I was throwing the Strike King KVD square bill crankbait. I got at least 5 bass strikes and when I set the hook, the lure just popped out of the water instead of getting the fish. Does anyone know how to actually hook on the fish?
My gear is 
Lews Mach 2 Combo 
20 LB Braid with a 1 foot 20 LB Monofilament Leader

Is that combo just a standard MH/F? That, and especially with braid, will pull those trebles right out of their mouth. It's also possible you were hitting something and thinking it was fish. 

 

I just reel into the fish when they take my crankbaits.

Since your using braid with a very short mono leader I think your setting the hook too early & pulling the bait away from them. Wait till you feel the rod load up & then just use a sweeping hook set rather than a hard set. 

  Are you referring to the M/F Mach 2 spinning combo, with a rod 6'-09" long?  That isn't what I would prefer for cranks, but it'll work.

   People tend to use spinning gear on their strong side, which is the most sensitive and quickest to react. Good for bottom contact, but bad for cranks unless the rod is "floppy".

   I think @Dwight Hottle had it right; wait for resistance before setting the hook.         

 

   Just my 1/50th of a dollar.                  jj

  

Sometimes bass will hit crankbaits but not take it . Just bumping it . When one is caught , its barely hooked or snagged in the face .You  can  try using less a belligerent  bait. One without as much action  , duller colors and no rattle .One time I switched to a suspending jerkbait "Rapala X-Rap"  when bass were  behaving like this and that worked immediately .

At the top of this page is a pinned thread on crank baits, long but worth reading. 

I am known better for jig fishing but love to use crankbaits for even longer time period when they were called plugs.

This is a lure where the rod action is very important, moderate is better then fast, glass/composite is better then high modulus graphite. Long casts are needed to reach proper depths, line diameter and type is important....crank baiting is a system.

Everyone who throws a diving crankbait should watch Big Mouth Forever video, it’s in the pinned long thread.

The key improving hook sets is again strike detection and timing, always reel and sweep set. By reeling you load up the line to start the treble hook to stick something in the basses mouth. The bass reaction is turning against the pressure while the sweeping rod sets the hooks without ripping the treble hook out.

Cadence the change a pace creating changes to speed and direction is what cranking is all about to get bass to strike.

Square bills are popular today because the change pace during the retrieve called hunting. Bagley Balsa B’s were early square bills and still the best IMO.

Caution crank baiting is addictive!

Tom

PS, make sure you have sticky sharp treble hooks.

 

 

I sounds to me like you're mistaking hitting something like submerged tree branches for bites.  Or if you are getting bit, then you're definitely trying to set the hook too hard and pulling the rod way too high.  On a small crankbait like that, with those small treble hooks, you shouldn't be setting the hook with enough force to pull the lure out of the water.   And you usually want to sweep it off to the side and keep the rod tip low.  

22 hours ago, jimmyjoe said:

  Are you referring to the M/F Mach 2 spinning combo, with a rod 6'-09" long?  That isn't what I would prefer for cranks, but it'll work.

   People tend to use spinning gear on their strong side, which is the most sensitive and quickest to react. Good for bottom contact, but bad for cranks unless the rod is "floppy".

   I think @Dwight Hottle had it right; wait for resistance before setting the hook.         

 

   Just my 1/50th of a dollar.                  jj

  

I know nothing about the combo in question. 
 

I agree with you 110% on the need for a soft, floppy, moderate tip. Fast or X-Fast tip is tough for crankbait fishing. The right spinning or bait casting rod action will change that around. Slow tip rod. Reaction strikes, buy a decent 7 ft. Rod. Sensitivity of a rod I relate more to bottom fishing. Soft plastics. Crankbaits more the feel of a shock absorber.

 

I fish the 1.5’s on mono without any issue. But it’s not like I’ve never missed a fish. Part of fishing. I think the OP will enjoy crankbait fishing more with the right rod. 
 

I would not be interested in a fast or X-Fast rod with braid line to fish crankbaits. 

54 minutes ago, Spankey said:

I agree with you 110% on the need for a soft, floppy, moderate tip. Fast or X-Fast tip is tough for crankbait fishing. The right spinning or bait casting rod action will change that around. Slow tip rod. Reaction strikes, buy a decent 7 ft. Rod. Sensitivity of a rod I relate more to bottom fishing. Soft plastics. Crankbaits more the feel of a shock absorber.

Agree with this - tried small cranks on my ML/F spinning rod and even it was too 'snappy'. So I added a ML/MF spinning rod to my arsenal and it's great for those 1/4oz and under cranks (Flicker Shad 5, Shad Rap 05, Shallow Shad Rap 07, etc)

Why St. Croix stopped making and selling the Premiere Series Crankbait Rods is beyond me. First true crankbait rods I bought and still use. Love that rod. Paired with a couple of old Curados. I’ve had them a long time. 15 years? Maybe more?

 

Abu Garcia puts out a Veritas “Winch” series of CB Rods. Fish 2 of them. Love them. They don’t break the bank to boot. Call me crazy, there might be higher dollar crankbait rods out there. What sets them apart I don’t know.  
 

SC and Abu both have a nice 7 foot version of a spinning rod. Medium and Moderate action. Not bank breakers. $100 rods. Abu is spinning “Winch” version, St. Croix is an “eyecon” series for crankbaits. In the walleye series rods but it’s a bass rod as well. 
 

Hard to find a nice soft tip spinning rod these days. Everything is fast or XFast. 

@WRB is right it’s most likely the rigid rod. Low stretch line makes it worse. Ideally, IMO, you want a rod where it feels like the rod sets the hook automatically when they bite.

This is exactly why I switched to Copoly/mono for all my treble lures. Sufix Advanced copoly on my cranks and topwater. Just enough stretch to be forgiving but gives a great hook set. I only use braid/leader for neds and t rigged worms.

6 minutes ago, ThrowinPlugs said:

This is exactly why I switched to Copoly/mono for all my treble lures. Sufix Advanced copoly on my cranks and topwater. Just enough stretch to be forgiving but gives a great hook set.

Same here - but I'm a Yo-Zuri Hybrid fan. 12# on my BC crank rig, 4# on my spinning crank rig.

Sharp hooks and little to no hookset. I'd go with a little longer maybe 12-15 lb mono leader with braid, which would not be my first choice for cranks. The rod, line, and hook (along with your hookset and fish fighting)  are a system, it must all work together, but you can tweek it anywhere to make it work. I find that more times than not, bass aren't missing cranks, but rather turning away at the last moment when they don't come tight. How and where a bass is hooked with a crank gives great clues as to what and how they want it at a given day (or hour).

I barely use a hookset with cranks anymore. I usually keep cranking and "lean into it" a little maybe.

53 minutes ago, BassWhole! said:

Sharp hooks and little to no hookset. 

This is a good point as well. After switching all my trebles to Owner ST-36 or VMC round bends, absolutely no issues. Those owners are sticky sharp. Very hard to come unbuttoned. 

There's almost no reason to really even set the hook with a squarebill. Usually the retrieve and the fish grabbing a moving bait is enough to get a hook in them. At least with good hooks it is.