Bank Fishing

[CAllen]

When are the best times to go bank fishing. I fish in Southwest Ohio on East fork lake, and it seems when I go out the fish are deeper and deeper, and get less luck the later I go. What are your suggestions when it comes to fishing the banks of lakes.

[FinCulture]

Get out nice and early; they'll be shallow and looking for breakfast. Mot of my bass action is in the morning.

[CAllen]

Have you had much luck in the evening?

[nascar2428]

Best times for me are 6-10AM. Followed by 4-6PM, Has been very slow in the evening all summer for me.

[masterbass]

Around dawn and dusk.

[Bluebasser86]

I've done very well night fishing from the bank. I'm usually leaving when everyone else is just showing up for the "morning bite". 

[blckshirt98]

Best bite for me has always been early morning, starting just before the first crack of light where you might need a headlamp for the first half hour, until the sun comes up and it starts to get warm.  So I'll fish for 4-5 hours, usually 6-10am give or take a half hour on either end.  Plus when you go that early you have a 2-3 hour window before the boats show up.

[flippinbassinKY]

Night fishing from the bank in the summertime is the way to go.  More bass will be shallow at night because most types of baitfish feed shallow in the summertime at night, so the bass follow them and eat them.

My favorite baits for night fishing are a black buzzbait, a black Colorado blade spinnerbait, a dark colored senko wacky rigged with a worm rattle, and a jig.  With the jig I almost always have a rattle on it as well.

[NathanW]

If you are looking for better daytime fishing perhaps go out and find some smaller ponds. There are a few small ponds and lakes that produce fish any time of day throughout the summer for me. If they do not have the option to find deeper water they will usual get under mats, in the reeds, find shade, current, or windblown areas of the pond. 

[bigbill]

I was going out at 4:00am. Fishing till around 9am. But the key to shore fishing when the place is quiet and calm is being stealthy and very, very quiet. Walk softly, don't step on rocks or roots sticking out of the ground. This can send vibrations into the water. It's the basses alarm system. There not dumb. I find the bass are close to the shoreline feeding on eels, frogs, baitfish. I don't use a baitcaster at this time because of the click when the spool locks in. I'm quiet as a ghost like I'm not there. I close my bail by hand. I stress about making no noise. In the dark it's topwater. Depending how deep the water is I use shallow and deeper crankbaits. Spinnerbaits, inline spinners, rapalas, then as the sunlight arrives I switch to a c rig plastics and follow the bass deeper to there daylight haunts.

I fish a 9/10' droppoffs. Using a hummingbird cast out fish finder shows me the depths, holes, flats, transision points. Then I know what depth cranks I can use to stay away from the bottom or bump the bottom.

Shore fishing isn't that hard. It's all about location, location. Once you find a area that has Rocky points, a sand bar, deeper areas you figure out what bait works for that area.

I like a bait that has a rattle, sends out vibration plus I add a scent and choosing the right color means success. I use rattles in my plastics too.

Fishing a new spot can be tough but that's were the fun is I find it's a challenge as to what bait and color matched to the correct presentation means success. Change baits and colors till you get action.

Best tip ever.

Say a take a spook. I walk the dog.

Cast it out till the ripples disappear. I do a 1 rip, 2 rip, 3rd rip, then pause. Make every rip the same length. Make each pause equal time wise. Make the timing on this presentation slow not too fast. The bass time when to hit it. Mostly on the pause so your timing and speed is very important. I use floating cranks over submerged weeds this way too. Just go out and practice this the bass will let u know when it's right. With any presentation don't rush it, don't go too fast. Relax and make every presentation a award winning presentation. No flaws the bass look for flaws.

The better we get with presentations the more fish we catch.

Shore fishing = picking the correct pattern = matching it with the correct presentation = SUCCESS.

It's skill that catches fish not luck. Bill

[lectricbassman]

I've done very well night fishing from the bank. I'm usually leaving when everyone else is just showing up for the "morning bite".

X2

[bigbill]

I show up at 4am but I had a close encounter with a bear at my car.

There I was in the open road fishing off a low bridge. In the dark I stayed fishing. I kept an eye on the bushes near the car. Maybe a fisherman left some fish were we park I don't know but it was busy.

I have a 400lb bear in my back yard.

[FinCulture]

I've also had luck around dusk. Many of my trips go from about five to eight thirty (nightfall) I caught 3 fish that together weighed about 10 pounds during my last trip at this time.

[Balshy Fishing]

I show up at 4am but I had a close encounter with a bear at my car.

There I was in the open road fishing off a low bridge. In the dark I stayed fishing. I kept an eye on the bushes near the car. Maybe a fisherman left some fish were we park I don't know but it was busy.

I have a 400lb bear in my back yard.

That's my biggest fear. I always feel paranoid looking into the woods waiting to be mauled lol

[Racerx]

Always dusk and dawn, but if I have to make a choice, it's gonna be dawn.  I've always gotten more bites then, than at dusk.

[bigbill]

I carry my buddy and his six Freinds now. I'm not good at running nor speed. Plus I can't woop it with a 7' bass rod. I'm always alone.

[Kentuckysteve]

I have the best luck fishing at dusk and dawn also.Early morning casting a popper or zara spook,buzzbait,spinnerbaits if water is choppy and shaky head rig with zoom worms.Nighttime i use same shakyhead or a texas rigged brush hog or lizard or 10" zoom worm.Fall and winter i use jigs more with trailers.Early and late i cast around the edges of the bank,especially if there is cover of any sort such as tree's fallen and sticking into the water,rocks or even brush piles.Look for any type of water source draining into your lake or pond.Fish around this area.Its a good source for bugs and insects getting washed into it.

[Hurricane]

Best times for me are 6-10AM. Followed by 4-6PM, Has been very slow in the evening all summer for me.

Same here...

[Mike2841]

I get out when I can, more often than not that's a couple hours in the afternoon. I used to get up early to fish on weekends but I never felt that I caught more in the morning so I sleep in now.

[bigbill]

At night the bass run smaller and one place I'm at is heavy pressured.

I don't want the non bass fisherman to see me catch bass nor what I'm using. They take home everything they catch to eat.

The morning is quieter plus the bass babes are larger.