Banks vs Boats: It's Really 2 Different Sports

[Big Rick]

12 hours ago, JustJames said:

The last I don’t mind catching DINKS when bank fish (you can’t just pick and choose) unlike those boater that only target the big one.

Nearly all the 6# puts bass I have caught have been in less than 6ft of water. The first 6 pounder I caught was while I was bank fishing...

[j bab]

Make friends with people who have boats ?

[Sam]

22 hours ago, greentrout said:

I fish by bank most of the time by choice ... a nice bass boat is like a wife you care about -- needs some money and attention. 

 

At 65 yrs. plus old I find fishing from the bank at this point in my time here better suits me...I do have access to some nice private waters from time to time where a pond hopper and jon boat are used...and will use a nice inflable on public waters in the spring of the yr. a little... each to his own...

 

merry christmas

 

A man's got to know his limitations. Dirty Harry Callahan

Green, in Mississippi you have great places to fish all year.

 

The rest of the country above the Carolinas and the Mason-Dixon Line and then heading out west have issues with finding enough ponds and small lakes to fish. So you and the bank guys and gals in the deep south can enjoy a smorgasbord of fishing locations as long as you avoid the snakes, wild boars, alligators, and the Rougaroux if you slip into Louisiana.

 

And remember, when entering Louisiana from Mississippi you have to use the 1972 football rule and set your clock back one second.

 

Geaux Tigers!

[the reel ess]

58 minutes ago, Big Rick said:

Nearly all the 6# puts bass I have caught have been in less than 6ft of water. The first 6 pounder I caught was while I was bank fishing...

Come to think of it, same here. Some of them have been right on the bank. So close, I'd spook them if I walked up from the other side. The thing about the boat is, even if you just beat the bank, you can beat all of the bank from the boat. Most of the time, you can't beat all the bank if bank bound.

[Sam]

38 minutes ago, Sam said:

Green, in Mississippi you have great places to fish all year.

 

The rest of the country above the Carolinas and the Mason-Dixon Line and then heading out west have issues with finding enough ponds and small lakes to fish. So you and the bank guys and gals in the deep south can enjoy a smorgasbord of fishing locations as long as you avoid the snakes, wild boars, alligators, and the Rougaroux if you slip into Louisiana.

 

And remember, when entering Louisiana from Mississippi you have to use the 1972 football rule and set your clock back one second.

 

Geaux Tigers!

Here is why you set your clock back one second when entering Louisiana:

 

1972: Bert Jones sets clocks back 4 seconds

Technically, it wasn’t a two-minute drill. Bert Jones took over the ball with 3:02 on the clock with the Tigers down 16-10, needing 80 yards to score. Jones tried to squeeze a pass to Jimmy LeDoux on a play that began with four seconds on the clock, but the ball fell incomplete. Unaware of the clock, Jones pleaded with the ref for pass interference, not more time. He didn’t get the call, but he did get one second. More than enough. Jones got off the snap and hit Brad Davis for the score. Ole Miss is still mad at the refs about this one.

[greentrout]

 

I have bass fished in New Orleans, La. City Park with its many creeks, lagoons and bayous...very urban...some nice bass ... still hold an annual tournament for biggest bass... all from the bank ... short drive ...

 

Fished Houston, TX. with its many bayous and creeks ...flood detention/retention lakes..you can be landing a 5 lb. bass underneath a busy interstate overpass ... really ... very very urban ... bass are caught in the downtown business district vicinity with regularity...  clean enough water and the bass can live just about anywhere...

 

LSU gets another QB like Bert Jones and I'd be worried ... pure passer ...

 

Merry Christmas

 

https://www.bassresource.com/fishing/urban-bass-fishing.html

 

 

New Orleans City Park ... 

[TOXIC]

Ever wonder why bank fishermen try to throw to the middle of the lake and boat fishermen try to throw as close to the bank as possible?  ?

 

Seriously though even though I now spend the majority of my time in my 21 foot floating tackle box, some of my best fishing and memorable fishing came from wading the Shenandoah river and the rappahanock river headwaters.  We have state parks where access isn’t a problem and once in the water you can go miles zig zagging in between rock formations and deep pools.  I did it year round and had many 100 fish days.  

[soflabasser]

Interesting subject. I mostly fish for bass from the shore but have fished for bass on boats for many years now. I got almost 2 decades experience in deep sea fishing from a boat, have driven a boat in ruff seas, know how to read a depth finder and use a GPS to find locations very well. Both boat and land based bass fishing have their advantages but it is safe to say that fishing for bass on a boat is much easier than fishing from the shore, especially from public waters. Private waters is a different story since bass from private waters tend to be much easier to catch (often like shooting fish in a barrel easy) than highly pressured public waters. With a boat you can easily cover more distance than fishing from the shore, use a fishfinder to locate the fish, get closer to prime fishing locations, and fishing is much less of a workout when you are in a boat. There are devices that many tournament bass fishermen use that emits sounds from a boat and those sounds attracts fish to the boat. You still have to find the bass and convince them to bite but it is easier to find fish when you reach more locations and fish them more comfortably like you do in a boat. With that said, I have lost count of the +8 pound bass I have caught from the shore and have caught a few double digit bass so I feel anyone can do very well fishing from the shore if they put in the time needed to improve as a bass fisherman.

