Bank Fishing Forum

[0119]

There have been some kayak specific rods in the recent past.  Okuma thought kayak rods needed even longer rear grips and double foregrips to prevent high sticking.  Maybe they work for So. Ca. yakkers jigging kelp beds but not anyone else.  Quantum tried it too but you never found them on a rack anywhere.  American Rodsmith's did a yakkers series a few years back that really fit the bill with shorter rear grips and pre drilled holes in the real seats to attach a leash to.  No retailers around here carried them except Bass Pro, but only for a year.  St. Croix has been quoted in magazines as stating there is no market to support kayak specific rods.  Kayaking is slowing down a lot here. Everyone is jumping on the SUP bandwagon.  Standing so there is no need for special rods any more.  And that seems to suit the yak shops, now they only stock ultra high end St Croix and Loomis rods in cater to the high dollar customer.  SUP's just doesn't fit bass fishing in waters stuffed with gators though. 

[Raul]

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.

 

Size 28 waist, flat stomach and 110 lbs, have we met somewhere ? cuz that sounds like me. I also agree on the rod selection/suggestion, reel selection/suggestion too, I do own a boat ( actually it´s a 12 ft jontub ) which, unless somebody else is gonna go with me, spends most of it´s time stored, so if I wanna get some action it´s going to be from the bank and on foot patrol.

 

It´s sad to see that tackle manufacturers in the US don´t offer really nice 2 piece rods, where I´m at two piece rods are a necessity, bank fishing in my neck of the woods most of the times involves having to walk thru thick brush and you can´t do that with a single piece rod comfortably, import rod manufacturers like GraphiteLeader, MajorCraft, Tailwalk & Daiko do offer really nice rods. I may love baitcasting gear, I´m really good at operating the gear but as good as I am I can´t do more than the room I have to swing the rod allows me to, therefore, spinng gear is my choice for the foot patrol. Lure selection is also important, I´m a tackle junkie, I´ve got tons of stuff but I can´t carry all my junk with me, years have taught me that I don´t need a lot of stuff, what I need is to know a lot of stuff ( rigging and fishing techiques ) to get the most out of every single bait I´m able to carry.

[Ratherbfishing]

 

 

It´s sad to see that tackle manufacturers in the US don´t offer really nice 2 piece rods, where I´m at two piece rods are a necessity, bank fishing in my neck of the woods most of the times involves having to walk thru thick brush and you can´t do that with a single piece rod comfortably,

 

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

[Cryoglobin]

I fish a lot of spots with pretty dense cover, and I usually put a trash bag over my rod when bushwacking.  

 

Some techniques I use when its too thick for any kind of backcast....

 

Wrist rocket - be careful doing this as it could potentially implant a hook a long way into somewhere you do not want it. It is most dangerous on hardbaits with hanging, swinging trebles.  You just have to be mindful about making sure the hooks are facing out.  If you snag a treble on the pocket and it then slings back, well you might get away with it once, or you might not.  And, if you do not get away with it, you won't be too happy with yourself.  I wasn't happy with myself once, or maybe twice , so I try to stick to t-rigs now when using this.....until I get really desperate.  I have never had an issue using t-rigs.  They do not go as far as I can cast, but considerably further than I can pitch or flip.

 

Another thing I will do is slack line drift a frog on windy days.  Put yourself upwind of some nice looking cover, drift it through, and then drag it back.  I have combined that technique with the wrist rocket and put bait in places i had no business getting it to.  Sometimes you can fling it out there into a crosswind past an exposed stump and then work the bait right to left or vice versa without dragging it back towards shore.  The trick is being able to sling the line over the stump when you get a strike.  It can make hooksets tricky, and obviously you will eventually end up with line abrasion.  Or you may end up with a fish on in an unlandable situation if it zooms back toward you and around the stump.  But if it can get you to fish you can't otherwise reach....well thats the name of the game, right?

 

Anyway, just some stuff I use occasionally.  Hopefully it helps or gives someone some ideas.

[SirSnookalot]

I do all of my freshwater fishing from the bank, the areas I fish I can use whatever I wish, it's very open.  I do prefer using a 7' med spin for high banked canals and 6'6 light or ml spin for ponds.  I like casting with rods with longer butts.  A good portion of my saltwater fishing is done from beach, sea walls and jetties, again I like the longer butt for casting and more so tucking the butt under my armpit is useful in handling some of the species.  I have probably said this at least 100,000 times, I would never buy a rod for any kind of fishing with good foregrip.

[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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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