Landlubber--Bank Fishing for Bass tips?

[33oldtimer]

Looking for tips, your approach to bank fishing for bass, particularly on a new body of water. What do you focus on? Go to lure? Search bait? Finesse lure? Where do you start?

Thanks.

 

Edit: I have 2 new small lakes I'll be fishing, 1 new pond.

[Glenn]

Here ya go!

https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-videos?field_tags_target_id=275

 

https://www.bassresource.com/fishing-techniques?field_tags_target_id=175

 

That'll keep ya busy for awhile!

[Ibock]

I like to carry 2 rods.  1 Casting with chatterbait 1 Spinning with wacky.  Small backpack with extra worm hooks, swimbait, frog or favorite topwater, jig.  I only carry 3 colors.  Something natural green pumpkin, watermelon etc, Black blue and redbug for the worms.  For the chatterbaits bluegill, black blue, white.

 

You don't want to carry to much gear its too heavy and you wont enjoy yourself as much.

 

If I want to go really light. I carry 1 MH casting rod with 17 pound fluro with a 6 inch senko. In a super small backpack. Extra hooks, 1 bluegill or black blue chatter bait and 1 frog.

Oh and pliers and something to cut the line

[Ibock]

Also if I only want 1 rod I have 50 pound braid with a 17 pound fluro leader and then I can cut the leader off in a want to throw a frog in thick vegitation and the braid floats making topwater presentation better.

[33oldtimer]

17 hours ago, Ibock said:

I like to carry 2 rods.  1 Casting with chatterbait 1 Spinning with wacky.  Small backpack with extra worm hooks, swimbait, frog or favorite topwater, jig.  I only carry 3 colors.  Something natural green pumpkin, watermelon etc, Black blue and redbug for the worms.  For the chatterbaits bluegill, black blue, white.

 

You don't want to carry to much gear its too heavy and you wont enjoy yourself as much.

 

If I want to go really light. I carry 1 MH casting rod with 17 pound fluro with a 6 inch senko. In a super small backpack. Extra hooks, 1 bluegill or black blue chatter bait and 1 frog.

Oh and pliers and something to cut the line

That's what I try to keep in mind. One search bait and one finesse bait, unless it is cold front conditions. I'm usually tempted to take too much tackle with me and jump from one thing to another without fully giving one lure a chance.

[Bankc]

It's hard to beat a Texas rigged worm from the bank.  At least that's my no. 1 lure for bank fishing.  If for no other reason than it gets through the weeds.  

 

It all depends on the body of water you're fishing, but for me, the number one factor in determining what lures to use, is what the bank looks like.  In other words, is it all covered in vegetation?  Or is it sandy or rocky?  Can you access deep water from the bank, like from a ledge or dam?  Or is it all shallow?  

 

You can throw virtually any lure from the bank.  And they can all work.  But given the conditions of your particular bank, there might be only a dozen or so that would be worth your time.  

[Pat Brown]

Ponds are usually pretty small so my approach is very systematic and usually more of a divide and conquer style then a more nuanced approach. I usually start out with a pretty aggressive reaction bait like a buzzbait or a lipless and I walk the pond very quickly casting to every good piece of cover I see along the perimeter and paralleling the banks with a few casts at different speeds. Trying to pick up some aggressive fish that are feeding or haven't seen a lure in a while. 

 

While I'm doing this I usually am looking for fish that either are following my bait and not biting it or not interested in my bait but maybe catchable. 

 

When I get back to my car I usually grab a jig or a swimbait or a Texas rig and go back for those fish. And if I have any energy left at the end of it all, I will grab my frog and fish that because I find that on small ponds the frog catches Giants!

 

This time of year that's basically my approach!

[FishTax]

As it warms up I like to throw a frog, then when I get tired of them sending it airborne and not getting hooked I switch to a spinnerbait or worm, depending on conditions and the pond anatomy. 

[Brian11719]

I feel like I can't really narrow it down to 2 lures based on the post. If I've learned anything lately it's that you might have an idea of what you think / want to go throw that day and as soon as you get there mother nature is going to laugh at your plans and if you try to argue it's probably not going to work out for you. I'd say a good casting rod and spinning rod would be good to take along and then give yourself the option of a few baits on each and pick from there based on whether it's cloudy or clear, windy or calm, clean or dirty water, etc.