 

[hoosierbass07]

Well, a few years ago I bought a small two person john boat for $50.00 at a yard sale.  Thing does not leak, very light to transport and can take a small trolling motor.  So keep your eyes open for those kind of deals.  But you are pretty right about it being two different sports.  A guy in a big bass boat can zoom across a lake, turn on the trolling motor, and make cast after cast while trolling down the bank.  In a way it seems like a really lazy/cheating way to fish.  Zooming from place to place then trolling down a bank until you land bass?  Is that really skill?  I do like watching bass competitions on TV (MLF and sometimes BassMasters) but still I recognize it's a whole different ballgame.  It's a free country though, so fish how ever you like as long as its legal.  And yes, I don think some pro fisherman are skillful, like KVD, etc... 

[Koz]

5 hours ago, hoosierbass07 said:

 In a way it seems like a really lazy/cheating way to fish.  Zooming from place to place then trolling down a bank until you land bass?  Is that really skill?  I do like watching bass competitions on TV (MLF and sometimes BassMasters) but still I recognize it's a whole different ballgame.  It's a free country though, so fish how ever you like as long as its legal.  And yes, I don think some pro fisherman are skillful, like KVD, etc... 

 

I think there's a lot of skill and some luck involved no matter if you're fishing from the bank or a boat. It's one thing to do well fishing a pond or lake that you know, but it's another when you can go to new bodies of water, break down the situation, and catch a ton of fish that day.

 

Another thing is that if you're using a boat you have a TON of choices to fish and that can cause issues as well. How many times have we seen a pro angler on MLF get skunked for a round or two because they have so many choices yet choose the wrong one? Meanwhile, another pro bags 15 pounds of bass during that same round.

 

Side note: Yes, I'm posting on Christmas morning. Now that my son is a teenager he'd rather sleep on extra hour or two than get up early and open gifts.

[Joshua van Wyk]

My legs are covered in scars from all the thorns, they are everywhere I fish. Especially the secluded spots deep in the woods!

[greentrout]

Have the highest regard for the bass tournament fisherman with his 21ft. fiberglass boat with 250 - 300 hp engine attached ... thing of beauty...competing against the best of the best ... with tremendous pressure to do well for a paycheck ... learn a lot from them.... great for the sport ...

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS

[scaleface]

19 minutes ago, greentrout said:

Have the highest regard for the bass tournament fisherman with his 21ft. fiberglass boat with 250 - 300 hp engine attached ... thing of beauty...competing against the best of the best ... with tremendous pressure to do well for a paycheck ... learn a lot from them.... great for the sport ...

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS

I think the average fisherman is better than the average guy 40 years ago . There is so much info on the internet . Even on the small lakes I fish I see more and more anglers out fishing the deep points  that use to receive little pressure . 

[j bab]

@Koz awhile back my friends and I held a small, bank-only "tournament" at Grand Lake in Oklahoma. We used our cars as "boats" to hop around to different bank accessible spots (mostly marinas) throughout the day, and we used the MLF app to keep a live scoreboard. It was fun!

[MIbassyaker]

The limiting factors in bank fishing are access, location, and positioning. If you can walk to locations that put you within casting distance of good bass habitat, at good angles, you can be just as successful fishing from the bank (or wading) as from a boat. If you can't, then you won't be as successful. I'm not sure it's more complicated than that.

[the reel ess]

On 12/23/2018 at 12:35 PM, Glaucus said:

I'd say most landlocked fishermen could leave the bank behind if they really wanted to. People who can afford an arsenal of rods and tackle can afford a 500 dollar kayak or a cheap Jon boat. Nobody needs 60,000 dollar plus bass boats to fish, they're a luxury item. I think a lot of people get so caught up on not being able to afford a bass boat that they forget about other legitimate options. 

I bought the bass boat (a very old used one) only to discover it was more complicated than it was useful. There was always something that needed to be fixed or replaced. It's sitting there with a new(ish) tire that won't stay inflated now. I then bought the $500 kayak and used it for 5 years and caught more and bigger bass than I ever did before. And I am able to put it into places I could never put a boat in. Some places I fish are so small, if you put a boat in, the water level would rise noticeably. And they have areas in them you couldn't take a boat. But they have better fish on average than the nearest hydro lake. Before the kayak, I never knew big bass could be so shallow, year-round. No competition, bigger and more bass and exercise. It's a no-brainer for me.

