Bank Fishing Forum

[0119]

Not me. If I'm using spinning which is like nearly never i put the rear grip under my forearm and make the rod an extension of my arm. Even for snook tarpon and jacks. My saltwater bank fishing is either true jungle boar hogging my way thru mangrove forest or urban jungle under bridges and between barges and such. Long grips are pretty useless there too.

[boostr]

  On 12/6/2013 at 10:39 PM, Ratherbfishing said:

A good tip I learned somewhere along the way: hold your rod(s) backwards (trailing behind you). You will have fewer snags.

X2 a very good technique, done it and does work great.

[coryn h. fishowl]

Just because the lakes are frozen over doesn't mean that this topic gets to die. There has to be some of those fanatical, lunatic people who sit by a hole in the ice and expose themselves to hypothermia to entertain the bored fish, on this site. 

[Felix77]

  On 12/22/2013 at 7:11 AM, coryn h. fishowl said:

Just because the lakes are frozen over doesn't mean that this topic gets to die. There has to be some of those fanatical, lunatic people who sit by a hole in the ice and expose themselves to hypothermia to entertain the bored fish, on this site. 

 

This reminds me of a story.  Last late winter/early spring (just around ice out) my friend and I went to check out one of our honey holes.  It was about 30 minutes away.  When we got there it was still frozen.  We threw a rock out to see how frozen it was and ended up quickly punching a hole in the ice.

 

We spent the next hour+ pitching to the hole.  We had a blast even though we didn't catch anything.  That would have been a sick ending.

[coryn h. fishowl]

  On 12/22/2013 at 2:41 PM, Felix77 said:

This reminds me of a story.  Last late winter/early spring (just around ice out) my friend and I went to check out one of our honey holes.  It was about 30 minutes away.  When we got there it was still frozen.  We threw a rock out to see how frozen it was and ended up quickly punching a hole in the ice.

 

We spent the next hour+ pitching to the hole.  We had a blast even though we didn't catch anything.  That would have been a sick ending.

I do that sometimes to, haha. I know there is not a chance in frozen-over...purgatory, that I'll catch anything, but you have to cure the cabin fever somehow

[Felix77]

  On 12/22/2013 at 6:05 PM, coryn h. fishowl said:

I do that sometimes to, haha. I know there is not a chance in frozen-over...purgatory, that I'll catch anything, but you have to cure the cabin fever somehow

Exactly!  LOL

[nascar2428]

This is a great thread. 95% of my fishing is from the bank. A well stocked backpack, 2 or 3 2pc spinning rods for spinnerbaits, worms&jigs, and crankbaits. A nice public park pond or lake void of development and I am a happy camper. Just my 2 cents.

[cabrela]

Happy holidays to all bank fishermen/fisherwomen  (and the rest of them as well....)

[Chance_Taker4]

I fish from the bank and would love a forum dedicated to us fisherman. Some of the tips and advice I read on here from boaters are helpful but the majority does not help in the way I fish. Being able to click one link and have all my questions asked and answered would be helpful.
 

[mitchwk]

Hey, I have a question about bank fishing.

 

I'm relatively new to bass fishing and using texas rigs, stop and go retrieve etc.  All that stuff is easy to read about on here.  My question is about where on the pond to find bass while bank fishing.  I have read about structure like trees and grass, but I'm confused about ledges and rocks? How do these provide cover?  What do you all look for when fishing from the bank?

[bankbassassin]

  On 1/11/2014 at 9:31 PM, mitchwk said:

Hey, I have a question about bank fishing.

 

I'm relatively new to bass fishing and using texas rigs, stop and go retrieve etc.  All that stuff is easy to read about on here.  My question is about where on the pond to find bass while bank fishing.  I have read about structure like trees and grass, but I'm confused about ledges and rocks? How do these provide cover?  What do you all look for when fishing from the bank?

There is no one specific spot that will hold bass in every pond. Depending on the type of pond, man made or natural, there will be different depth features on your pond. Forget about ledges till you have a boat, and look for simpler signs of places fish will most likely be. Weed beds with gaps between them, points or curves in the shoreline, and areas that remain shady are all spots to start at. Hopefully someone else can lend some knowledge to the rocks thing, my FL ponds are all mud/muck/slime/quicksand bottom.

Invest in some weedless frogs and a ton of hooks and start casting into spot you'd never think to cast to. That's where I've had the most success(and the most fun).