[Ibock]

15 hours ago, Brian11719 said:

I feel like I can't really narrow it down to 2 lures based on the post. If I've learned anything lately it's that you might have an idea of what you think / want to go throw that day and as soon as you get there mother nature is going to laugh at your plans and if you try to argue it's probably not going to work out for you. I'd say a good casting rod and spinning rod would be good to take along and then give yourself the option of a few baits on each and pick from there based on whether it's cloudy or clear, windy or calm, clean or dirty water, etc.

Only carry 2 and you will be surprised.  If you are not catching on a wack rig, chatter bait, or a frog the fish are probably not biting.  Also, I am not saying to bring more gear in your vehicle I am saying to only carry a little bit of gear when your walking the bank.

[Team9nine]

No one way to approach anything, but here’s a few recommendations from over 40 years of bank fishing:

 

NOT CASTING TO OR ALONG THE BANK: This is far and away the biggest mistake I see most bank bound bassers make. The old observation about noticing bank fishermen cast out towards the boats and why boat fishermen cast in toward the shore is really true. Bass, by nature, are largely shallow water fish. They are also very cover oriented. When you combine these two concepts you have the basis for the start of an approach.

 

In most of the lakes I fish, the best cover is along, or near, the bank. And the best way to fish that cover is to cast parallel, or nearly so, down a bank. Sometimes, just short pitches are all it takes. Why waste your time throwing out into the middle of the lake when so many fish are at your feet? There is a time to throw out into deeper water (say >45 degrees off bank), such as if I’m fishing a point or a known piece of structure, or perhaps in winter, etc. Other than that, so many casts are within 10-20 feet of the shoreline. The clearer the water or the more open the shoreline, the longer and more parallel the casts. In heavy cover or small openings, small pitches and flips will suffice. Any piece of cover, no matter how insignificant gets a cast. Rocks, drains, washed in logs, weeds, lay downs, docks, you name it. Just be quiet and still and you’ll be surprised how many fish youll catch within feet of yourself.

 

COVER WATER: Mistake number two is standing in one spot for half an hour or more and making cast after cast. Have you ever noticed how most bass boaters are always on the trolling motor covering water? If you accept the fact that most fish you’re chasing are shallow water object oriented, then probability says that the more water and spots you can cover the greater your odds of running into an aggressive (read biting) fish. This is especially important when first learning a body of water. The more water you cover the more spots (holding areas) you’ll discover. I will typically make 3-5 casts from a given area on the bank and then move 20-40 ft down the bank for the next 3-5 casts. On and on it goes. You can easily cover a couple miles of bank in just a few hours. Remember, you’re trying to find as many spots and as many bass as you can. Dont wait for them to come to you, go to them.

 

USE ONLY ONE LURE (but carry backups): How many times have you seen this mistake made? Someone bass fishing from shore with a big tackle box, casting a lure for 20-30 minutes then digging into his box and changing to another lure, only to repeat the process. At this rate you might only fish 2 or 3 spots in a day. The largest tackle box I ever carry with me is a tiny, flat drop-down that goes around your waist and attaches to your belt. Often times it is only an old lure box with a couple extra baits or a Ziploc bag stuffed into a pocket.

 

There are several advantages to this. One, it lets you cover water by not wasting time changing baits, thinking they’ll hit something else better. Another is that it makes you more mobile. Anymore, I’ll frequently fish an entire trip without a lure change. As long as you pay attention to retying when appropriate, you’ll rarely lose too many baits. Remember, you’re fishing shallow cover close to the bank. Most times, even if you do hang, you can reach out and unsnag lures that get stuck. 

 

As a side note here for those of you fishing small ponds regularly, use a different lure each trip. Several times I’ve had the good fortune of having 5 or more ponds located within my subdivision. The theory of fish becoming conditioned is definitely true, especially in these smaller bodies of water. I can’t count the number of times I’ve proven this to myself. Day one I’ll go out and catch 30 bass. If I go back out the next day with the same lure, my results will be cut in half. By the time I try this a third or fourth day, I might only catch a few. These fish get used to seeing the same bait day after day, so change up! Try a crankbait one trip, a topwater the next. Jigs on the third trip and maybe worms after that. After a week or two of not seeing the same bait twice you can usually go back in with the original bait and theyll bite it well. 
 