 

I just bought a better kayak, pre-rigged with a fish finder. I can use it year-round without ever getting wet. It seems like it would be more work to lug the kayak, but it's way less work. I kept the $500 kayak for when company comes along (rare).

[BassNJake]

When I only bank fished I would say, I wish I had a boat so I could access all the water.

After getting a boat, having access to all the water has become the new "problem".

My home lake has 800 miles of shoreline and almost 53 sq miles of water surface.

Where to start, what depth, what presentation, how long to stay, how far to run, main channel or in the creeks???

The questions related to location have now increased by (insert large number here) and the amount of my patience has decreased due to having so many places to fish that I can easily access.

 

When I bank fished I had a limited amount of techniques I could use.

Things like a drop shot, spoons, deep diving cranks, A rigs ... .... just didn't make it into my arsenal.

So now not only do I have access to all the water, I also have the ability to fish anything I want.

So not only was I happy to get a boat so was the bait monkey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Catt]

Same sport different approaches ?

 

Access is the limiting factor when bank fishing, some places I fish have well manicured shorelines while other are a jungle.

 

I've been skunked in a boat & I've been skunked on the bank.

 

Bank fishing I've caught em by my feet & I've caught em 30 yds away from the bank.

 

Edited December 26, 2018 by Catt
Operator Error

[GReb]

On 12/24/2018 at 9:11 AM, Sam said:

 

And remember, when entering Louisiana from Mississippi you have to use the 1972 football rule and set your clock back one second.

 

Geaux Tigers!

Not funny

 

 

I love bank fishing local private lakes and ponds. Have caught many good fish that way. However my local large fishery basically requires a boat form an access perspective. And there are 10-12 foot gators in every fishing hole. Some will swim right up to you.

[greentrout]

 

 

 

[rtwvumtneer6]

I like to watch other people fish, whether it's a stranger near me on the bank, or a friend of mine who was kind enough to invite me onto his/her boat.  Regardless of what we have, or don't have, afford or can't afford, or if we are on the bank or in a boat, the biggest observation I've made is how little time some people are actually IN the water.  For the best chance of success, whatever you deem that to be, we have to maximize the amount of time our presentation is in front of the fish. 

 

We all know the guy who makes 3 casts with a lure, and immediately grabs his scissors and digs through his bag for a new presentation because "they must not want that one today". He spends half his time looking for baits and tying knots, and I've never seen anyone catch a bass with a dry line.

 

We can also prepare off the water, too. Tackle organization, checking our equipment (loops in a spool, rod guides, fresh knots, etc) that help us to minimize headaches on the water.  I took a trip this spring that we were supposed to have a full weekend on the water. By lunch time of the 2nd day we had 2 fish in the boat, a completely toasted trolling motor battery, 2 9.9 motors that were on the way to the shop, and had to row back to the launch.  (Ok that might not be you, but I had to let that one go! Lol). 

 

Anyway my point is, whatever situation we are in, as long as we are ON the water, we should be focused on maximizing our time IN the water! 

 

A late Merry Christmas!  And a safe and blessed New Year.

 

Rob

[CybrSlydr]

Man, wish I had the money - just saw this one!

https://athensohio.craigslist.org/boa/d/new-haven-vibe-sea-ghost-130-angler/6768791537.html

 

This one, too - https://huntington.craigslist.org/spo/d/prestonsburg-feelfree-lure-sale-or-trade/6753194949.html

[WRB]

One of the most innovative shore anglers I know of are the ladder fisherman at Pyramide lake. The ladder is used to get out of the water near drop offs on flat lake bottom areas so they can see and cast better. Back in the 60's this was also common practice with lake bass anglers targeting spawning bass at lake Lower Otay. The angler wades out to about 3' of water with his ladder on sandy bottom areas and stands on the ladder steps so they out of the water. The ladders may use a milk crate or baskets on the paint tray to hold their tackle. More then 1way to skin a cat (fish) as they say.

Tom

 

[Mobasser]

Sometimes it's fun just to grab a small box, one or two rods, and go! Good fish can be caught from the bank too

[OCdockskipper]

5 hours ago, rtwvumtneer6 said:

We can also prepare off the water, too. Tackle organization, checking our equipment (loops in a spool, rod guides, fresh knots, etc) that help us to minimize headaches on the water...

This is huge for me.  When I am out on the water, I want to fish (or at least have the choice to either fish or check out the wildlife).  I don't want to be forced to work on tackle or the boat.  The prep that goes on the night before is all time saved while out on the water.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy tinkering with tackle, just not at dawn with a short-lived topwater bite going on.

 

It is similar to golf.  The time to practice is the unlimited time when you are at the range or putting green.  The time to play is the limited time while you are on the course.