Does a square Bill have to bounce off of something to be effective? I have not really used them much thinking you have to bump them off something to get a hit. Any info. Would be great.

No. I used an Arashi at my friend's place and there was just deep water and some weeds. I snagged a few weeds but caught a few big bass too. No woods or rocks to bounce off of.

 

 

Whenever it hit the weeds though I'd rip it away and caught some fish that way I think.

It doesn't have to but I think it will provoke a reaction bite.

No it doesn't "have" to like smokinal said, but a square bill is a reaction bait and to cause a reaction strike you have to have it "bouncing" off of stuff changing speed and direction. I'll post a link below of a thread I made on how I believe square bills work.

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/143817-how-squarebills-work/?fromsearch=1

No. But it helps to reel fast. Real fast if there is cover or no cover. Notice that if bass gets a glimpse of the bait, bass will react to it.

If it isn't contacting cover or the bottom, a stop and go retrieve can work, especially when working it in deeper water.

Nope.  "squarebills" are just shallow cranks and good cranks can pull water and get clobbered by fish.

I have caught some big bass just slow retrieving a squarebill back.  I hardly ever bounce it off cover, it usually means I have to go get it out.

If it isn't contacting cover or the bottom, a stop and go retrieve can work, especially when working it in deeper water.

Yep!

It helps, not necessary though

I guess I am a nerd... I crash mine into anything, bounce of wood, and I love to bang, clang on rocks, riprap etc...caught a bunch off rocks, less off wood... I would rather run traps above & along weed tops/ edges... Other than that... I will use other baits..

I guess I am a nerd... I crash mine into anything, bounce of wood, and I love to bang, clang on rocks, riprap etc...caught a bunch off rocks, less off wood... I would rather run traps above & along weed tops/ edges... Other than that... I will use other baits..

I'm with you.  If I can't hit something with my sq bill, I'm going to tie on something else.

If it isn't hitting anything I like to use a stop and go retrieve instead of a straight retrieve. Ticking the tops of weeds with them is a killer way to fish them too. 

It doesn't have to bounce but it helps, last week while fishing for river smallmouth I was working a square bill over rocks and just about every time I hit a rock the fish would hit the bait and it will happen to you one day also. You'll get you square bill hung in grass or a small branch and you will pull on it and it will pop free and you hurry to reel in the slack and all of a sudden a fish will slam it, that is when you realize how reaction strikes occur. I'll also echo what the others have said, if you aren't able to hit cover then stop and go or speed reeling for a few seconds during a normal retrieve will help in producing reaction strikes without hitting cover.

I have some of the best success with a stop and go. Reel like pretty fast a few turns and stop a half sec or full sec. Also Ripping weeds works good sometimes like with a lipless.

i can throw mine in open water with a reel fast medium fast stop it and twitch it 3 times fast then reel it again and if theres resistance when you try to reel again hes on! 

I't doesn't really matter to me when I fish a squarebill i fish it some what like a jerk bait by burning it and a few quick pops around any type of bass holding structure.

Other than bumping into something, my most successful retrieve has been slow steady retrieve.