FISH THE CONDITIONS: At first, this might not make much sense. Or maybe it’s too obvious. I’m referring to choosing the bait you throw based on the weather and water conditions you are faced with. It is usually best to not randomly select baits. Base your lure choice on weather conditions first, water (lake) conditions second, and always keeping seasonal patterns in mind. For example, if you are getting ready to head out and you’re dealing with a sunny, frontal day, choose baits like jigs, worms, tubes, or single spins. On the other hand, if you have cloudy and windy conditions, maybe pack spinnerbaits, swimming grubs, shallow crankbaits, buzz baits, etc. Once you get to the lake, or if you already know what conditions to expect (water and cover), then use those to fine-tune your selections. Things like brighter colors, larger baits, or noisemakers in stained water and thinner, natural colored baits in clearer water. Likewise, if you are fishing open water conditions use grubs, crankbaits, top waters and such versus baits like jigs, worms, Senkos, single spins and so forth for heavy cover situations.

 

TIME YOUR FISHING: This is another one that may slip by most people. The best time to go fishing is whenever you can, no doubt about that. But whenever possible, choose the days and times you get to fish based on conditions. This little tip will truly maximize the number of bites youll get in a day. For example, everyone knows that bass generally seem to bite best first thing in the morning or right before dark, typical low light conditions. But they also bite extremely well on a good cloudy day with an approaching storm. Days with a dropping barometer come to mind, as do windy days. Try and avoid those nice, sunny, post frontal days if you can. This tactic also increases the odds of having more room for you to fish, as most bank fishermen dont like to put up with inclement weather. 

 

Another example of this tactic relates to time of year. Those extremely tough clear water lakes and ponds will give up some surprisingly good fish in the cold-water period or at night through the summer. Vice-versa, inherently murky water lakes usually arent all that great real early and late in the year, but can be great with the warmer weather and water conditions. If you have your choice of a couple different types of water to fish, choose according to which fits the given conditions and seasonal patterns best.

 

Finally, those odd times that create short windows of opportunity. The perfect example of this is a couple of the small ponds I fish. Almost without fail, one of the most consistent patterns is fishing the incoming flats or drains after a good rain. While you can always seem to count on one or two from these areas, these areas become incredible spots when you are able to coincide your trip with fresh, incoming water. Spots that only give up a fish or two now may give up 5 or 10 fish without moving, sometimes dozens. The bass realize this is a temporary feeding opportunity and act accordingly. You should too.

 

FISH SPOTS (the exception): Earlier I said covering water is the preferred tactic. This is true, especially when fishing a new body of water that is not familiar to you. However, with enough time on a given lake or pond, certain spots will seem to consistently give up a fish or two most every trip. These areas or spots are worth taking a little extra time on before moving on. As I mentioned, small drains on my ponds always seem to hold bass consistently and I will frequently spend up to 20 minutes or more fishing these areas. The general rule of thumb is if you catch a bass on a spot, it is worth taking a few extra minutes to thoroughly scout the area. Sometimes the reason is obvious such as the drain example. Many times though you wont be able to identify what it is about the particular location or bank. Some just seem to hold fish better than others. Your job is to be aware of these areas as they unfold to you and fish them appropriately. Then feel free to keep scooting along the bank between these hotspots.

 

There is no one ‘right’ way to approach bankside bassin’, but these tips have proven themselves to be pretty consistent over much of the waters I have fished through the years.

[LrgmouthShad]

6 minutes ago, Team9nine said:

No one way to approach anything, but here’s my recommendations from over 40 years of bank fishing:

 

NOT CASTING TO OR ALONG THE BANK This is far and away the biggest mistake I see most bank bound bassers make. The old observation about noticing bank fishermen cast out towards the boats and why boat fishermen cast in toward the shore is really true. Bass, by nature, are largely shallow water fish. They are also very cover oriented. When you combine these two concepts you have the basis for the start of an approach.

 

In most of the lakes I fish, the best cover is along, or near, the bank. And the best way to fish that cover is to cast parallel, or nearly so, down a bank. Sometimes, just short pitches are all it takes. Why waste your time throwing out into the middle of the lake when so many fish are at your feet? There is a time to throw out into deeper water (say >45 degrees off bank), such as if I’m fishing a point or a known piece of structure, or perhaps in winter, etc. Other than that, so many casts are within 10-20 feet of the shoreline. The clearer the water or the more open the shoreline, the longer and more parallel the casts. In heavy cover or small openings, small pitches and flips will suffice. Any piece of cover, no matter how insignificant gets a cast. Rocks, drains, washed in logs, weeds, lay downs, docks, you name it. Just be quiet and still and you’ll be surprised how many fish youll catch within feet of yourself.

