Bank Fishing Forum

[bigbill]

I believe the pod has a 500 hour life on the water. The sight explains it. I had ours ever since they came out. I haven't tried it in a while. I used it to learn the bottom structure and layout. I haven't used it to find fish yet. I use my talents for that.

Plus by hammering each place all the time we learn we're the fish are.

This is an awesome tool.

Sam is right it takes more to be a successful shore fisherman. I throw a variety of different lures and colors till I get action. But don't

be limited to that one pattern that's working. We can have multiple

patterns at the sametime.

In the low light conditions use brighter colors.

If your having success with a mepps Anglia #3 and the bite stops let's

say in the middle of the day try a mepps Anglia #4 & #5 in the same color. The bigger fish will come in to see what the smaller ones are feeding on but they won't hit the smaller lure.

When the light conditions change from daylight to dusk. Example your throwing a Joe's fly in blackgnat silver blade w/black tail. The bite slows down or stops as it gets darker. I put on the Joe's fly in firetiger apache or his glo tiger. You will land a few more fish.

Going from a more natural color in the day light and switching to a brighter color as the lighting conditions change. On the low light overcast days throw brighter colors moved slower.

Don't be afraid to slow the lures down. I notice in the low light that speed matters too.

I'm giving you my tips on what I have learned though the years while fishing from shore. I actually took my time and tried different things to see how the fish react. I like to see everyone catch fish. I even stop fishing if there are kids near me so I can help them too. I even stop to help adults too. Think about it if they catch more fish they actually buy more tackle sooner or later. It's giving back to the manufacturers who make me have success and make me look good too. Plus we're helping new fisherman catch more fish. I feel like I'm a salesman for fishing equipment when I'm fishing and having success in front of everyone. I'm no pro nor ever claim to be I just love fishing. And I like to see others enjoy it with the success like I have too.

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

Does the hummingbird portable fish finder have a motor or something, if not how do you retrieve it.

 

Connect it to a radio controlled boat and drive it where you what it that would be a great way to use it. Im not joking saw it in a fish mag article.

[Grizzn N Bassin]

Connect it to a radio controlled boat and drive it where you what it that would be a great way to use it. Im not joking saw it in a fish mag article.

Now that's a great idea!!

Driving a radio boat zeep it a around having blast, to find fish.. then go and catch them.. sounds like I'll.be looking into this

[birdoflight]

Connect it to a radio controlled boat and drive it where you what it that would be a great way to use it. Im not joking saw it in a fish mag article.

Interesting, but it really detracts from bank anglers' need to travel without excess doesn't it? Most RC boats that I have seen are 24+ inches long plus remote!

[boostr]

On Youtube I've seen guys attach it to a RC boat that is also a bait feeder.  They drive around to find the fish and then release the bait where they find them.  I think they like doing this in Europe. 

[coryn h. fishowl]

It has to be tied to a line on a rod/reel. Cast it out like a lure and reel it back in. I did a lot of research on them, and the repeated criticism is that the batteries don't last a long time. And when they die you have to buy a whole new yellow beacon thingy for $20. There is a YouTube vid where a guy dissects one and installs a new batteries, but it requires cutting and gluing the unit.

Still sounds worth it, I think I'm going to get one.  Seems like it would help a lot.

[Paul Roberts]

I have an HB rod mounted unit. It is very limited in terms of resolution offering only a single tone (no grayscale) and large pixels. Sensitivity adjustments don't allow very good read on bottom hardness. It will tell you actual depth but not too much more. I tried running it over fish and it won't discern them from the bottom if small or anywhere near the bottom. Large carp showed as bumps that could just as well have been stumps. Waves also adds variation to the readings. Fun in a limited way but not a great fishing tool. Not like real sonar. My advice would be to save the money and buy a float tube. Then save again and get a compact sonar with good resolution.

 

Oh yes ... The battery in the sending unit only turns on when the two leads are wet, completing the circuit. If they stay wet the battery will continue to drain. So, dry it well before putting it away.

