Bank Fishing Tips

[RyanfishesCT]

I bank fish a ton. I catch fish sometimes, but I also get skunked a lot of the times, how can I catch one maybe two each time??

[loudcherokee]

Try to find a spot where you can cast parallel to the bank. Start up close and work your way out - 1 foot off bank, reel back, 2 foot off bank, reel back, etc.

Walk up slow and as quiet as possible. Stay back from the edge a little bit.

If you're throwing alot of power baits and fast moving baits, slow it down. Try some finesse fishing. I've caught more fish off the bank with finesse this year than I have anything else.

LC

[Brikon]

I fish off the Bank more than I Do on my boat. I like throwing soft plastics. Texas Rigged, Weightless, Jigs,  A lipless Crank if I find grass or weeds. My Favorite rig is the Shakey Head. I almost always catch a fish on it. You can fish it year round, something about it just seems to catch fish.

Good Luck 

[Sam]

1.  Walk 50-feet from bank when moving from place to place.

2.  Use a "fan" pattern for all presentations. Go right to left and then left to right each time you change baits or techniques or places. Use this "fan" pattern a few times and be patient.

3.  Think of your body of water as a giant ice cube. Along the bank gets warmer than the deeper part. The bass will use the bank to feed and enjoy the warmer water. Always look straight down as your new personal best could be resting at your feet.

4.  Wear a PFD in case you fall into the water. Do not wear waders unless you are sure of the bottom composition.

5.  Use all baits in your arsenal. Start with topwaters then go to moving baits and then to your plastics. The fish will tell you what they want and at what depth.

6.  Always bring your needle nose pliers with you.

7.  Bring a swimming pool thermometer to check the water temperature. At this time you are seeking the warmest water you can find. Remember, the north and west banks heat up the fastest as they receive the most sunlight.

8.  Hit all structure in the water as you can a number of times. 10-casts to one piece of structure with the same bait is a start.

9.  The dam side of the pond or lake is the deepest.

10.  Try to find any drop offs and fish them.

11.  Don't forget drinks and snacks. Use zinc oxide as a sun screen. Expensive but the best you can use. And have a flap on the back of your fishing cap to help keep the sun off your neck and ears.

12.  Have fun. Bank fishing is a blast and you can really enjoy yourself along the bank.

[j bab]

Here's a quick tip: don't make the same cast twice. If you do cast in the same spot, change up your retrieve or change baits. That will help you be more efficient 

[Bankbeater]

Watch out for snakes and ticks.

[Catt]

5 hours ago, j bab said:

Here's a quick tip: don't make the same cast twice. If you do cast in the same spot, change up your retrieve or change baits. That will help you be more efficient 

Why on earth would you do that?

You want to make multiple cast to a single target from different angles.

These two were caught after my son made a couple cast & moved on!

[doyle8218]

1 hour ago, Catt said:

Why on earth would you do that?

You want to make multiple cast to a single target from different angles.

These two were caught after my son made a couple cast & moved on!

This^

[avidone1]

I gotta agree with Catt on this one.   Fishing from the bank reduces the amount of fishable water so when you find a likely spot you gotta work it.  Multiple presentations to the same stump, cut or brushpile can be just the ticket.

[Sir Real]

12 hours ago, Sam said:

 

4.  Wear a PFD in case you fall into the water.

I've never seen a bank fisherman do this.  Are you talking about those who fish from the bank or those that wade into the water?

[j bab]

2 hours ago, Catt said:

Why on earth would you do that?

You want to make multiple cast to a single target from different angles.

These two were caught after my son made a couple cast & moved on!

If it's from a different angle then it's not the same cast! When I say same cast I mean standing in one spot, throwing to the same spot, and making the same retrieve with the same lure. I see bank fishermen do it all the time. You should change something, whether it's the angle (walk to a different spot and cast to the same spot) or the depth you're retrieving or the retrieve speed, etc

[Catt]

43 minutes ago, j bab said:

If it's from a different angle then it's not the same cast! When I say same cast I mean standing in one spot, throwing to the same spot, and making the same retrieve with the same lure. I see bank fishermen do it all the time. You should change something, whether it's the angle (walk to a different spot and cast to the same spot) or the depth you're retrieving or the retrieve speed, etc

What does "multiple cast to a single target" mean?

I don't know how many times from the bank or from a boat I had to make several cast to the exact same target without changing anything to get bit. After making multiple cast then & only then do I change.

If the fish are active they will hit on the first cast but bank walkers have limited access to targets so we are forced to fish for inactive fish.

The OP wanted to know how to catch more the one or two; my answer is to fish for inactive fish!

Anybody can catch active fish

[j bab]

19 minutes ago, Catt said:

The OP wanted to know how to catch more the one or two; my answer is to fish for inactive fish!

He actually asked how to catch one, maybe two. I was suggesting a way to cover maximum water efficiently in order to find a bite or two. Sure, after you've thrown your tackle box at all the water you can reach from the bank you should start fishing for inactive fish!

[Catt]

1 hour ago, j bab said:

He actually asked how to catch one, maybe two. I was suggesting a way to cover maximum water efficiently in order to find a bite or two. Sure, after you've thrown your tackle box at all the water you can reach from the bank you should start fishing for inactive fish!

To cover maximum water effiectively one must fish the entire water column from the surface to the bottom.

Oh ya can run around in hopes of contacting fish but "If you worry about what might be...and wonder what might have been...you will ignore what is."

In bank fishing the "what is" is in front of your face!