[0119]

Cover provides protection and opportunity to sit in ambush, a bass' favorite tactic.  Structure can provide cover too but can be anything from wood and natural growth, to ledges, underwater variety in the bottom like a hump, ledge, old creek bed and man made stuff too.  The variety is what attracts bass and their forage so places different things intersect can be dynamite.  A bass can sit behind a single branch or stump and get cover from sunlight and the opportunity to ambush.  A ledge can do the same thing.  Sometimes a bass will sit on the shady side of the tiniest bit of cover to shade his eyes so don't pass up any emergent target you find.  I find man made cover and structure to be a gold mine in most small waters I bank fish.

[I.rar]

I only fish from shore and have since I started fishing. Since then, I'm down to one two-piece spinning rig and a handful of various plastics. Imo, it's about confidence. The baits I've kept, I feel I can catch fish if they are in the spot I'm fishing. Also, with very limited fishing time, it works perfect for me as I'm not cutting and retying baits every few casts. I've tried carrying 2 or more rigs but I find im better suited with one and a fanny bag of tackle. Makes restocking my fishing supply cheaper too.

My system may not work for everyone, but it has for me and the type of fishing I do.

Btw, I'm down for a bank fishing section. Obviously it won't see the traffic the other subforums do, but it would be nice to see all bank fishing topics in one place.

[mitchwk]

  On 1/11/2014 at 10:21 PM, 0119 said:

Cover provides protection and opportunity to sit in ambush, a bass' favorite tactic.  Structure can provide cover too but can be anything from wood and natural growth, to ledges, underwater variety in the bottom like a hump, ledge, old creek bed and man made stuff too.  The variety is what attracts bass and their forage so places different things intersect can be dynamite.  A bass can sit behind a single branch or stump and get cover from sunlight and the opportunity to ambush.  A ledge can do the same thing.  Sometimes a bass will sit on the shady side of the tiniest bit of cover to shade his eyes so don't pass up any emergent target you find.  I find man made cover and structure to be a gold mine in most small waters I bank fish.

 

Thanks for the help! I have had a terrible time of actually finding fish. The last few times I have gone I haven't caught a thing.  I think its because I was fishing a texas rig like I would a big mepps for pike, just casting it far and reeling fast.  How do you all prefer to reel in a Texas rig? I have read a lot about making the bait look real by incorporating pauses and jerking your rod.  When bass fishing should all baits be retrieved using pauses?

[SudburyBasser]

I vote in favor of a bank fishing forum. At a minimum this thread should be stickied.

[SirSnookalot]

In my part of Florida the canals and ponds have little real structure, with the exception of debris, which I might classify more as cover than structure.  What ever you want to call bass like to hang near bridges, culverts, and canal intersections.  Community type ponds that can have some really nice fish, I have done well fishing the corner pockets, where I live there isn't even much vegetation.

[nascar2428]

Most of the tips and advice on this site and in these forums can be applied to bank fishing. I never got in a boat last year and still was able to catch a lot of fish from the bank. Except for deep water fishing, just about every technique can be utilized from the bank. This thread is a great place for the bankers to meet and discuss things. The forums contain such a wealth of information for all bass anglers, bankers or boaters,  As anglers we have to be able to learn how to apply that information to our individual situations. A forum just for bank fishing would be full of duplicate information.. As far as I know, the bass have never been able to tell wether I was catching em from a boat or from the bank. They just knew they were caught!!

[cabrela]

  On 1/12/2014 at 6:21 AM, SudburyBasser said:

I vote in favor of a bank fishing forum. At a minimum this thread should be stickier.

 

Bank fishing and boat fishing aren´t quite the same thing, so I vote in favor as well.

[mitchwk]

Thanks for the help, I actually just read Road Warrior's post on how to catch fish and that answered my question.  Apparently it is not best to just cast a worm and reel it in as fast as you can.  

[ClackerBuzz]

i beat the bank for years and was a certified pond master before moving off shore. ponds are like fishing in a barrel BUT it still take awhile to learn how to: consistently catch fish, catch the biggest fish in the pond and learn how to read what's going on above and below the water.

 

1 ponds have a feeder stream, either above ground or underground.  the feeder stream brings fresh water/oxygen/food.  the influx of water during heavy rain and flooding flushes out a pit where they like to hold.  there will always be fish hanging there, especially in summer b/c its like air conditioning.  you can usually see the feeder creek above ground. if the pond is underground/spring fed the surface area can sill looks 'swampy' ie you won't trek thru that area without waders; you can smell the moisture in the air; there is beaver activity; tall cat tails, bullies etc. 

 

2 the water must exit the pond as well.  this area also holds fish but in my experience not as big.

