At what angle do you target bass in this situation?

[Glaucus]

This is something that's consistently been a challenge trying to figure out on the banks of ponds.

 

Scenario: A bass is about a foot off the bank, facing the bank. At what angle would you target this fish? Sometimes I can catch them without spooking then, but usually my attempts are futile. 

 

A.) Face to face. Usually the bass will get spooked by your "in its face" presence. If it does not spook, pitching on its nose hardly works. Casting over it and dragging the bait to it presents on awkward angle since the bait is coming from behind the fish and that will usually be enough to scare them off.

 

B.) Stand at its side, some distance off, and cast down the bank and drag the bait to the fish from the other side. Hardly works and I think the reason why is because the line is in its sight the whole time. Often times this will be enough to spook the fish off before the bait ever has a chance to reach the fish.

 

...

 

When I do catch these bass it's because they are either too stupid or too brave to care about my presence or the presence of something that looks off. I caught a 4lb LMB 2 years ago the was roaming right in front of me. There wasn't much I could do to be stealthy so I just dropped a Senko by it and it ever so casually picked it.

[Bankbeater]

If I’m fishing out of a boat I’ll cast up on the bank over the bass and drag the bait back into the water. If I’m fishing from the bank I will try and cast into an area that has vegetation growing around it.

[CrankFate]

You cannot get so close, try to cast long parallel to the shore and work the bait to the fish. If that doesn’t work, splash something that floats right on top of it or somewhere in about a two foot circle around where it is sitting. The other method involves why this fish is sitting there in that position.......?

[Deleted account]

47º

[Brew City Bass]

Best way to tackle these fish, get a boat. JK JK

When I bank fished I would always wear dark colors, sometimes even camo (over the top, I know.)

We know that if we can see the bass, they can see us. So what I figured out worked best for me was casting to these spots that potentially hold bass long before I can see if they're there. I'll walk up about 10-15 yards out and make a pitch. Keep moving down the shoreline. When I deemed there isn't fish there or they aren't willing, then I move to the bank and cast out. 

[Glaucus]

20 minutes ago, Brew City Bass said:

Best way to tackle these fish, get a boat. JK JK

When I bank fished I would always wear dark colors, sometimes even camo (over the top, I know.)

We know that if we can see the bass, they can see us. So what I figured out worked best for me was casting to these spots that potentially hold bass long before I can see if they're there. I'll walk up about 10-15 yards out and make a pitch. Keep moving down the shoreline. When I deemed there isn't fish there or they aren't willing, then I move to the bank and cast out. 

Yak, wade and bank for me except when I co-angle. 

[Brew City Bass]

9 minutes ago, Glaucus said:

Yak, wade and bank for me except when I co-angle. 

Yak and wading I'd treat like a boat. Get behind them without spooking them and toss it up on shore and drag it in. This is the only method I bother with for fish right up on shore facing it. 

Also, I've noticed when fish are like this it's because they're over heated or lack of oxygen in the water. Trout do the same thing, so sometimes there's nothing you can do to catch them because they're in shut down mode just trying to survive.

My favorite lure for these guys are senkos and jigs. 

[928JLH]

Skip a weightless green pumpkin 5'' senko right to him. 

[Glaucus]

1 hour ago, Brew City Bass said:

Yak and wading I'd treat like a boat. Get behind them without spooking them and toss it up on shore and drag it in. This is the only method I bother with for fish right up on shore facing it. 

Also, I've noticed when fish are like this it's because they're over heated or lack of oxygen in the water. Trout do the same thing, so sometimes there's nothing you can do to catch them because they're in shut down mode just trying to survive.

My favorite lure for these guys are senkos and jigs. 

Gah, I hate to sound like one of those people who ask for advice only to poke holes in your solutions. So annoying. But hear me out.

 

Fishing just turned on here, as in literally just turned on, and things are still pretty slow moving. Would bass be lacking oxygen this early?

 

Right now I'm stuck trying to catch these pond LMB from land because the water is too cold to get into. This particular pond has a bottom that will suck you in, so you can never get in anyways. Usually I would yak but in places I can it's too cold to risk, and at this pond it's forbidden anyways.

 

This pond is constructed kind of strange. There's about 5 feet of flat land around the whole thing, but then there's a steep hill all the way around it except for the the path you take to get down to the flat ground to fish. Great for the wind, crappy for everything else.

2 hours ago, CrankFate said:

You cannot get so close, try to cast long parallel to the shore and work the bait to the fish. If that doesn’t work, splash something that floats right on top of it or somewhere in about a two foot circle around where it is sitting. The other method involves why this fish is sitting there in that position.......?

