how often do you catch fish?

[gulfcaptain]

Bank fishing can be great, but also can really blow.  Depending on time of year and body of water (I've fished as many as 4-5 parks in one day here in sunny S. Cal looking for the one that is going to be productive) I've gone without before and then I've had as many as 30+ fish.  Normally average 2-5 fish an outing fishing the bank but not always.  Bass fishing is more then just casting out a lure and putting it in front of a fish, it's understanding what the fish are doing, where they should be located, and taking advantage of their seasonal patterns.  The more you fish the more you'll learn.  And days you don't catch fish can be some of the best learning days to try and figure out why they weren't where you thought they were supposed to be or what elements changed since the last time you fished that caused them to shut off.

[A-Jay]

9 minutes ago, gulfcaptain said:

 Bass fishing is more then just casting out a lure and putting it in front of a fish, it's understanding what the fish are doing, where they should be located, and taking advantage of their seasonal patterns.  The more you fish the more you'll learn.  And days you don't catch fish can be some of the best learning days to try and figure out why they weren't where you thought they were supposed to be or what elements changed since the last time you fished that caused them to shut off.

~ X2 ~

Story time ~ Ended up in the middle of a Massive wide open smallie topwater bite.  Sad part, could get bit on anything.  For two hours I threw everything. No Takers.  It was a big Mayfly hatch.  Came back next day ( and year after year) with a fly rod - Wrecked them.  They are suicidal with the right presentation. 

A-Jay

[hawgenvy]

On 4/30/2016 at 11:04 PM, TedderX said:

 What more can I do?

I do a lot of bank fishing for bass, usually in the evenings after work, and I also fish monthly tournaments as a co-angler with a local bass club. I can tell you I catch a lot more fish from the bank than in those tournaments on Okeechobee, usually from small unpressured waters that I've taken the time to explore on my own. Catching bass requires using a suitable bait, the proper tackle, some knowledge of where the bass are and when they are most likely to feed.

My next door neighbor, Mike, is a bit like you. He has tried to catch bass for years but almost always gets skunked. The night before last I took him bass fishing in a local residential pond where I have been catching fish consistently over the past 6 months. I limit myself to going there only a couple of times a month because I know how much pressure that I alone can put on a pond. I am familiar with a number of "microspots" on that particular pond that almost always hold bass.

We started at 6:30 pm at a random spot along the bank. Remember, always fish the shore from a distance for a few casts before getting too close. This paid off with a bass on my worm, but none on the popper that he always fishes no matter what the conditions. After a few more successes by me he switched to a plastic worm and finally caught a bass. We walked 50 yards towards a white PVC pipe  30 feet from the bank that is a float for an irrigation pipe, a float that has been my very good friend. I explained to cast beyond the float and bring the worm over the top of it to the other side and let it sink, and Wham! a 2 pounder that he successfully landed. We next moved to where a little brook emptied into the pond, where there is some floating brown foam, underneath which usually sits a bass waiting to ambush anything that moves. Right there was his third fish, a four pounder, his PB so far. Next, we walked to a stick poking vertically from a little cove -- another secret of mine. A huge bass at the base of that stick resulted in his line breaking on the hookset -- a lesson that he needs heavier line when bank fishing in south FL. The next spot required us pushing our way through some thick bushes towards a well hidden big metal pipe in the water (where I had landed a 7+ pounder a month before). He cast his worm beyond it, and reeled up to the mouth of the pipe. That resulted in another 2 pound bass. In fact, there was a bite that evening at every one of my known microspots.

