Lure For Shore Fishing Help

[cfebraio]

Hey all,

I currently am in the process of buying my first fishing kayak but for the time being im stuck to shore fishing. I was wondering if there was a good lure that works well for applications where im throwing my lure out shore and cranking it in towards the shore. I was wondering also if it was better to cast a lure parallel to the shore is that better. Mostly fishing stained, muddy, weedy waters in upstate new york.

Thanks guys

[Fishes in trees]

I remember by days of bank fishing and basically, bank fishing is tough. Good gear helps. Being able to cast long distances helps. Sometimes top waters work, or buzz baits. Sometimes a rattle trap type bait will work. Sometimes a spinner bait will work (parallel to the bank as much as possible) More often than not though, your best bet will be some sort of tx rigged plastic. Throw it where ever you can reach.

For the most part, I think spinning gear is less of a hassle than bait casting gear, unless you are that one guy who can cast all day long and not get a back lash.

[MCS]

I pretty much am an exclusive shore angler. You can fish pretty much any lure from shore imo. Big keys I have learned that I was doing poorly in the past are, stay back from waters edge, and cast parallel or fan cast. Find angles that you can work you lure into strucutre or corners without being right up on the spot. Work all the angles you see. An example is today I worked an inlet pipe left to right, stood behind off the bank and worked toward it then kept moving and did a fan cast and cast back too it boom got a hit. Hope this helps, good luck.

[MCS]

Yeah and what fishes in trees said is dead on too, good post.

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

A senko will work from 1'-110' out, top to bottom.

[roadwarrior]

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/13845-guaranteed-to-catch-bass/

[Revo_Carrot Stix]

75% of my fishing is from the bank...and I don't look at it as a bad thing. I fish anytime I can and it's usually for only 1-2 hours when I'm able to get away from family or work.

As others have mentioned, stick to working parallel to the shore when at at possible - especially with weeds and chunk rock. Buzzbaits, Spook-type baits, squarebill crankbaits, and senkos work well. My waters are stained - murky too, so I usually stick to something with chartreuse or darker colors along with working your baits slow. If you think you're fishing slow, then slow down a little more. Cast multiple times to areas that "look" fishy (big rock/stump sticking out of the water, weed edge points/cut ins).

You've eliminated a lot of fishable water already by walking the banks. Just continue to practice and try different techniques if you find yourself getting skunked. Flipping jigs and creature baits in the weeds from the bank can be a blast during the summer! Talk about hand-to-hand combat! At the end of the day, it easier (for me) to accept getting skunked from the shore vs on a boat with 8 rods and 100 lure choices. Either way, it's better than watching TV.

[smr913]

I usually start by standing away from the bank and throwing texas rigged worms. Once I have fished that area well i will approach the shoreline. My number one lure for bank fishing is a spinnerbait. I throw them parallel to the shore as opposed to cast straight out because it keeps it in the strike zone longer.

[bigbill]

I fish from shore too; Remember to fan cast and make perfect circles with your crank handle on your reel. If not a circle you can make the lure go fast and slow giving the fish a view its fake.

1. spooks

2. rapala orginal floater 2'' in blue or black

3. Shallow floatin cranks in all colors, firetiger, red, green and brown a 1' to 3' depth.

4. carolina rigged senko 1/8oz weight with a weedless hook on a 24'' leader

5. mepps #3 inline spinner silver blade/gray tail or gold blade/brown tail

6. Joes flies in the 1/4oz bass size. Blackgnat, mellow yellow, firetiger apache, glo tiger ect.

7. hummingbird portable fish finder the one we cast out. I use it to learn where the dropoff's, the flats and the bottom structure so we can adjust or fishing to it. Look for points too.

BTW; Where do the boaters fish at??? They cast to the shore right? Shore fishing is only boat fishing made backwards. We can be more quieter from shore too. We need to be stealthy and not make any noise at all. When the waters are quiet its really easy to spook fish. Walk softly, handle your tackle quietly.

Try each lure presentation then go thru them again with different presentations. A shot of scent helps too.

I take 5 different rod setups with me too. Besides three full 9609 split roof tackleboxes. Smaller lures require a lighter setup so they run correctly. If i had to pick two rod setups it would be a 6' rod with 8 to 10lb test and a 5'6'' rod with 6lb test.