 

Sorry for the downer of a review, but I found the unit too limited and thought I'd throw it out there.

 

As to shore fishing I do and have done a lot of it. Agree with Sam that positioning issues are a major difference between shore and boat. However, baits and lures are much the same. When and where to apply them still counts.

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

So what are your Biggest Bank Side catches this year?

I have 2 that are very close in size aroung 3-1/2#

1. Caught with a Spro aruka shad jr oh 15' out from shore.

 

2. Kinami Palm Tree  way out around 100'

 

 

1.

 

 

2.

[SirSnookalot]

Not weighing my fish I couldn't say what my largest bass from the bank was, I keep a 20" mark on my rods and estimated a few bass to be in the 25-28" range.

[BassinLou]

My biggest banks catches this year, was my Avatar pic that is 6+, and a 7+.

[Bruce424]

Biggest this year from the bank was around 22" I do the same where I have a 15" mark and a 20"mark on my rods. Couldn't weigh it but it was a lil chunky and had some heft. thinkin 5lber. Personal best. on flipping jig close to the bank. Hit hard Gave me such a rush.

[cabrela]

Yes, I agree, a bank/shore fishing forum would be great.

 

By using the websites search engine for bank fishing/shore fishing, many posts are lost in the search because keywords are not always included in the original posters comments. 

 

It would make the site more user friendly for bank/shore fisherman. I like reading about fishing in general but, I also like to read about specific posts regarding bank/shore fisherman. 

X2

[cabrela]

 Such an idea as this has so much potential for the betterment, education, and communication of (bank) anglers everywhere.  Is this not the very precipice upon which this site was founded?  Not everyone owns a rocket sled. I certainly don't.  Young anglers such as myself, most of whom will be bank fishing, would have a kind of haven, a classroom if you will, in which they would learn how to expand their abilities.  BR accomplishes this quite well as it is, but a bank forum would be a college to the general forum's real world.  This could help bring in so many anglers, especially younger ones, to a site that they might have otherwise misjudged as a chatroom for bass boat jockeys; a site that would teach them to be more responsible, conscientious, skilled anglers.  I implore you to analyze the possible outcomes of making this its own forum in a pragmatic manner.  There is nothing to lose, and yet, there is much to gain, with the possibility of helping so many individuals, and possibly the sport itself, by making this a forum. I await your decision with the patience I have garnered from years of teaching myself how to fish, from a bank I might add; (that is to say, until, through BR, I had others to teach me.)  It is time for me to attempt to repay the favor.

   

[coryn h. fishowl]

One thing I'm surprised I don't hear mentioned in relation to bank fishing more often...pitching and flipping. Given how quickly you can make successive casts, it is a great method to cover water quickly.

[cabrela]

One thing I'm surprised I don't hear mentioned in relation to bank fishing more often...pitching and flipping. Given how quickly you can make successive casts, it is a great method to cover water quickly.

Here´s something that I would like to read more as well...

[Fishing With Edward]

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I caught this 6#er from the bank. 

[SirSnookalot]

A significant difference between bank and boat is landing the fish.  From boat quite often one is pulling the fish out of cover into open water, from the bank pulling it back into thru cover.  High banked canals or a sea walls poses a different situation than lipping, netting or gaffing from a boat.

[CayMar]

What do you do to get to those big girls hiding out in deeper water, or are they even hiding out in deeper water this time of year? I went to a pond this Saturday and last and I caught about ten fish total. I'm not mad about that it sure beats a skunk but they were all about 1 1/2 pound or less and were all caught about twenty feet or less from shore. I'm wondering are there big girls in this pond Im exploring and if there are some big fish where are they hiding. Or is my presentation off. I caught them all on a Zoom trick worm t rigged weightless, junebug. I didn't bother changing because I was catching them at a pace I was happy with.

[5fishlimit]

One thing I'm surprised I don't hear mentioned in relation to bank fishing more often...pitching and flipping. Given how quickly you can make successive casts, it is a great method to cover water quickly.