The point is to search very carefully for any structure, anything different, no matter how small. Find accessible ponds in your area on Google Earth and concentrate on shorelines, intersections, pipes, sticks, laydowns (downed trees), stumps, submerged anything, weeds, rocks, and points, and use an easy beginner bait like a watermelon green senko or red or dark colored worm. Try different ponds. If you're on foot go to places boaters can't. The fish there are a lot more gullible. Fish early morning or for the hour before sunset. If it's sunny fish the shady spots. If a front is coming, fish before it arrives and maybe do something else besides fishing for the next two days. Always return to any spot you've caught a bass. Don't over fish small waters. And don't throw more than one cast to a featureless spot expecting something to change, but cast several times around any structure. Don't overlook residential ponds in apartment complexes or industrial parks. If you know someone that lives on a golf course or pond, go there! Learn what baits and colors to use and maybe spots to fish from the local tackle shop -- but don't let them talk you into $14 lures. Use heavy enough line and a powerful enough rod especially from the bank. And study the articles and watch the vids on BR.

Hope my rambling helps! Good luck!

[gulfcaptain]

REMEMBER THIS, if you fish a private lake (apartment complex, industrial park, golf course) make sure there isn't NO TRESSPASSING signs posted.  Where I live, you have to be resourseful, but something about the police taking all my stuff and a huge fine to go with it makes spots I used to fish as a teenager just not worth it anymore.  Back then it was a "get out of here" now it's a "let me give you this expensive ticket and oh, I'm gonna need all your fishing equipment".  Or even better, "why don't you hop in the back for the ride to the station" to be charged with the damages done to the property from others who didn't respect their property and caused them to deny access to everyone and charge all who are caught.  Just saying, be careful.

[hawgenvy]

5 minutes ago, gulfcaptain said:

REMEMBER THIS, if you fish a private lake (apartment complex, industrial park, golf course) make sure there isn't NO TRESSPASSING signs posted.  Where I live, you have to be resourseful, but something about the police taking all my stuff and a huge fine to go with it makes spots I used to fish as a teenager just not worth it anymore.  Back then it was a "get out of here" now it's a "let me give you this expensive ticket and oh, I'm gonna need all your fishing equipment".  Or even better, "why don't you hop in the back for the ride to the station" to be charged with the damages done to the property from others who didn't respect their property and caused them to deny access to everyone and charge all who are caught.  Just saying, be careful.

Agreed! Don't go where you're not wanted.

[gulfcaptain]

1 minute ago, hawgenvy said:

Agreed! Don't go where you're not wanted.

Thought I'd add that so as not to send him the wrong way but little gems like those are hard to find and always best to ask before.  

[j bab]

I try to shoot for one fish per hour at the very least.

[blckshirt98]

As a shore guy a great bite for me is a fish every half hour.  A solid day is a fish every hour.  More common is 2-3 fish every 3-4 hours.

As a shore guy you need to be selective(if you have that option) about the bodies of water you fish. There's a couple of larger reservoirs that are mostly rocky bottom with huge stretches of straight shoreline with no trees/bushes/cover where I could probably spend all day casting up and down the shoreline and not catch a single fish.  Other reservoirs have a mix of mud, sand, rock, gravel bottoms, with coves and points mixed in that are more bass-friendly for the shore guy and always produce better.  If you find a good spot don't fish it over and over again, try different lakes and find a few spots you can rotate around, and keep a detailed log of where you fished, the conditions, what you used, etc.  Also try to find a local tackle shop and ask the employees there for some tips on the local lakes - tell them how you've been fishing and see if they can offer any advice on how to change your approach to increase your chances.

[geo g]

I fish from both the boat and at least 5 days a week from the bank.  Bank fishing is perfect for a slow presentation with the wind blowing from your back, even if the wind is howling. I always check wind direction when I get to the lake.  Let the wind be your friend instead of fighting with it.   Because our banks are full of weed and pads, I use at least 15 lb. mono or floro, with a 1/32 bullet weight, Texas rigged.  The 1/32 allows for a slow fall and more natural movement from the bait.  I also throw a variety of plastics but my go to bait is the 4" senko type baits, any make will do.  I catch bass everyday, and these Largemouth love this bait.  Use a watermelon red, junebug, or Okeechobee color.  Throw it out and let it fall through the water column.  When it reaches the bottom I will make a short jerk and then let it sit.  If that doesn't work I'll just drag it slow.  If that doesn't work I'll then speed up the lift and fall technique.  It works every day.  Fishing slow is a lot easier from the bank then the boat, because you don't have to deal with boat drift.  Very important to be a constant line watcher.  The line will jump way before you can feel the bite.  Take up any slack and then as soon as you feel the weight set the hook hard. 

