Riprap Tips

[Glenn]

Spring is starting to stir, and riprap banks are great areas to target.  So here's a quick video explaining how to effectively fish these areas.

 

 

[TnRiver46]

Thanks! I’m going to try some rip rap very soon 

[Fishlegs]

Good video @Glenn. Any tips for how to avoid losing lures in rip rap when fishing from the bank? I’ve lost multiple lures to the rock monster this week.

[roadwarrior]

5 hours ago, Fishlegs said:

Good video @Glenn. Any tips for how to avoid losing lures in rip rap when fishing from the bank? I’ve lost multiple lures to the rock monster this week.

NEVER let the lure touch the bottom.

[Bluebasser86]

5 hours ago, Fishlegs said:

Good video @Glenn. Any tips for how to avoid losing lures in rip rap when fishing from the bank? I’ve lost multiple lures to the rock monster this week.

Riprap from shore is tough. Pulling uphill into the rocks is a pretty impossible task. When I use to bank fish a lot, it was with squarebills, lipless baits, suspending jerkbaits, topwaters, spinnerbaits, or lightly weighted Trigs. Cast were usually as parallel as I could get them and don't drag the bottom contact baits too hard, or pull into rocks too hard when a bait starts to get stuck. Usually, if you don't pull into them too hard, you can walk past them and they'll pull back out the way they went in. If you really pull hard and bury them into a wedge in the rocks, probably kiss them goodbye.

[Glenn]

^^  Beat me to it ^^

[scaleface]

I fish riprap from shore and yes  some lures are lost .So  I use inexpensive lures like pre-rigged swimbaits , Beetle spins , jig and grub .A Beetle spin    creates more lift than a jig and grub if need be . I fan cast , let the lure sink and as soon as it touches down , pop it up and retrieve  , following the contour from deep to shallow . It can be fished effectively this way . 

 

On rivers rip rap is best in summer . Large waves from boats or barges dislodges bait fish , crawfish , nymphs... and all sorts of game fish including bass take advantage of it .

[ATA]

Guys I do shore fishing, you know how I fish riprap? mojo rig live night crawler with very small weight and almost you get 1 bass with each cast(using spinning set up).

I learn that from old guy after loosing zillion lure 0n that place haha....

[Fishlegs]

15 hours ago, ATA said:

Guys I do shore fishing, you know how I fish riprap? mojo rig live night crawler with very small weight and almost you get 1 bass with each cast(using spinning set up).

I learn that from old guy after loosing zillion lure 0n that place haha....

I haven’t lost a zillion...yet. ? I did lose enough this week to make me realize that I need to try something different. It sounds like I need to give the mojo rig a shot.

[Sphynx]

Riprap from the bank is a great time for balsa wood squarebills I have found, they float well enough that as long as you don't try to cross the boulders eyes you stand a fair chance at salvaging the lure if not the cast, also if you can, try to figure out the exact topography your working with and modify your line diameter and rod tip height to just tick the tops of the rocks most of the time, the closer you get to shore the higher your rod tip goes, but the reality is you'll still lose your favorite Bluegill pattern KVD 1.5 if you fish it enough times, I think you can figure out why I'd know that...

 

Excellent stuff as usual Glenn, getting that itch to get back out in the worst way, soon!

[Armtx77]

Don't fish them much down here in SE Louisiana, but back home in Illinois, I used to beat them up on buzzbaits, thrown as parallel to the bank and in as shallow of water I could run them on top of.

 

I have had smallies beach themselves, hitting a buzzbait that was running about a foot off the riprap bank.

[Bankbeater]

Fishing from the bank I will use shallow running crankbaits, small spinnerbaits, split shot, weightless, and t-rigged plastics.  I'll fish with light jigs if I know the rip rap and what's around it.

 

[TnRiver46]

Weightless worm will avoid hangups and catch bass 

[Fishes in trees]

On the Missouri Conservation lakes that I fish, rip rap fish are either happening or they ain't.  Doesn't take long,  15 or 20 minutes, paralleling the bank, trying different depths, if you don't get bit, leave and come back in an hour or so - or tomorrow.   I've caught alot of fish off rip rap dams, & bridge pilings, my experiences have been that if it don't happen quick, it probably ain't going to happen right now, the best use of my fishing time is to leave, try some other place & come back later.

[Fishlegs]

8 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Weightless worm will avoid hangups and catch bass 

I’ll give that a try once it stops raining. Right now that would probably end up like a top water because the current is moving as fast as Richard Petty at the Daytona 500 on our end of the river.

[scaleface]

11 hours ago, Fishlegs said:

I’ll give that a try once it stops raining. Right now that would probably end up like a top water because the current is moving as fast as Richard Petty at the Daytona 500 on our end of the river.

So you are fishing rip rap on a fast river . Strike King Rocket shads cast upstream and brought along the current . If you want to go real cheap , take a crappie jig-head , add a grub with the tail removed to just cover the shank and attach a cheap spinner on the hook . I've done a lot of that . Catches all kinds of game fish . Like this .