[Red Bear]

10 hours ago, j bab said:

Here's a quick tip: don't make the same cast twice. If you do cast in the same spot, change up your retrieve or change baits. That will help you be more efficient 

totally disagree here. last summer i was fishing an algae/grass choked pond. only when i stood in one spot and made the same cast, from the same angle, with the same bait, and same retrieve did i catch any fish that day. not saying i caught a fish every cast, but saying that was the only spot in the entire pond that i got bites and caught fish. you probably gave him some of the worst advice you could

[j bab]

7 hours ago, Red Bear said:

totally disagree here. last summer i was fishing an algae/grass choked pond. only when i stood in one spot and made the same cast, from the same angle, with the same bait, and same retrieve did i catch any fish that day. not saying i caught a fish every cast, but saying that was the only spot in the entire pond that i got bites and caught fish. you probably gave him some of the worst advice you could

It's not bad advice for covering a lot of water quickly. Of course you should cast at the same spot again if you get bit. Once again I was offering advice for catching a fish or two as OP requested.

You think that if you go up to a pond and only cast in one spot over and over you're going to catch fish every time? Of course not. I'm sure it worked for you that one time, but until you've covered water you don't know where that one spot is.

[ClackerBuzz]

 

 

[Sam]

19 hours ago, Sir Real said:

I've never seen a bank fisherman do this.  Are you talking about those who fish from the bank or those that wade into the water?

Depending on the topography around the lake or pond's banks sometimes it is to your advantage to wear your PFD if there is a chance of falling in the water. Some fishing holes have rough banks with lots of trees and overhangs and some have deep holes along the bank that we have no idea are there.

If you do not believe you need the PFD then don't wear it.

When fishing the Historic James River from the bank or wading out into the river I wear the PFD. At my double secret pond I don't unless I wade out or take one of the boats out.

Personal preference.

Just remember: you can't control water or electricity. Both can be more powerful than we think we are.

[Catt]

11 hours ago, j bab said:

You think that if you go up to a pond and only cast in one spot over and over you're going to catch fish every time? Of course not. I'm sure it worked for you that one time, but until you've covered water you don't know where that one spot is.

If we are talking suburban ponds that have well manicured banks then yes I might agree.

 

[YoTone]

like many others have said that when you first approach a spot you plan on fishing try to cast to it when youre a good 10-20 ft away. there were so many times walking up to a spot where i wanted to set up shop and spooked bass that was chilling by the shoreline. 

[avidone1]

4 hours ago, Sam said:

Depending on the topography around the lake or pond's banks sometimes it is to your advantage to wear your PFD if there is a chance of falling in the water. Some fishing holes have rough banks with lots of trees and overhangs and some have deep holes along the bank that we have no idea are there.

If you do not believe you need the PFD then don't wear it.

When fishing the Historic James River from the bank or wading out into the river I wear the PFD. At my double secret pond I don't unless I wade out or take one of the boats out.

Personal preference.

Just remember: you can't control water or electricity. Both can be more powerful than we think we are.

I wish I could wade in the bass lakes down here.  It's not the gators I worry about, although they are a factor, it's the fact that the bottoms are so mucked up that you sink right in.   some of my most enjoyable days on the water up north were days IN the water.  Fishing for trout or smallmouth by getting right in there with em.  There is no better way to cool off on a hot summer day

1 hour ago, Catt said:

If we are talking suburban ponds that have well manicured banks then yes I might agree.

 

As we mature as bass fisherman we can gain knowledge and along with that knowledge we gain confidence.  There are times when I look at a spot on a new lake and I KNOW there are bass there.  I will cast with that knowledge.  It's not a guarantee of course, noting in this sport is, but I have caught plenty of bass by repeatedly casting to that fishy looking spot. 

[Hurricane]

On 5/4/2016 at 9:16 PM, Sam said:

1.  Walk 50-feet from bank when moving from place to place.

2.  Use a "fan" pattern for all presentations. Go right to left and then left to right each time you change baits or techniques or places. Use this "fan" pattern a few times and be patient.

3.  Think of your body of water as a giant ice cube. Along the bank gets warmer than the deeper part. The bass will use the bank to feed and enjoy the warmer water. Always look straight down as your new personal best could be resting at your feet.

4.  Wear a PFD in case you fall into the water. Do not wear waders unless you are sure of the bottom composition.

5.  Use all baits in your arsenal. Start with topwaters then go to moving baits and then to your plastics. The fish will tell you what they want and at what depth.

6.  Always bring your needle nose pliers with you.

7.  Bring a swimming pool thermometer to check the water temperature. At this time you are seeking the warmest water you can find. Remember, the north and west banks heat up the fastest as they receive the most sunlight.

8.  Hit all structure in the water as you can a number of times. 10-casts to one piece of structure with the same bait is a start.

9.  The dam side of the pond or lake is the deepest.

10.  Try to find any drop offs and fish them.

11.  Don't forget drinks and snacks. Use zinc oxide as a sun screen. Expensive but the best you can use. And have a flap on the back of your fishing cap to help keep the sun off your neck and ears.

12.  Have fun. Bank fishing is a blast and you can really enjoy yourself along the bank.

Solid advice...

[Jeff Bernaeyge]

do you guys ever down size your lures just to catch something from the bank?

 

[Last_Cast]

1 hour ago, Jeff Bernaeyge said:

do you guys ever down size your lures just to catch something from the bank?

 

I use all different types of lures, sizes included. 

Don't have to downsize necessarily.

[guitarglynn1]

Not sure how much time you spend fishing each time out? But the more time you can spend fishing the better off you'll be both in the short and longer term. 

Always wear a good pair of polarized sunglasses so you can see fish. 

When it comes to bank fishing, I like to find places that are as accessible from the bank as possible. Often times the more water I can cover the better. Some fishing holes just lend themselves better to bank fishing than others. Try and find those spots.