If you get bit, go back for more, sometimes they stack up in a little wolf pack.  Look for points, groups of two or more different vegetation together, and sudden drop offs .  Bass will hang in these areas.  The 4" senko is a killer all over the country.  Good luck buddy and don't get frustrated, the more you do it the better you will get.

[senile1]

The OP is struggling to catch fish from the bank.  Before I give the number of fish I typically catch from the bank I think it would be good to know what size of reservoir, pond, natural lake he is trying to fish.  Why?  If I fish a small 50 acre lake, at some point while traversing the bank, I should be able to occasionally find a spot where bass have structure and what they need close enough to the bank to catch some fish.  However, if I am fishing a lake the size of Lake of the Ozarks with 1150 miles of shoreline there will be a lot of miles of that shoreline that do not have any fish.  Only certain spots will have access to structure that bass use.  There are some places on huge reservoirs where you can fish from the bank and never catch a bass.  

[Senko lover]

Watch every single on of Glenn's videos on YouTube and thank me later

[hoosierbass07]

Bank fishing: 

  1.  Go when the sun is setting or rising.  

  2.  Texas rig, Texas rig Texas rig.  Texas rig three things - seven inch Power worm, soft stick bait like a Yum-Dinger or Sinko, and five inch or so lizard.  Texas rig all of those, cast them out and work them back.  

  I really enjoy catching bass from the bank at a big lake.  To me its like, that bass could be in the any part of the lake, and you are stuck in that one part, and you catch that bass, impressive!  Also, you aren't going to be pulling them out every twenty seconds the way they do on TV. TV is fantasy, even the fishing shows. 

[Ratherbfishing]

Just now, hoosierbass07 said:

Bank fishing: 

  1.  Go when the sun is setting or rising.  

  2.  Texas rig, Texas rig Texas rig.  Texas rig three things - seven inch Power worm, soft stick bait like a Yum-Dinger or Sinko, and five inch or so lizard.  Texas rig all of those, cast them out and work them back.  

  I really enjoy catching bass from the bank at a big lake.  To me its like, that bass could be in the any part of the lake, and you are stuck in that one part, and you catch that bass, impressive!  Also, you aren't going to be pulling them out every twenty seconds the way they do on TV. TV is fantasy, even the fishing shows. 

ESPECIALLY the fishing shows

[fishwizzard]

I am a pretty new fishermen and fish from shore maybe 1/2 to 3/4 of the time.  What got me catching fish was picking a small number of lures and sticking to them until I got them to work.  I started with a Ned rig and small (1/8oz-3/16oz) spinnerbaits, then moved on to 3-4' paddle tail swimbaits.  All three of these will generally catch small bass if there are there to be caught. 

What really got me catching fish was learning as much about them as I could.  Once you have a little knowledge about where bass live and how they hunt, you can focus on the parts of water that are likely to be holding fish.  One of the best feelings was when I was walking along and saw a patch of SAV build up on the upstream side of a downed tree with a nice big hole in the middle.  I thought "I bet there is a bass waiting right on the edge of that hole." and cast a Ned right into it and pulled out a 2lb bass.  I felt like a fish psychic.   

[Alan Reed]

I have been going through exactly what you are right now. This is my first year to try serious bass fishing. I watched videos like many have suggested so I had some of the basics. Then I went out a started putting it into practice. I went out and as many have suggested to you I began fishing with a Texas rigged worm. First time out I caught a 3.5-4 lb bass and a second slightly smaller.

