Do You Catch More From Bank Than Boat?

[Squirmin Wormin]

Some of us I assume have fished by bank and boat , but maybe not , For those who have done both do you think you catch more from bank fishing than boat fishing ? or haven't noticed or keep track ? I myself don't think it matters. I don't have a boat,but have fished from one many times and can go where you can't from shore ,but fishing from the bank there's also places a boat can't go either. And done good both ways. So you think you do better by bank or boat fishing?

what's your op?

[Mr_Scrogg]

I think that its about even. I've caught fish I could only catch from a boat, and I've caught fish from smaller ponds that don't get pressure.

[RSM789]

I catch more from a boat, but learned how to fish slower moving lures by fishing from the bank.  I also found that I can observe more on the bank if I am stealthy enough.

[iabass8]

all things equal, i.e bank fishing the mississippi shore vs on a boat and not comparing a golf coures pond/local pond to a large reservoir, a boat...and it isn't even close.

[geo g]

I do both every week. I fish weekends from the boat, and weekday evenings from the bank. Saturday I went out in the boat in the morning and caught 9 fish. Then Sunday morning I went to the bank and caught 20 bass. The amount of time was the same both days, but the waters are quite different. From the bank you can fish a lot slower, because you don't have the constant motion of the boat. I enjoy both styles of fishing just as much.

[Bluebasser86]

Boat without a doubt. I do both pretty often, if I catch 10 from the bank in a few hours I did pretty good, same number from a boat and I'm disappointed. 

[SirSnookalot]

Not even a contest, a boat by far catches more and better fish.  However the determining factor is where you are fishing.  Growing up on Lake St Clair in Michigan and Canada, you're dead without a boat.  Being in Florida I don't boat fish for bass any more, I still give the nod to the boat.  When I fish canals I can walk just so far, I then may have a fence, feeder canal or some other obstruction I can't get around, in a boat I can could go for miles.  Many of the ponds I can easily walk around, I do know of some that are quite large and not unusual to see jon boats on them.  

[fishballer06]

Boat, hands down. I can cover much more water.

[einscodek]

I usually catch more than double my yield fishing from boat than on land.. but I still shorefish more cause its less hassle and I still catch enough fish to be happy.

I definitely lose more fish on my boat though..

[EmersonFish]

Usually, when I am bank fishing, I go to proven places where I know there are fish. I only have a couple of hours, and I'm just trying to have a nice time before I have to go home for the evening. So in those cases, I usually have a pretty good catch rate. Not really fair to compare my boat fishing. I have a whole lot more water to explore and usually a lot more time. I'm searching, trying new things, trying to get better.

The bottom line is, it depends on the lake, how much shore access there is, what time of year it is, etc..., but for the most part, if I had to catch a big bag to get paid that day, I'd rather have the boat.

[J Francho]

there's also places a boat can't go either.

 

If that place has water, I can get there in one of my boats, whether it be in a kayak or a 22' bass boat.  I've had great days on shore, but on any given day, off the shore will always give you greater opportunity.

 

One exception:

 

[WIGuide]

You catch more from a boat no question about it. 

[buzzed bait]

kayak, so a boat...  

[hatrix]

Ya that is not even close to being equal. I catch way more if I am on a boat. You can reach any spot. Any place you are catching fish from the bank I can do the same on a boat. Plus I can go all the places you cant.

[xxmurrxx]

Boat, you can just access so many more spots.

[BassinLou]

Given the choice a boat all the time. However, when pressed for time bank fishing wins. 

[Ratherbfishing]

If I could reach everywhere I needed from the bank, I'd opt for that.  However, a boat offers much greater freedom of movement and accessibility and therefore I have to vote for that.  Plus, I've lost far fewer baits since I got a boat.  (Of course I could have bought an awful lot of lures for what my boat and truck have cost me).

[Paul Roberts]

Boat. Although there are spots that fish better from shore.

[Hyrule Bass]

bank, but only because i fish from there more than a boat. also 75 percent or more of my boat fishing is for strippers and not largemouth

[greentrout]

A boat. No doubt about it. Whether it's an expensive bass boat to a johnboat. The boat gives you far more options than the bank. However,

having said that, the bank offers the basser stealth and the opportunity to catch a bass of a lifetime fishing from the bank and I'm not

talkin' about bed fishing.

 

 

Old school basser...

[Darren.]

Kayak. Can get to more places than I can by foot. No contest for me.

[Senko lover]

I do a lot more bank fishing than I do boat fishing, but I have done a bit of the latter. 

I like boat fishing a lot, lot more because you can access anyplace you want to. With the bank, you're limited to 20 or 30 feet out and whatever cover lies in between. Not that I don't love bank fishing; my post on Bank Fishing just got published on here (How to Fish a Spot From the Bank). But boating is more effective.  

[J Francho]

Sometimes it takes a boat to get to a good shore spot.

[Mattlures]

For LMB its about even but I catch more big bass from shore, usually after I beached my boat. Why? stealth.

When I fish for saltwater bass its 1000 to 1 in favor of the boat

[SirSnookalot]

For LMB its about even but I catch more big bass from shore, usually after I beached my boat. Why? stealth.

When I fish for saltwater bass its 1000 to 1 in favor of the boat

Even many of the inshore species I fish for I can do way better by boat.  Not unusual for fish to be several hundred yards from shore, too far to cast.  Many saltwater fish follow the bait, the fish do not always stay in one place.