); 2.4" / 1/2 oz; squarebill with erratic hunting action
  6. Strike King Hybrid Hunter Jr. — C$13.99. anglingsports.ca 'Crankbaits' collection, best-selling sort #14 of 97; runs 0.9–1.5 m (3–5 ft); 2" / 3/8 oz; flat-sided fat body with 90-degree L-shaped square bill
  7. SPRO Fat Papa 55 SB — C$19.99. anglingsports.ca 'Crankbaits' collection, best-selling sort #24 of 97; runs 0.9–1.5 m (3–5 ft); 55 mm / 1/2 oz; SB square-bill version of the Fat Papa
  8. SPRO Fat John 60 — C$19.99. anglingsports.ca 'Crankbaits' collection, best-selling sort #26 of 97; runs 0.9–1.5 m (3–5 ft); 60 mm / 1/2 oz; fat-bodied squarebill
  9. SPRO Little John 50 — C$19.99. anglingsports.ca 'Crankbaits' collection, best-selling sort #28 of 97; runs 0.9–1.5 m (3–5 ft); 50 mm / 1/2 oz; shallow coffin/square circuit-board bill
  10. Cotton Cordell Big O 3" — C$8.99. fishingworld.ca 'CRANKBAIT' collection, best-selling sort #16 of 50; runs 0.6–1.2 m (2–4 ft); 3"; the original square-lip crankbait

Japan

  1. Deps Evoke 1.2 — ¥1,980 (naturum list price). naturum 'クランクベイト' (Crankbaits) category, best-selling sort #48; about 1.2 m (model name); 55 mm / 11 g; Kimura's square-lip shallow crank
  2. Strike King KVD Squarebill 1.5 Deep — ¥1,518 (naturum list price). naturum keyword search 'スクエアビル' (squarebill) in bass hard lures, best-selling sort #1 (not in the genre top 50); to 9 ft / 2.7 m (spec); 2.75 in / 7/16 oz; square lip; deeper-running version
  3. Jackall Master Crank 47SR — ¥1,870 (naturum list price). naturum keyword search 'スクエアビル' (squarebill) in bass hard lures, best-selling sort #5 (not in the genre top 50); shallow (SR); 47 mm / 6.2 g; maker text: square bill
  4. mibro Fury 1M — ¥1,980 (naturum list price). naturum keyword search 'スクエアビル' (squarebill) in bass hard lures, best-selling sort #7 (not in the genre top 50); 1.5-1.8 m (spec); 50 mm / 9.2 g; maker text: square bill
  5. Rapala BX Brat — ¥1,958 (naturum list price). naturum keyword search 'スクエアビル' (squarebill) in bass hard lures, best-selling sort #9 (not in the genre top 50); 0.9 m (spec); 50 mm / 10 g; balsa-core squarebill
  6. O.S.P Blitz — ¥1,870 (naturum list price). naturum keyword search 'フラットサイド' (flat side) in bass hard lures, best-selling sort #23 (not in the genre top 50); about 1.5 m; 53 mm / 9 g; maker text: square-type HP slash bill

China

  1. 白苍 (shop) Essential Series Hunter65 方舌小胖子 浮水 15 g — ¥13.5 / item. Taobao list page 'squarebill crankbait' sorted by sales (fetched 2026-09-28): position 2 of 20; shop 白苍路亚. Floating squarebill; listing photo cropped to remove the shop and Gamakatsu logos.
  2. Strike King KVD 1.5 Squarebill (静音版 / 响声版 HK) — ¥65 / item. Taobao list page 'squarebill crankbait' sorted by sales (fetched 2026-09-28): position 4 of 20; shop 一尾路亚. The KVD 1.5 squarebill, imported; listing shows the silent and HardKnock versions; cropped to the two lures.
  3. Strike King 1.5HK 方舌小胖子 浮水 12 g — ¥21 / item. Taobao list page 'squarebill crankbait' sorted by sales (fetched 2026-09-28): position 6 of 20; shop 水上飞路亚. KVD 1.5 HardKnock squarebill (single loud rattle); cropped from the listing splash photo, captions removed.
  4. Lucky Craft LC1.5 幸运胖子 塑料方舌版 — ¥59 / item. Taobao list page 'squarebill crankbait' sorted by sales (fetched 2026-09-28): position 8 of 20; shop 钓研社俱乐部. Lucky Craft LC 1.5 squarebill (plastic version); listing photo cropped to the four colour lures on the right.
  5. O.S.P RATTLIN BLITZ 浅层方舌版 — ¥109 / item. Taobao list page 'squarebill crankbait' sorted by sales (fetched 2026-09-28): position 11 of 20; shop 一尾路亚. Rattling Blitz square-lip shallow crankbait; cropped to the three lures, logos removed.

← Medium-diving crankbaits · Flat-sided crankbaits →

Hard baits

Sub-surface hard baits by what makes them move: crankbaits with a lip (squarebill, medium, deep, flat-sided), lipless crankbaits, jerkbaits (suspending, floating, deep), hard swimbaits (glide baits with one joint, multi-jointed swimbaits), spybaits, and the topwater hard baits: poppers, walking baits, prop baits, wake baits.

  1. Crankbaits
  2. Deep-diving crankbaits
  3. Medium-diving crankbaits
  4. Squarebill crankbaits
  5. Flat-sided crankbaits
  6. Topwater hard baits
  7. Poppers
  8. Prop baits
  9. Walking baits (walk-the-dog)
  10. Wake baits
  11. Jerkbaits
  12. Suspending jerkbaits
  13. Water temperature and buoyancy tuning
  14. Nose split ring and loop knot
  15. Jump the slack and rod work
  16. Jerkbait colour and rattle selection
  17. Jerkbait rod, reel and line formula
  18. Jerkbait treble hook sizes and feathered tails
  19. Floating jerkbaits
  20. Slow-sinking jerkbaits
  21. Sinking jerkbaits
  22. Deep-diving jerkbaits
  23. Hard swimbaits
  24. Glide baits (single joint)
  25. Multi-jointed swimbaits
  26. Lipless crankbaits (VIB)
  27. Spybaits
  28. Choosing a hard bait: mechanism, depth, season

Hard baits