That gave me a feel for what I bite felt like. I then went out several times and struggled to even get a bite. I would have people move into the same area I was and start pulling in fish. One week I went over 15 hours without a single bite. I was very frustrated. I then decided to go to a small pond nearby that I felt I could get some confidence catches. I was very specific about where I was casting (most were actually pitches) and I walked away that night having caught 7.

Since then I have been back out and started to understand where the fish are and began expanding my lure selection. Moved into fishing a crawfish on a jig like I did the Texas rigged worm right at the edge of the grass at the shoreline and caught a couple and didn't get the hook set on a few but at least I was attracting fish at that point.

Whenever I was out I would try to watch what others were catching fish on. I noticed at one lake in an area with lily pads, and grass in the water ther were catching bass on a white fluke and a white tube. So I went out and bought a bag of flukes. Yesterday I was in a similar situation sunny middle of the day lily pads and submerged timber. First cast I had a bite. I started mentally keeping track where the fish were in relationship to the lily pads a timber. I finished the day catching 17.

My point is and others will say the same thing. It is a process. Every cast has a purpose. Learn from the ones that don't catch a fish as well as the ones that do. Where was the fish sitting? What was your retrieve like? Take notes that you can reference and use in those similar circumstances.

Another thing to note is you don't catch fish by throwing the longest cast you can out to the middle of the lake. Unless a boater is fishing a ledge or a submerged structure, they are always pounding the banks and the structure which the majority of the time is along the shore line or at least very close.

Take your time enjoy the process. 

[scaleface]

If theres a good population of bass , I catch fish quite frequently . Up to a hundred a day in lakes  . In ponds several will usually be caught in the first hour, if the conditions are fair . .  

[soflabasser]

On 4/30/2016 at 11:04 PM, TedderX said:

I've been fishing for about three weeks solid.  I've only caught four blue gill; no bass.  I'm getting a little disheartened by it.

For a bank fisherman, how often "should" you be catching fish?  I know there are TONS of variables, but I feel I am giving it a decent effort and good go at it but seeing no results.

Is it really that much of an advantage that a "consistent" bass fisherman needs a boat and radar/scanner thing to see fish and under water structures?  You watch youtube and it seems they're picking fish out of the water every five minutes.  I know that's not reality, but I feel I should be some better by now.

For me, this has been a double whammy.  Baitcasting rod is totally new to me (I'm getting decent at it).  But also lure fishing is new to me as well.  Before now, I fished occasionally only with worms/crickets on a bobber.

I don't have any buddies to learn from.  What more can I do?

You can experiment using different lures that most people don't use.Bass can learn to avoid certain type of lures if they been caught enough times on it.This is one technique that has helped me catch quality sized bass every single trip I have gone this year.

[YoTone]

this is my first season bass fishing and im doing it from the bank. just use simple techniques like wacky rigged worms, jigs and soft plastic swim baits. i find that most if not all my bigger bass has been caught with in 10 feet of where im casting. i find that having a clear mind while fishing also helps. wanting to catch a fish so badly that it'll mess your  technique up like reeling or jigging too quickly.  

good luck bro, it'll come.

[hawgenvy]

On 4/30/2016 at 11:04 PM, TedderX said:

I don't have any buddies to learn from.  What more can I do?

Well, at least you have us. Eventually you're gonna catch a lot of bass.

[Catch and Grease]

Getting skunked isn't uncommon at the lakes I fish most, there just isn't a bunch of really good fisheries around me that are closer than an hour drive. 

The lake I fish most, banks lake, is a salad bowl and the one day tournaments can be won with as little weight as a 10lb bag. 

[the reel ess]

I have only been "skunked" once this calendar year and I started in early January-actually, I never stopped. But I've had to resort to fishing for small fish a couple times to avoid it. At this point, catching one tiny dink is not the reason I go. But after not getting a bite for 3 hours, I'll certainly target a small one.