 

3 streams meander thru a large lake like a snake.  they don't have quite the opportunity to zig zag from bank to bank in a small pond. at the very least the underwater stream favorites one side of the pond. this will be the deeper side and it holds better fish.  the opposite side is usually shallow, more stagnant water w/ slimy algae on the surface and on the bottom, and tapers very slowly out to the middle. it has stumps and logs jammed in the muck etc. this would be the pond flat or cove side.  i always try this area but it produces best during spawn, spring, fall. bass don't worry about predators from above as much in low light conditions so they will be more bold about sitting in this shallow water at dusk/dawn/night fishing or with wind chop on the surface or rain.  i hate this area in the summer b/c its the hottest part of the pond w/ no current or wind. but i love fishing it during the cold season b/c the water warms up the fastest so bass sunbath in these pond coves or corners.  its hard to get a 'big lure over their head in this shallow water b/c even a 4" senko casts a bald eagle like shadow. i try my normal lures but keep them far off shore to draw the fish out to them.  if they aren't chasing or are skiddish i go with a 1/8 Mepps in-line spinner. its the only thing i've found can be cast right over their heads and not spook them from above or below in 12" of water. a lot of times the thumping/vibration from a double willow spinnerbait just scares the crap out of them in stable pond water this shallow. there are aggressive feeding times where they love it so i start big but quickly downsize if i'm just scaring bass.  the more you analyze ponds and what's going on above water the easier it become to read whats going on underneath.  ponds are more shallow so it's easy to see bass reacting negatively to vibrating lures.  learn from their reaction and make adjustments immediately. 

 

4 if there is a dock never walk out onto it b/c you'll spook all the fish on that side of the pond.  first stealth cast both sides and then the front from both direction. then slowly tip toe out to access deeper water.  never walk directly up to the waters edge.  i make my first cast from 10-15ft back. i've seen other guys laugh at me bc i'm elmer fudd but there's nothing better than silently flipping a lure 6ft off shore and having a giant bass smash it. vise versa there's nothing worse than walking right up to the waters edge only to spook a nice bass out to the deep. most guys see the swirling bass take off and think 'oh there's good activity today'. but really you just spooked a bass you could have caught.

 

5 fan casting is the way to go.  i'll fan cast an area and move on. i don't fish, i hunt fish. ur first cast to an area has the best chance of catching the biggest bass and/or the most aggressive bass. so why not relocate often. some guys sit in the same spot all day long. probably bc that's how they were taught to fish. i've literally caught 3 fish approaching a guy...walked around him...and caught 3 more bass as i hiked up shore.  he finally came over to ask me what my magic lure was.  i know it took alot for him to approach me so i explained the lure changes each day but my hunting/hiking fish style will always be the same. it was probably the last time he used a lawn chair for bass fishing.

 

6 if ur not catching fish change lures often.  if i fan cast 3 different locations with a spinnerbait and don't catch a bass, it's time to change lures. ponds are small so it's easy to locate and/or draw fish in. i'm quick to change lures and go from reaction lure w/ vibration... to reaction w/ no vibration (swim jig/senko/swimbait etc)... to bottom bounding something like a t-rig, c-rig, split shot... to flipping wacky senkos... to dead sticking senkos, drop shot or bottom crawling jigs.

you only have so much shore/casting real estate from shore so i'm quick change lures. and i'm quick to slow down my retrieves and/or be patient. 

 

7 analyze what comes back on ur hook.  the two best things are green vibrant weeds and/or clean leaves. these areas hold bass so if ur hook comes back with either you are in the right place. the worst thing to bring back is green slim algae=keep hiking up shore. fountains or aerators are also fish magnets b/c of the oxygen/food and cover. i fished a pond for years that had no weeds but it had an aerator.  it created an underwater current system and fresh mulched leaves would gather in a nice pocket 30ft away.  this is where i always caught the biggest bass. it took a 80ft cast to get out there. if i couldn't draw them back with a reaction bait i would just bombed a jig out and slowly worked it till they crushed it.

 

8 i hate frogs  . no matter how stealth i am, they are better. a frog jumping into the water is like an alarm to bass that gives away my position. if i spook a frog into the water at a good location i wait a few minutes before casting. i just check my text messages, tie my shoe, put on new lure etc. let the spot settle until the bass drops his guard again.

 

9 use braid mainline with leader of ur choice.  i also carry 2 rods and use a fanny pack. One spinning and one casting rod. both have a braid (10lb and 30lb) with yo zuri leaders (6, 8, 12, 15 or 17 lb). i keep a bunch of 12ft leaders wrapped up with a piece of tape around each. it takes up virtually no room and weighs next to nothing yet i'm prepared for any situation.  if the cover gets nasty i just remove the leaders and fish straight braid.

