How Close To Fishing Spot Should Boat Be?

[alexofoakton]

Recently, I went out with a more experienced friend. He always put the bass boat about 20-25 feet off shore to avoid spooking the fish. We were fishing the Occoquan Reservoir, casting up to shore grasses and rock walls. Yet, I see others fishing much closer to the same types of spots so that can easily flip/pitch into them. Same when they fish around docks and pilings. What is the recommended distance from the boat to the spot to be fished?

[11justin22]

Depends what u type of fishing u are doing. Generally if u are fishing a bank it means there is some type of structure there. It also means u don't want to be plopping in a bait from a mile away and spooking everything. So u generally get close enough where u can make a quiet accurate entry but far away as u can get..if that makes sense

[papajoe222]

Simple answer is within casting distance to the spot. The complicated part is determining what type of cast you'll be using. As I said: "within casting distance" and that distance will be different for the different types of casts you could use. Flipping or pitching would put you a lot closer than an underhanded roll cast and an overhand cast could put you 100ft. from your target. Light penetration and mood of the fish are factors you consider when trying to determine what type of cast you should use. Overcast skies, stained water, windy conditions, etc. all reduce light penetration and cold front conditions, although often associated with clear skies will put fish tight to cover and not willing to chase down your offering.

These are conditions where you'd want to get closer to or farther from your target . For a verticle presentation, that would equate to flipping or pitching. For horizontal presentations that would mean possibly casting past your target to get your lure to the desired depth as it contacts or passes by your target.

[Bluebasser86]

I try to stay back further in clear water but sometimes you can't, and making a long cast into heavy cover will not end well.

[merc1997]

here is a rule of thumb that i use. fish as close as you possibly can. fishing deep water and searching requires long casts. after you catch a few and begin to determine the strike zone, close up the distance some. experience will help you with your distance. sometimes when bass are deep enough, even in clear water, you can fish them vertically. when getting close quarters when bass are shallow, here are a few tips. be as quiet as you possibly can. try to run the troller on constant. i believe that a constant sound will tend to spook them less than kicking the troller on and off all the time. close quarters is stealth mode. hope some of this might be of help.

bo

[Wayne P.]

I have been fishing and catching at a clear water lake a lot and using a vertical presentation in brush piles and weed edges in depths of about 6'-10'. The horizontal distance was zero and casting distance was zero.

If you are beating the banks, it only makes sense to keep some distance away, but with cover being the pattern, it's not that big of a deal.

Basically whatever myth/fact you believe about distance is what you will do.

[K_Mac]

I have always been more comfortable fishing deeper water and off-shore structure, so making longer casts has always been my go-to style. The last couple of years I have fished a lot with a guy who learned to fish on a river system, and when the water is clear or over about 6' deep he gets a little nervous. We both flip and pitch off the front deck of his boat at hand-to-hand distance when fishing his style. Sometimes it works very well, sometimes my style works better. So my answer to your question is it just depends...

[WRB]

Recently, I went out with a more experienced friend. He always put the bass boat about 20-25 feet off shore to avoid spooking the fish. We were fishing the Occoquan Reservoir, casting up to shore grasses and rock walls. Yet, I see others fishing much closer to the same types of spots so that can easily flip/pitch into them. Same when they fish around docks and pilings. What is the recommended distance from the boat to the spot to be fished?

To flip or pitch shallow heavy cover you need the rod/reel/line/lure for that presentation. You are targeting shallow active bass holding tight to cover, the lure is usually a jig or pegged worm that can penetrate the cover, fall down in front of the bass to create a strike. For this type of presentation being close is better than trying to make longer inaccurate cast.

If you are working the break line edges with a lure that covers a lot of water like a crankbait or spinnerbait or even working a T or C rigged worm, casting or swimming jig, the boat position should allow you the right casting angles.

Beating the bank at a specific distance is rarely a productive technique, unless you have established a proven pattern and catching bass. Shoreline anglers are shore bound and when fishing from a boat you should be fishing all the productive areas in the lake, a lot of those are over your shoulder.

Depending on how dense the cover is and how much fishing pressure that cover is subjected to determines if the bass are going to be spooky or not. Lakes with a lot of shoreline activity, the bass can be conditioned to anglers and boats. The bass know you are there if you are 25' of 5', the key is are they active or not. Active feeding bass tend to focus on the prey they are eating, the distance should allow you to present the lure to those bass, without shutting off the bite.

Tom

[alexofoakton]

Thanks guys.