Bank Fishing Tactics: Fish It Out or Cast and Move

[Koz]

When your bank fishing do you normally pick a spot and fish multiple lures from that location or do you tie one on and then work your way down the bank and around the basin, then change your lure and head back the way you came?

 

For the most part I'll traverse the bank using a lure that I know has been productive in that lagoon in the past or choose a lure based upon weather conditions. My tactics might be different just because of the nature of where I fish. I might be fishing in an area that has 3 or 4 lagoons within walking distance and I'll cover a lot of ground and fish them all. Or I'm fishing a decent sized lagoon with a lot of shoreline that I can fish.

 

There are some times when I'll stay put for a bit and fish multiple lures, but I tend to get impatient and keep moving on. To me, this is where electronics provide a big advantage to boaters. I know us bank guys have iBobber and Deeper, but casting out sonar, having to tend it, and having to fish around it are a pain. Plus, unless you buy the expensive Deeper with side scan they are fairly useless in shallow water.

[TnRiver46]

Well most of my bank fishing is on small chunks of public land on massive bodies of water or on my dock so I usually have to stay still. So I voted for staying put and trying everything. I almost always leave a set line with night crawler too, just to single line sample the ecosystem...... hahaha

[Bluebasser86]

I'll fish each rod I'm carrying unless something dictates otherwise. 

[Catt]

For me it depends on how much access I have to the water.

 

Some ponds & marshes have well manicured shorelines while some there's standing timber or waist high marsh grass.

 

 

[Mike L]

If I can move I'll move, but not until I use up most everything I brought in my go box that makes sense for the water I'm at. 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[fishballer06]

Most of the ponds I fish are 1-5 acres in size and are fishing from 3/4 to the whole way around. I'll generally start with something and work my way around the entire area that I want to fish. Then I'll work my way back to where I started, giving the fish a look from a different direction. At that point, if I'm unsuccessful I will switch it up.

[NYWayfarer]

I stick in one spot trying different lures. The lures I use typically cover the water column (top, mid depth and bottom) If those don't work I started carrying a cup of Nightcrawlers to use as a last resort.

 

Once the action dies down I pick up and move to the next spot.

 

A regular bank fishing session for me usually means a visit to 4 spots. An hour at each spot is a good estimate.

[Team9nine]

Move, move, move. 1 rod, 1 bait. Simplicity and maneuverability are a bank anglers best friends.

[Koz]

6 minutes ago, NYWayfarer said:

A regular bank fishing session for me usually means a visit to 4 spots. An hour at each spot is a good estimate.

 

To me that's interesting, but then again I assume you have just one body of water to fish in that area.

 

I fish in a residential community that had one lake and 293 lagoons of all shapes and sizes and I can get to most of them to fish. Some are on the golf course only and those can't be fished unless the course is closed. Others are completely surrounded by homes and you need to know someone or ask for access on their property. But that still leaves me with over 100 places to fish that I can access via car, golf cart, or bike.

 

I might fish one lagoon for 20 minutes to an hour depending upon its size and if it's not productive I'm on to the next one. In other cases I might encounter an aggressive alligator that forces me to abandon that lagoon for the day. But aside from reptiles running me off, I wonder if I should be more patient and thoroughly fish a lagoon top, middle, bottom rather than just doing that in selective locations.

 

The caveat here is that there are groups of lagoons interconnected via the stormwater system and in fact fish do move from lagoon to lagoon. My father lives on a very small, clear water lagoon and there are weeks where there are no bass to be found there, then all of a sudden there are a few 4 and 5 pounders. Bass have also been tagged in one lagoon and then show up in other lagoons. I think things like this influence my patience on the water.

 

 

[Koz]

8 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I'll fish each rod I'm carrying unless something dictates otherwise. 

How many rods do you carry when bank fishing?

 

If I have to park the car and cover a lot of ground on foot moving from lagoon to lagoon I usually just bring a 7' MH baitcaster with me because it's a good, all purpose rod. This way while wearing my backpack I can fish and move down the bank.

 

But in my car I also have a 7'6" heavy baitcasting rod for when I'm fishing big water and need to cast far or if I throw a heavy bait (S-Waver or big Whopper Plopper). I also have a 6'6" medium spinning setup if I want to throw something light or finesse.

 

I've tried carrying multiple rods when bank fishing, but I might cover a mile or two walking from lagoon to lagoon for me it's too much of a pain to carry them all at once. But switching from a shoulder bag to a backpack has been a godsend.

[Bluebasser86]

4 minutes ago, Koz said:

How many rods do you carry when bank fishing?

 

If I have to park the car and cover a lot of ground on foot moving from lagoon to lagoon I usually just bring a 7' MH baitcaster with me because it's a good, all purpose rod. This way while wearing my backpack I can fish and move down the bank.

 

But in my car I also have a 7'6" heavy baitcasting rod for when I'm fishing big water and need to cast far or if I throw a heavy bait (S-Waver or big Whopper Plopper). I also have a 6'6" medium spinning setup if I want to throw something light or finesse.

 

I've tried carrying multiple rods when bank fishing, but I might cover a mile or two walking from lagoon to lagoon for me it's too much of a pain to carry them all at once. But switching from a shoulder bag to a backpack has been a godsend.