 

10 skip buying ur next two rods and buy a kayak. it will get you off shore and open so many possibilities. so many angles, constant fresh water, access to deeper water, ultra stealth. spring is coming and every box store will have one for under $300. it will change ur fishing life.

 

Good article by Hank Parker on Pond fishing:

http://www.bassresource.com/hank-parker-fishing/pond-fishing-tactics.html

[ClackerBuzz]

11- do not ignore or downplay a bite. remember the location and always think of that spot as a fishy/big bass spot. bite locations are fish holding areas so think of them as good not bad.  it's easy to get down b/c u missed a fish but a bite is v-e-r-y important clue that reveals ur in a fish holding location. it's not as important on ponds. but very important when bank fishing lakes/reservoirs etc (and equally important when fishing from kayak or 18ft boat; mark a GPS point if u have a unit). if you got skunked that day but got 4 bites....go back to those 4 locations tomorrow and from that day forward. make them ur priority spots.

 

try to figure out the bite right then and there. cast back immediately with something different (something closely related to what you were doing when you got the bite

ie you gave up on ur dead sticking/slow dragging ur senko and just started reeling ur line in when a bass slammed it but he didn't commit.  the 'fleeing' bait got a reaction out of the bass. tie on a similar color jig and cast back immediately. dead stick it for 60 sec to get his interest (like the senko did) and then go straight to reeling it back experimenting with slow to fast reaction retrieve, pops, rips etc.

[I.rar]

Excellent posts clacker!

[cabrela]

  On 1/12/2014 at 5:43 PM, ClackerBuzz said:

i beat the bank for years and was a certified pond master before moving off shore. ponds are like fishing in a barrel but it still take awhile to learn how to consistently catch fish.. and how to catch the biggest fish in the pond..and how to read what's going on above and below the water.

 

1 ponds have a feeder stream, either above ground or underground.  the feeder stream brings fresh water/oxygen/food.  the influx of water during heavy rain and flooding flushes out a pit where they like to hold.  there will always be fish hanging there, especially in summer b/c its like air conditioning.  you can usually see the feeder the creek above ground. if the pond is underground/spring fed the surface area can sill looks 'swampy' ie you won't trek thru that area without waders; you can smell the moisture in the air; there is beaver activity; tall cat tails, bullies etc. 

 

2 the water must exit the pond as well.  this area also holds fish but in my experience not as big.

 

3 streams meander thru a large lake like a snake.  they don't have quite the opportunity to zig zag from bank to bank in a small pond. at the very least the underwater stream favorites one side of the pond. this will be the deeper side and it holds better fish.  the opposite side is usually shallow, more stagnant water w/ slimy algae on the surface and on the bottom, and tapers very slowly out to the middle. it has stumps and logs jammed in the muck etc. this would be the pond flat or cove side.  i always try this area but it produces best during spawn, spring, fall. bass don't worry about predators from above as much in low light conditions so they will be more bold about sitting in this shallow water at dusk/dawn/night fishing or with wind chop on the surface or rain.  i hate this area in the summer b/c its the hottest part of the pond w/ no current or wind. but i love fishing it during the cold season b/c the water warms up the fastest so bass sunbath in these pond coves or corners.  its hard to get a 'big lure over their head in this shallow water b/c even a 4" senko casts a bald eagle like shadow. i try my normal lures but keep them far off shore to draw the fish out to them.  if they aren't chasing or are skiddish i go with a 1/8 Mepps in-line spinner. its the only thing i've found can be cast right over their heads and not spook them from above or below in 12" of water. a lot of times the thumping/vibration from a double willow spinnerbait just scares the crap out of them in water this shallow. there are aggressive feeding times where they love it so i start big but quickly downsize if i'm just scaring bass.  the more you analyze ponds and what's going on above water the easier it become to read whats going on underneath.  also i'm quick to analyze how they are reacting to your lures. its easy on a pond b/c you can literally see a lure spook them vs not seeing on a lake in 20ft of water.

 

4 if there is a dock never walk out onto it b/c you'll spook all the fish on that side of the pond.  first stealth cast both sides and then the front from both direction. then slowly tip toe out to access deeper water.  never walk directly up to the waters edge.  i make my first cast from 10-15ft back. i've seen other guys laugh at me bc i'm elmer fudd but there's nothing better than silently flipping a lure into the first 12" of water and having a giant bass smash it. vise versa there's nothing worse than walking right up to the waters edge only to spook a nice bass out to the deep. most guys see the swirling bass take off and think 'oh there's good 'activity' today.  but why not catch that bass.