 

COVER WATER Mistake number two is standing in one spot for half an hour or more and making cast after cast. Have you ever noticed how most bass boaters are always on the trolling motor covering water? If you accept the fact that most fish you’re chasing are shallow water object oriented, then probability says that the more water and spots you can cover the greater your odds of running into an aggressive (read biting) fish. This is especially important when first learning a body of water. The more water you cover the more spots (holding areas) you’ll discover. I will typically make 3-5 casts from a given area on the bank and then move 20-40 ft down the bank for the next 3-5 casts. On and on it goes. You can easily cover a couple miles of bank in just a few hours. Remember, you’re trying to find as many spots and as many bass as you can. Dont wait for them to come to you, go to them.

 

USE ONLY ONE LURE (but carry backups) How many times have you seen this mistake made? Someone bass fishing from shore with a big tackle box, casting a lure for 20-30 minutes then digging into his box and changing to another lure, only to repeat the process. At this rate you might only fish 2 or 3 spots in a day. The largest tackle box I ever carry with me is a tiny, flat drop-down that goes around your waist and attaches to your belt. Often times it is only an old lure box with a couple extra baits or a Ziploc bag stuffed into a pocket.

 

There are several advantages to this. One, it lets you cover water by not wasting time changing baits, thinking they’ll hit something else better. Another is that it makes you more mobile. Anymore, I’ll frequently fish an entire trip without a lure change. As long as you pay attention to retying when appropriate, you’ll rarely lose too many baits. Remember, you’re fishing shallow cover close to the bank. Most times, even if you do hang, you can reach out and unsnag lures that get stuck. 

 

As a side note here for those of you fishing small ponds regularly, use a different lure each trip. Several times I’ve had the good fortune of having 5 or more ponds located within my subdivision. The theory of fish becoming conditioned is definitely true, especially in these smaller bodies of water. I can’t count the number of times I’ve proven this to myself. Day one I’ll go out and catch 30 bass. If I go back out the next day with the same lure, my results will be cut in half. By the time I try this a third or fourth day, I might only catch a few. These fish get used to seeing the same bait day after day, so change up! Try a crankbait one trip, a topwater the next. Jigs on the third trip and maybe worms after that. After a week or two of not seeing the same bait twice you can usually go back in with the original bait and theyll bite it well. 
 

FISH THE CONDITIONS At first, this might not make much sense. Or maybe it’s too obvious. I’m referring to choosing the bait you throw based on the weather and water conditions you are faced with. It is usually best to not randomly select baits. Base your lure choice on weather conditions first, water (lake) conditions second, and always keeping seasonal patterns in mind. For example, if you are getting ready to head out and you’re dealing with a sunny, frontal day, choose baits like jigs, worms, tubes, or single spins. On the other hand, if you have cloudy and windy conditions, maybe pack spinnerbaits, swimming grubs, shallow crankbaits, buzz baits, etc. Once you get to the lake, or if you already know what conditions to expect (water and cover), then use those to fine-tune your selections. Things like brighter colors, larger baits, or noisemakers in stained water and thinner, natural colored baits in clearer water. Likewise, if you are fishing open water conditions use grubs, crankbaits, top waters and such versus baits like jigs, worms, Senkos, single spins and so forth for heavy cover situations.

 

TIME YOUR FISHING This is another one that may slip by most people. The best time to go fishing is whenever you can, no doubt about that. But whenever possible, choose the days and times you get to fish based on conditions. This little tip will truly maximize the number of bites youll get in a day. For example, everyone knows that bass generally seem to bite best first thing in the morning or right before dark, typical low light conditions. But they also bite extremely well on a good cloudy day with an approaching storm. Days with a dropping barometer come to mind, as do windy days. Try and avoid those nice, sunny, post frontal days if you can. This tactic also increases the odds of having more room for you to fish, as most bank fishermen dont like to put up with inclement weather. 