Usually 2-3, no more than 4. 

[JustJames]

I don’t change Lure very often, changing spot or not. I only fish an hour or so each time so either I stay put or move around a little. I will plan ahead which spot I’m gonna fish, deep, shallow, weed rocky, then I plan what lure I’m gonna be using and stick with it. I do sometime carry 2 setup with me though.

[J Francho]

Heck, I don't even stick to one pond when I'm out pond hopping.  One might be hot, another not.  I keep lure selection simple, and it's usually based on cover each pond offers.

[NYWayfarer]

1 hour ago, Koz said:

 

To me that's interesting, but then again I assume you have just one body of water to fish in that area.

 

I wonder if I should be more patient and thoroughly fish a lagoon top, middle, bottom rather than just doing that in selective locations.

 

I have many bodies of water to fish in my area. Only 2 of them I fish from shore, the rest I kayak fish.

 

Out of the two areas I fish from shore, 1 is a local pond so I didn't count that one as I fish the entire pond in one session. 2 is a river. It has shore access to fish off of a trail system. On a good day I catch dozens of fish using my method of covering the water column before moving. I carry 2 poles (1 spinning and 1 baitcaster) and a sling backpack.

 

Fishing requires patience. For the rest they invented power fishing.

[JLindsey]

On a few of the lakes and ponds I fish, I’m limited to one or two spots. I work those areas with two, three, four lures, catch what I can catch, then pack up the car and head to the next body of water. I’m there no more than an hour and a half. 

 

On lakes where accessibility is less of an issue and I can walk the bank, I carry two rods - one with a moving bait, one with a more stationary bait. I find a fishy-looking spot, fan cast, move and repeat.

[813basstard]

3 hours ago, Team9nine said:

Move, move, move. 1 rod, 1 bait. Simplicity and maneuverability are a bank anglers best friends.

This^

[roadwarrior]

3 hours ago, Team9nine said:

Move, move, move. 1 rod, 1 bait. Simplicity and maneuverability are a bank anglers best friends.

My pond trips are relatively short and I only fish one lure on a given day.

 

[Loochy88]

I will lap a pond a couple times... always moving (unless i find a hot spot).

[fishwizzard]

4 hours ago, Team9nine said:

Move, move, move. 1 rod, 1 bait. Simplicity and maneuverability are a bank anglers best friends.

More or less what I do, but I carry more lures. Usually something to cover each part of the water column. I start with my best guess and if I move a few times with no hits I will switch up lures.  If I am at a spot I know well I will change lures before moving but most of the time I have better luck switching spots. 

[HeyCoach]

14 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Well most of my bank fishing is on small chunks of public land on massive bodies of water or on my dock so I usually have to stay still. So I voted for staying put and trying everything. I almost always leave a set line with night crawler too, just to single line sample the ecosystem...... hahaha

Same here minus the worm. 

[HazeRVA]

Mine is kind of a hybrid. I mostly fish a 4 acre pond. Most of it is open, but my 2 most productive spots are surrounded by trees. I will start in one of them and throw everything I've got (usually take 3-4 setups), move to the second spot and throw everything. If none of that works I will walk around and back with 1 setup and switch to another and repeat until I've thrown everything everywhere.

[greentrout]

leaving in about an hour to fish a 600 acre lake .... will hit a strip of rip rap moving fast .... will have a fast ipt reel of 31 7ft mh rod paired with 12lb. mono t-rigged worms and lizards ... with 6ft 6" med. spinning rod paired with braid that is also high speed 32 ipt .... will work the edges and make lots of casts ... will move the bait reel it in cast again ....

 

... later on hit a nearby cove ... shallow spawning ... plastics and spinnerbait ....

 

good fishing ...

[NYWayfarer]

I can't seem to wrap my head around the 1 rod, 1 bait method of bank fishing.

 

On a typical bank fishing session I leave right at sun up and get to a body of water just in time for some nice topwater action. It helps to have a second setup with a senko type bait ready to go for fish that miss a topwater lure.

 

When the topwater bite dies down its time for some lipless or squarebill action.

 

afternoon bite is usually time to switch to a ned rig, craw or tube bouncing the bottom.

 

Wacky rig can be used anytime in between these methods.

[Sphynx]

The vast majority of the bodies of water near me offer very, very little public access fishing. Even the areas that are available (always at a cost with the exception of one small spot on the river) are extremely small. Covering the water column, trying to upsize and downsize baits, trying different colors are all on the menu, simply because if you don't catch them in the couple hundred yards (inclusive of all 4 spots) of access you have, you simply won't be catching anything at all.

 

If I lived in a place with much greater access, I would probably move a lot more. Selecting the lure that I thought best worked for the conditions on a baitcaster and a spinning setup and then moved along. Tossing either or as the specific spot I was fishing seemed appropriate, then move back through afterwards with something different that gave me a chance to pick up the fish who were not interested the first time around. 

[the reel ess]

When I walk the bank I take a couple rods with me rigged with whatever baits I think I stand a good chance with. Or the baits I just like to fish. I'll fish each spot with both, unless one is killing it, then move to the next spot.

 

I'll almost always start off with a bait I enjoy fishing, then progress through the ones I need to, trying to figure out what the fish want. In other words, I'll give them what they want (as a last resort). LOL