 

5 fan casting is the way to go.  i'll fan cast an area and move on. i don't fish, i hunt fish. ur first cast to an area has the best chance of catching the biggest bass and/or the most aggressive bass. so why not relocate often. some guys sit in the same spot all day long. probably bc that's how they were taught to fish. i've literally caught 3 fish approaching a guy...walked around him...and caught 3 more bass as i hiked up shore.  he finally came over to ask me what my magic lure was.  i know it took alot for him to approach me to i explained the lure the bass like might be different each day but my hunting/hiking fish style will always be the same. hopefully it was the last time he used a lawn chair to fish.

 

6 if ur not catching fish change lures often.  if i fan cast 3 different locations with a spinnerbait and don't catch a bass, it's time to change lures. ponds are small so it's easy to locate and/or draw fish in. i'm quick to change lures and go from reaction lure w/ vibration... to reaction w/ no vibration (swim jig/senko/swimbait etc)... to bottom bounding something like a t-rig, split shot, drop shot... to flipping wacky senkos... to dead sticking senkos, drop shot or bottom crawling jigs.

if i'm not catching bass in ponds i quickly change lures. and i'm quick to slow down my retrieves and be patient.

if i'm not catching bass on big water ie lakes, i'm quick to change location.

 

7 analyze what comes back on ur hook.  the two best things are green vibrant weeds and/or clean leaves. these areas hold bass so if ur hook comes back with either you are in the right place. the worst thing to bring back is green slim algae=keep hiking up shore. fountains or aerators are also fish magnets b/c of the oxygen/food and cover. i fished a pond for years that had no weeds but i had an aerator.  it created an underwater current system and fresh mulched leaves would gather in a nice pocket 30ft away.  this is where i always caught the biggest bass. it took a 80ft cast to get out there. if i couldn't draw them back with a reaction bait i would just bombed a jig out and slowly worked it till they crushed it.

 

8 i hate frogs  . no matter how stealth i am, they are better. a frog jumping into the water is like an alarm to bass that gives away my position. if i spook a frog into the water at a good location i wait a few minutes before casting. i just check my text messages, tie my shoe, put on new lure etc. let the spot settle until the bass drops his guard again.

 

9 use braid to copoly.  i also carry 2 rods and use a fanny pack. One spinning and one casting rod. both have a braid (10lb and 30lb) with yo zuri leaders (6, 8, 12, 15 or 17 lb). i keep a bunch of 12ft leaders wrapped up with a piece of tape around each. it takes up virtually no room and weighs next to nothing yet i'm prepared to any situation.  if the cover gets nasty i can even remove the leaders and fish straight braid.

 

10 skip buying ur next two rods and buy a kayak. it will get you off shore and open so many possibilities. so many angles, constant fresh water, access to deeper water, ultra stealth. spring is coming and every box store will have one for under $300. it will change ur fishing life.

 

Good article by Hank Parker on Pond fishing:

http://www.bassresource.com/hank-parker-fishing/pond-fishing-tactics.html

 

  On 1/12/2014 at 6:15 PM, ClackerBuzz said:

11- do not ignore or downplay a bite. remember the location and always think of that spot as a fishy/big bass spot. it's easy to get down b/c u missed a fish but a bite is very important clue that reveals ur in a fish holding location. it's not as important on ponds. but very important when bank fishing lakes/reservoirs etc (and equally important when fishing from kayak or 18ft boat). if you got skunked that day but got 4 bites....go back to those 4 locations tomorrow and from that day forward. make them ur priority spots.

 

try to figure out the bite right then and there. cast back immediately with something different (something closely related to what you were doing when you got the bite

ie you gave up on ur dead sticking/slow dragging ur senko and just started reeling ur line in when a bass slammed it but he didn't commit.  the 'fleeing' bait got a reaction out of the bass. tie on a similar color jig and cast back immediately. dead stick it for 60 sec to get his interest (like the senko did) and then go straight to reeling it back experimenting with slow to fast reaction retrieve, pops, rips etc.

 

 

bite locations are fish holding areas so think of them as good not bad

 

   

[cabrela]

Great information ClackerBuzz, really great.

[mitchwk]

Thank you so much for the tips Clacker! I can't wait to put them to use. I checked out my pond today to see if I could but its still mostly ice covered with a few holes.