This has not been my most productive spring. It got really warm early, then we had off and on cold snaps. I think it spread out the spawn so they were never really in spawn in good numbers. Even so, I've caught a 6.4 lb and lost another monster.

I resort to T rigs, specifically craw imitations. I'l' look for any cover or structure. I always have one tied on. A worm No bigger than 6" should work just as well. I just have the confidence of knowing a big fish will occasionally bite that craw. There were a few times last year when all I caught was one good fish on the craw.

[everythingthatswims]

Right now my average is 5.1 fish/day, if we are just talking bass it's 3.1/day. That's counting all days this year so far, not just the ones I fish on.

[ww2farmer]

I have never kept track of such things..........in the past I only kept track of 5+ lb fish, but this year I have decided to "log" my time on the water, # of bass caught, and other assorted stats.

So far, since March 15th, I have been on the water 17 times all on the same lake, for a total of 54 hours and 45 mins.........about 3.5 hours per trip on average.

I have caught 171 bass so far this year, about 3 per/hour.............or about 10 per trip....but those numbers are screwy right now, as I have had two barn burner days, a couple of OK days, and a bunch of slow days so far, but as the year progresses, the slow days will be better numbers wise, and there will be a half dozen or so more insane "they are jumping in the boat" kind of days.

Of those 171 bass, 7 have weighed 5+ lbs............. or about .04% Of the 7, 5+ lb fish, one has been over 6 (a largemouth) and 3 have been smallmouth.

Best day out so far this year I caught 42

Only one of those 17 trips I did not catch a bass..........I caught some pike and perch, but I don't keep track of those. 

On 6 other trips I failed to catch 5 bass, catching only 4 on three of those 6 times, 3 one time, and 2 on two other trips.

Of those 171 bass, 48 have been smallmouth, to 123 largemouth.

I have not kept track of how many I have caught on any one bait, but these are the baits I have caught fish on this year, in no specific order:

Lipless crankbait

Suspending jerkbait ( three 5lbers...........including the 6+)

Silver buddy blade bait (one 5lber)

chatterbait

swim jig

finesse flipping jig (one 5lber)

football jig (two 5lbers)

frog

wacky rigged senko

[JRammit]

29 minutes ago, ww2farmer said:

I have never kept track of such things..........in the past I only kept track of 5+ lb fish, but this year I have decided to "log" my time on the water, # of bass caught, and other assorted stats.

So far, since March 15th, I have been on the water 17 times all on the same lake, for a total of 54 hours and 45 mins.........about 3.5 hours per trip on average.

I have caught 171 bass so far this year, about 3 per/hour.............or about 10 per trip....but those numbers are screwy right now, as I have had two barn burner days, a couple of OK days, and a bunch of slow days so far, but as the year progresses, the slow days will be better numbers wise, and there will be a half dozen or so more insane "they are jumping in the boat" kind of days.

Of those 171 bass, 7 have weighed 5+ lbs............. or about .04% Of the 7, 5+ lb fish, one has been over 6 (a largemouth) and 3 have been smallmouth.

Best day out so far this year I caught 42

Only one of those 17 trips I did not catch a bass..........I caught some pike and perch, but I don't keep track of those. 

On 6 other trips I failed to catch 5 bass, catching only 4 on three of those 6 times, 3 one time, and 2 on two other trips.

Of those 171 bass, 48 have been smallmouth, to 123 largemouth.

I have not kept track of how many I have caught on any one bait, but these are the baits I have caught fish on this year, in no specific order:

Lipless crankbait

Suspending jerkbait ( three 5lbers...........including the 6+)

Silver buddy blade bait (one 5lber)

chatterbait

swim jig

finesse flipping jig (one 5lber)

football jig (two 5lbers)

frog

wacky rigged senko

That's interesting... Maybe worthy of a whole nother thread

 

[TedderX]

Wanted to say thank you for all of the replies. 

Gives me a different insight and courage.