 

Another example of this tactic relates to time of year. Those extremely tough clear water lakes and ponds will give up some surprisingly good fish in the cold-water period or at night through the summer. Vice-versa, inherently murky water lakes usually arent all that great real early and late in the year, but can be great with the warmer weather and water conditions. If you have your choice of a couple different types of water to fish, choose according to which fits the given conditions and seasonal patterns best.

 

Finally, those odd times that create short windows of opportunity. The perfect example of this is a couple of the small ponds I fish. Almost without fail, one of the most consistent patterns is fishing the incoming flats or drains after a good rain. While you can always seem to count on one or two from these areas, these areas become incredible spots when you are able to coincide your trip with fresh, incoming water. Spots that only give up a fish or two now may give up 5 or 10 fish without moving, sometimes dozens. The bass realize this is a temporary feeding opportunity and act accordingly. You should too.

 

FISH SPOTS (the exception) Earlier I said covering water is the preferred tactic. This is true, especially when fishing a new body of water that is not familiar to you. However, with enough time on a given lake or pond, certain spots will seem to consistently give up a fish or two most every trip. These areas or spots are worth taking a little extra time on before moving on. As I mentioned, small drains on my ponds always seem to hold bass consistently and I will frequently spend up to 20 minutes or more fishing these areas. The general rule of thumb is if you catch a bass on a spot, it is worth taking a few extra minutes to thoroughly scout the area. Sometimes the reason is obvious such as the drain example. Many times though you wont be able to identify what it is about the particular location or bank. Some just seem to hold fish better than others. Your job is to be aware of these areas as they unfold to you and fish them appropriately. Then feel free to keep scooting along the bank between these hotspots.

 

There is no one ‘right’ way to approach bankside bassin’, but these tips have proven themselves to be pretty consistent over much of the waters I have fished through the years.

Wow what a write-up. Lots of great tips in here. This should be pinned 

7 minutes ago, Team9nine said:

Sometimes, just short pitches are all it takes. Why waste your time throwing out into the middle of the lake when so many fish are at your feet?

@thediscochef knows I pitch quite a bit from the bank.

[bp_fowler]

I guess I’ll state the obvious:  when bank fishing your two biggest limiting factors are mobility and logistics since you don’t have a boat to get you and your gear where you want to go.  This forces you to have to make some decisions about what you carry as well as some planning ahead of time.

 

I’ll start with scouting the place out either with my own two eyes or google earth.  
 

This allows me to determine some things like ease of access and how far away the vehicle parking area is. That way I can decide what to carry and how much.  If I can park my car a short walk away then I can bring more gear and just cache it there.  

 

Some places, public ponds and the like have relatively flat banks and well manicured grass right up to the waters edge.  Others may require negotiating step or rough terrain and through thick vegetation.  Again this will affect how much I carry and even what clothing I wear.  Last but not least  I can possibly pick some spots that look promising.

 

In most circumstances I carry two rods, at least initially, one MH/F casting and one M/F spinning.  Between those two setups I can fish just about anything.
 

I have a small tackle pack (kinda like a cross between a fanny pack and back pack) that I bring along with me.  Inside I carry some terminal tackle, extra lures, various soft plastics, some spare line and basic hand tools (fishing pliers, line cutters).  Generally I try to pack as light as possible since I often have to hike a bit to get to some spots. During the warmer months I bring water. 
 

As for what lures to take along, the answer is for me that it depends.  This spring I had been going out with a spinner bait tied on my casting rod and some type of weightless soft plastic (zoom fluke, senko or trick worm) on the spinning rod. 
 

On a small pond I pick a starting point, this maybe based on whats easiest for me to access or some other factor like a wind blown bank, currents, or shade for example.  From there I’ll work my way around the bank for a far as I’m able.  I’ll make casts out ahead of me parallel (or as close to parallel as I can manage) to the bank. If I see an interesting spot I may spend a little extra time there making multiple casts.  
 

One thing to keep in mind is stealth.   I try not to walk right up on the bank if I can help it so I don’t spook the fish.   
 

On the bigger bodies of water it’s a bit tougher.  I’m mostly likely not going to be able to fish everything, either because I physically can’t get there, or I don’t have the time (Although I have broken lakes down over multiple days). This is where the scouting really comes in handy that way I can make sure I’m not wasting time.  That being said it still can be hit or miss.  Just because a place looks good on the map or passes the eye test doesn’t guarantee that it holds fish.