During the milder months of the Alabama fall, MLF pro Russ Lane spends his days on his local lakes searching for those big, elusive fall bites. When the leaves begin to turn in the Southeast, Lane knows exactly what to tie on first: the SPRO Russ Lane Fat Papa 55 Squarebill.
“Big Daddy” gave me five reasons why his squarebill is a must-have for any angler come autumn.
It’s no secret that the fall is largely about following shad. There are plenty of baits to choose from when it comes to mimicking the minute bait fish, but Lane believes that his squarebill does the trick the best.
“It’s really a no-brainer to use a squarebill during the fall because the bass are focusing on shad,” Lane said. “It’s known that this is the time of year, those shad are starting to move toward the backs of creeks, and a squarebill perfectly imitates a shad. Unless the water is almost muddy, I go with a silver- or white-colored squarebill to resemble the shad. If you’re fishing in some dirty water I would go with a chartreuse color.”
Squarebills have a wide range of depths, depending on the construction of the bill, body shape, etc. But when it comes to fall fishing, Lane says that his Fat Papa finds the absolute sweet spot in the water column.
“This is a shallow-running squarebill, which is what I need this time of the year,” Lane explained. “In the backs of the creeks, I’m really not needing to fish any deeper than 2 to 4 feet, and that’s the depth range for this Fat Papa 55.”
While fishing is frequently a game of patience, Lane doesn’t have any time for that. Whether he’s competing on the Bass Pro Tour or fishing in a local tournament, it’s all about being efficient with every cast.
“I can cover a tremendous amount of water with a squarebill, and that’s big for me in the fall,” Lane said. “It’s all about eliminating unproductive water and finding that productive water. I can flip at a stump and make two to three flips in a minute, or I can get off about seven casts with my squarebill in the same amount of time. It’s a no-brainer for me.”
One key benefit of a squarebill like the Fat Papa 55 is that it’s designed to deflect off of hard cover. That plays to an angler’s advantage in the fall, when baitfish are plentiful, and fish need extra enticement to bite.
“If you have fish that are around a whole lot of bait, sometimes they can be really hard to fool because they have an abundance of shad to feed on,” Lane explained. “Well, a squarebill can bounce and ricochet off of stumps and rocks, which gets you more bites than on other baits because the fish see that action and have to check it out.”
Any bite is a good bite, and Lane will be the first to tell you that. Still, when he’s searching for a bite of a little more substance, the Alabama pro knows he can always rely on his squarebill to get the job done.
“This bait just catches big ones, plain and simple,” Lane stated. “It’s a known fact by anglers all over the country that a squarebill is a great bait to catch a big one when you need it. There’s been more tournaments won on a squarebill than there has been on other baits, I’m sure. I’m not sure you can find anyone who doesn’t have a squarebill on their boat. It’s a big-time confidence booster.”