[The American]

I like horny toads, trick worms, swim jigs, and senkos from the shore. I can't avoid the nasty stuff where I am right now, especially on the shore, but this is just what produces for me.

[Michael DiNardo]

I generally stay away from cranks. There is usually too much weedy slop

that gets fouled in the hooks. But basically what the others have said. I

have no idea how bigbill cariies five or six rods and two split roof tackleboxes

and fishes from shore??? I use an old turkey hunting vest with big pockets and

can carry four or five of the 9X14 plano boxes, just a tip.

Mike

[hatrix]

How thick is the brush around the bank. Can you basically walk around it? Or is it thick with just a few open spots to fish from. I have taken a machete to get back to places or clear out a area so I can cast and it pays off to get where others can't. A casting rod is better in a tight spot. Once you get good at it you can make weird awkward casts in tight spots and get in places a spinning rod can't. Fan cast parallel with the bank and wear a spot out from all angles you can if you think it's fishy. It's not uncommon to get a bite on the 15th cast to the same spot.

[Michael DiNardo]

I think Hatrix is the first person I have ever heard say casting tackle is easier in tight spots??? I can't figure out how.

Mike

[hatrix]

I like it better then spinning. I can make little flick casts or pitch when you don't have room to swing a rod. You can also stop your bait from making a bad cast. It's way more efficient for me to use casting gear any time I can. The many ways I can cast and accuracy I have with a bait caster is far superior then spinning for me. I can make casts with out even really moving my rod. I can swing the bait around like a roll cast and let my tip load and fling the bait with out ever really moving my rod. I'll admit my spinning skills are probably not what they once where and you can do a lot of the same stuff on spinning but casting will always be my choice if possible.

[logan9209]

LOL! I shouldn't have posted asking about crankbaits because not only did I get my answer here but I ended up with other ideas to try out. Don't get me wrong, I got a lot of great tips and stuff. I love this website.

[Marty]

Just about any lure can and does work from shore. Just match it to the conditions. You always want to cast out from shore to see what might happen, but the majority of the waters I've shore fished produce better by casting parallel to the shore.

[Jigfishn10]

During the spring and fall I concentrate on the first weedline closest from the shore. This could be inside during the spawn or outside the weedline after the spawn.

By summer the shoreline would either be pounded to death or just too darn hot to hold anything appreciable. Here I concentrate on the second weedline. This could be near or on a hump or near a channel and so on. Here I look for structure as well. It could be a rock, stump or just a change in contours or even a different vegetation make-up.

In all cases, my lure selection is the same as a boat fisherman.

[HeavyDluxe]

The pond closest to me has very little cover or structure along the most accessible shore. But, the lily pad patches start about 10 feet off, and the grass beds fill in the gaps and extend beyond it. I've never caught anything parallel casting to the bank, but casting out straight and dragging stuff through has consistently produced.

Like others, I don't fish a lot of crank baits, simply because of cost and the likelihood of snags. Plus, I have honestly nevergottena single bass to bite on a crank - either as an adult or as a kid.

I am using spinning gear, mainly because I have always just liked the feel of spinning tackle (to say nothing of its versatility). However, I think I a going to buy a bait casting setup (something shortish and MH or heavier), spool it up with braid and dive into the slop a little more aggressively.

[unageo09]

I'd try a shaky head jig and a Zoom trick worm. It takes a little getting use to but its an easy tactic to learn and it does seem to catch fish when others won't.

[Scorcher214]

I use the same lures you would fish from a boat. Spinnerbaits, jigs, worms, cranks, swimbaits, yada yada.

[G.F.]

Maybe it's just me, but shakeyheads work well for me from shore (as well as the previously-mentioned shallow/floating cranks, and a host of other lures... I think you'll find that way more lures work - or can work - from shore than don't.)

Anyway, shakeyheads are pretty weedless and very easily adjustable from color to color or worm to beaver, the downside being the jighead getting hung up in rocky bottoms now and then...

[Kyle Mahaffey]

I just mainly use soft plastics. I mean if you can make a shakey head dance, the bass just eats it up. I also love to use a small buzzbait in the mornings or late afternoons. I might throw a shallow crankbait if there is some kind of structure or grass below it. But only as the last measure.