Newer fisherman, needing help with shoreline in MN

[xtraorange]

Hi all,

 

I'm from Winona, MN (South-east MN, right on the Mississippi).  I am land-bound for the summer (maybe next year I'll be able to buy a kayak), and trying to improve my fishing skills from the shore.

 

All of the lakes I have visited are full of vegetation or algae on the shore lines, which makes fishing for a beginner a little tricky.  I've been using the Texas Rig, and have had some success on good days with that, but the last three times I've been out I've gotten skunked.

 

I know the Ned rig is supposed to be a good "the fish aren't biting" go to lure, but casting from the shore, even with a weedless setup, is pretty weedy/gunky.  Other than the Texas rig, what else could I be learning on to have some options?  I have lily pads I can fish in some of the lakes (which is where I've been throwing the Texas rig), so I've thrown some frogs, but I don't have the right rigging to safely pull those in, so I've been avoiding them.

 

Thoughts?

 

Thank you!

[NathanDLTH]

Swim jigs, senkos, and frogs. 

Swim jigs have caught me the bigger bass when fishing, green pumpkin and blk n blue are your best bets. Don't be afraid to mix match colors and try new combinations. 

 

Weightless senkos are great, same with any weightless plastics. Wacky rig works great too. The key here is the action it makes on the way down while sinking. Gary's and Yum work well I've found. 

Frogs or any topwater bait is solid in the early mornings or at dusk. Whites, greens, and blacks. I like booyah, Spro, Lunkerhunt, and skum frogs. Whopper ploppers are a another great bait too: blk, bone, and something with a chartreuse/translucentbody works well.

Don't bother with anything other than square bills for cranks, anything else will get hung up and cause frustrations. This is my second season bank fishing and the key is to continually adapt to what is happening around you. 

[shimmy]

5 inch senko Texas rigged. Any color. 

 

Go on google earth, look at lakes that have a culvert, or an inlet or outlet to a lake and fish the senko.

 

 

 

 

Weightless

[ACSport]

I'm in a similar boat(less). Earlier in mid-june the shoreline weeds weren't so terrible and I was able to throw 5" senkos like the two above said and it was unbeatable. Now however I've noticed the weeds have really come in and created a decent mat on most lakes and ponds I fish and the Senko just can't get down through it.

 

Try this; instead of a Senko, rig up a dropshot and texas rig a soft worm of your choice. That should keep it horizontal like a Senko and you'll have enough weight to get down through the weeds. Don't be afraid to cast and reel it in like a jig, that works too.

[fishballer06]

When the sun gets high and the water temperatures get warm in the summer, catching fish during the middle of the day can be tough. The first thing I would try to do to get rid of your "skunk" would be to hit the water early or late in the day. My most productive times to catch fish this time of year is between 5:30 AM and 8 AM, and in the evening from about 7:30 until 9:30 PM. 

 

With that aside, learn to fish a wacky rigged worm like the Senko. If you want to spice it up, put a nail weight on one end and you've got the Neko rig. These are very effective fish catching presentations when the fishing gets tough.

 

As others have said, a frog. If you don't have heavy enough gear to fish a hollow body frog, I'm betting your standard rod that you're texas rigging with will work for throwing a buzzing toad. Check out the Zoom Horny Toad or the BizzBaits Pad Daddy.