4x4 Cranking with Salmo's New Squarebill Crankbait

Total Score: 7.75 - GOOD

Introduction: Anyone with over twenty years experience throwing square bill cranks knows how coveted the hand carved, wooden baits of yester year were and still are. But wooden baits are expensive and inconsistent - remember having to buy three or four to find one that would actually catch fish? But oh, that one did catch fish was money!

Introducing Salmo's Squarebill Crankbait

Most manufacturers have found ways to create more consistent, cost effective, productive baits with modern day plastic molds, but one manufacturer is taking a different spin on alternate materials. Salmo has a new square bill crank made from a proprietary high density foam. Here's our look at the Salmo Squarebill.

Salmo is a new to us lure company out of Poland
 

Impressions: Salmo is a lure company out of Poland and are proud for the fact they are able to control all the manufacturing of their lures in house. Their new Squarebill debuted in 2018 and is odd looking to say the least. It features a roundish body that quickly tapers to a tiny little back end. The bait is driven by a very wide, square, clear polycarbonate diving lip.

Their new Squarebill features a round-ish body that quickly tapers to a tiny little back end

It is detailed with 3D eyes, a reveal at the gills and a very subtle dorsal fin otherwise most of the bait's other features are accomplished through the paint schemes that are somewhat simplistic overall.

The company makes this bait out of a proprietary high density foam giving the bait a very high buoyancy similar to a wood crank

I'm happy to report that high density foam Salmo uses for the body of the bait holds up well to occasional mis-directed casts as well. I "accidentally" crashed it into a dock piling or two practicing my non-existant skipping skills and the bait survived unscathed - quite impressive actually.

One of the reasons those old wood crankbaits have such a loyal following is the way they float up to the surface when you pause your retrieve. This is helpful when driving your cranks through rocks and other obstructions on the bottom because they will get hung up.

Wood cranks are easy to get out of this stuff by snapping your line and giving the bait some slack. You can do the same with today's plastic cranks, but the buoyancy of wood is still better. The Salmo Squarebill behaves in a similar manner to the old school wood cranks.

Design/Ergonomics: Salmo's Squarebill crank is available in only eight (8) colors for now but in two different sizes rated at two different diving depths. The color schemes are somewhat simple save for the crawdad pattern which has a little detailing on its side to accentuate the crawdad's shell. This detailing is so intricate, it appears as if the bait has indentations on its side, but it's all done with the paint.

Price & Application: The two sizes for Salmo's Squarebill crank are priced differently. The Squarebill 5 is $9.99 retail while the Squarebill 6 is $10.99 retail. While not outrageous in price, it is a bit more than I'd have expected based on the competition. Otherwise, the Salmo Squarebill is a very viable option when looking for a bait of this type.

The two sizes for Salmo's Squarebill crank are priced differently. The Squarebill 5 is $9.99 retail while the Squarebill 6 is $10.99 retail

Ratings:

Pluses and Minuses:

If you're looking for new square bill alternatives and like the idea of throwing something the fish likely haven't seen, Salmo's new Squarebill crank belongs on your list of baits to check out