They're definitely munching on frogs.

 

I've also noticed that they trap minnows like this and blow them up.

[CrankFate]

37 minutes ago, Glaucus said:

Gah, I hate to sound like one of those people who ask for advice only to poke holes in your solutions. So annoying. But hear me out.

 

Fishing just turned on here, as in literally just turned on, and things are still pretty slow moving. Would bass be lacking oxygen this early?

 

Right now I'm stuck trying to catch these pond LMB from land because the water is too cold to get into. This particular pond has a bottom that will suck you in, so you can never get in anyways. Usually I would yak but in places I can it's too cold to risk, and at this pond it's forbidden anyways.

 

This pond is constructed kind of strange. There's about 5 feet of flat land around the whole thing, but then there's a steep hill all the way around it except for the the path you take to get down to the flat ground to fish. Great for the wind, crappy for everything else.

They're definitely munching on frogs.

 

I've also noticed that they trap minnows like this and blow them up.

No way to know O2? But fish stay real shallow a lot. Even in 95 degree hot sunny weather.

 

They’re definitely sitting like that for a reason. Match what they are waiting for as simply as possible. Or get them mad.

 

 

[WRB]

From the bank a bass nose to the bank is waiting for something to enter the water where it’s facing.

Anything approaching from behind it will likely spook it. Cast a weedless lure on the bank within about 3’ and pull it into the water quietly, the bass will see it and may react or may not.

Tom

[Koz]

18 minutes ago, WRB said:

From the bank a bass nose to the bank is waiting for something to enter the water where it’s facing.

Anything approaching from behind it will likely spook it. Cast a weedless lure on the bank within about 3’ and pull it into the water quietly, the bass will see it and may react or may not.

Tom

A Teckel Sprinker Frog is pretty good for this. You can pop it, reel it slow, or reel it faster and get the prop tail moving. The only problem from the bank is trying to get the proper angle to cast it on the bank and then draw it in to the water near the fish.

 

Of course, you can always move further down the bank, cast parallel beyond the fish, and then bring it along the bank. For me using the Sprinker frog or s-l-o-w-l-y cranking a suspended jerk bait can usually entice a strike.

[hawgenvy]

I assume you are trying to cast to fish that are suspended in ambush mode along the same bank that you are prowling, so that you might ambush those ambushers rather than frighten them away. Typically ponds will have some variety of curvature to them that will enable you to cast to the bank just beyond the fish and subtly wiggle your frog or worm or creature at some angle so as to finesse it into the water's edge to trigger an attack. It is hardly necessary to bring a bait from the bank at 90 degrees -- real frogs and salamanders are hardly geometricians.  I bank fish all the time, and I always find ways to traject my cast across an arc of bank so as to reach a nearby opposing shallows. Of course, a retrieve parallel to the shoreline is also a deadly strategy. Vary by experiment the distance to the shore of those retrieves to figure the most productive distance.

[Brew City Bass]

5 hours ago, Glaucus said:

Gah, I hate to sound like one of those people who ask for advice only to poke holes in your solutions. So annoying. But hear me out.

 

Fishing just turned on here, as in literally just turned on, and things are still pretty slow moving. Would bass be lacking oxygen this early?

 

Right now I'm stuck trying to catch these pond LMB from land because the water is too cold to get into. This particular pond has a bottom that will suck you in, so you can never get in anyways. Usually I would yak but in places I can it's too cold to risk, and at this pond it's forbidden anyways.

 

This pond is constructed kind of strange. There's about 5 feet of flat land around the whole thing, but then there's a steep hill all the way around it except for the the path you take to get down to the flat ground to fish. Great for the wind, crappy for everything else.

They're definitely munching on frogs.

 

I've also noticed that they trap minnows like this and blow them up.

Ahh! I was just assuming you meant in summer, and not in spring! Then yeah you're right, they're probably putting on the feed bag shallow, waiting for their forage to fall in or wash in from the bank / trees. Smart bass know where their next meal will be. 

What's the water clarity like for you? Gin clear, stained, or muddy? Might have to downsize line, maybe go fluoro, and I'd definitely chuck a finesse jig. 

Now... I didn't want to give this away because it's my secret weapon, and basically nobody knows what this is... Drop-shot.. Okay, Okay, it's no secret, but it KILLS in shallow water when the fish are on guard. If I'm drop shotting shallow fish I'll use as light of line as the location lets me. Last year my set up was braid backing, 6lb fluoro and a tiny berkley emerald shiner minnow. This allows you to just sit it in front of their face and giving it action without actually moving the bait any distance.