I do this very often. On a lot of the Inland reservoir lakes there are fallen trees and docks that the techniques are - IMHO - more critical to master than those fishing from a boat.

[geo g]

I fish from the boat on weekends and from the bank almost every evening. From the bank I look for points, drop offs and anywhere there is visible structure. A place with two or more types of vegetation is always a good target. Mixed vegetation is always better then just one type. In man made lakes in Florida, there is always a drop off with a depth change of 5 to 20 feet. Bass love to hug the drop offs and use them for shade and ambush points. On windy days bank fishing always allow you to fish slower and it is often more productive, at least for me. Always watch for weeds moving, a shaking pad or stick up is a great sign. Fish in stealth mode. Clear water will give away any sudden movement on the bank. Make long casts in ultra clear water. Our lakes are often loaded with weeds and pads so Texas rigged plastics are the way to go. I often throw weightless senkos, flukes, worms, centepedes, and frogs with good success. When fishing slow down. Many fisherman fish way too fast. Exceptions would be when they are crashing bait fish, or early mornings, or late evenings and night fishing. Good luck, I hope this helps someone out there.

[cabrela]

I fish from the boat on weekends and from the bank almost every evening. From the bank I look for points, drop offs and anywhere there is visible structure. A place with two or more types of vegetation is always a good target. Mixed vegetation is always better then just one type. In man made lakes in Florida, there is always a drop off with a depth change of 5 to 20 feet. Bass love to hug the drop offs and use them for shade and ambush points. On windy days bank fishing always allow you to fish slower and it is often more productive, at least for me. Always watch for weeds moving, a shaking pad or stick up is a great sign. Fish in stealth mode. Clear water will give away any sudden movement on the bank. Make long casts in ultra clear water. Our lakes are often loaded with weeds and pads so Texas rigged plastics are the way to go. I often throw weightless senkos, flukes, worms, centepedes, and frogs with good success. When fishing slow down. Many fisherman fish way too fast. Exceptions would be when they are crashing bait fish, or early mornings, or late evenings and night fishing. Good luck, I hope this helps someone out there.

Hi, It does!

[0119]

I think a bank specific sub forum would be useful to many. So often on the rod/reel forum folks who are bank fishing get suggestions on rods that hold very little practical purpose on shore from boat anglers. I imagine more than a few regretted purchase's they made after a short time of use. Just like in politics, boat anglers have more say a.k.a. Lobbyist like power. If it be on a forum, or in swaying manufacturers into making products better suited for only them.

[J Francho]

I fish from the bank, kayak, canoe, and bass boat.  I can't really think of any rod in my collection I wouldn't bring for whatever I was fishing from.  There's definitely some big differences in techniques, each specific to to what your fishing from, but really, I always use the cover present to determine what rods I'm going to use.

 

0119: just curious, what features would you like to see in a rod for bank fishing?  What problems do you encounter?  I know for me, spinning reels with long rear grips can be clumsy while sitting in a kayak.  I've also always wanted to see a hybrid pistol grip flipping stick, but with a removable fighting grip, like many heavier fly rods feature.

[0119]

Problems include tight quarters, lots of brush hampering a backcast. Finding situations where you need to flip or pitch but a rod longer than 6ft cant fit in the space around you. I kayak too and rod butts are all to long for comfort unless you have a size 28 waist and flat stomach. So many long rods made now aren't really longer in the portion between tip and seat, they only add to the rear grip. Todays rods are made to satisfy a guy at the bow of a bass boat who fishes wide open waters. I myself mostly fish overgrown and overhanging banks, barely 20 yards wide. I need a combo that can pull out bigger fish from tiny man made waters most fishermen neglect to consider.

[J Francho]

The long handles don't bother me as much, but I fit that skinny guy description.  I tuck the butt end under my arm, which is why I like a full rear cork grip.

 

The kayak market is growing rapidly, and I think someone could really do well, working at a grass roots level to develop a line that would satisfy this group.  You're not the first to have those complaints.