Who still fishes from the bank?

[MediumMouthBass]

I have a love/hate relationship with it. Its how i started and how i fished for over a decade of my life.

There were days i wanted nothing more than to be on a boat in the middle of the lake, and other days you couldnt get me to leave the bank, no matter what.

 

Its a challenging way to fish, between the higher pressure banks get, lack of open areas to cast, having to dodge snakes and ducks/geese. Breaking off the line since you cant paddle/troll right on top and pull the lure out, getting stuck in all the broken off line that plagues the shallow edges, only being able to fish in (usually) very shallow water. And only being able to cast so far, and sometimes that very shallow water went out 50-100'.

And if theres a high wind, casting distance is basically just dropping the lure down in front of you.

 

Walking a few feet, or sometimes a mile or 2 in thick brush with a 1' wide trail in woods you knew were filled with snakes and ticks just to get to a spot.

Seeing guys on boats out in the distance catching one after another, staring down at their 3 screens, deciding which of there 20 rods on deck they would pick up next to cast, as you grab your backpack that feels like its full of 20lb weights and try to grip your 4-6 rods and walk to the next spot.

Pulling the slime off the lure each cast wondering if its worth the 10 minute walk to the other side of the lake that has a cleaner bottom.

 

It sure does have alot of downsides, and you are at every disadvantage known to an angler. But theres just something about it that feels right.

Learning the lake/pond the old school way, no tech, just pure skill, luck, and hope.

I have a boat and several kayaks now, and to say its better/easier/simpler would be an understatement. Its a gift sent down from the fishing gods.

Able to fish everywhere and anywhere i want, less lures lost, no ticks, only water snakes in certain areas, it sure is great.

 

But i find myself bank fishing more and more over the last 2 years, it just keeps drawing me back. Plus now that ive been to the other side, i just catch much bigger fish from the bank. If only i knew what i know now then....

[GreenPig]

My 5 biggest bass were caught from pond banks. So I won't be quitting bank fishing anytime soon.

[Jar11591]

I don’t always have time to get the boat out, so I still walk the bank sometimes if I want to fish but don’t have much time. 

[Born 2 fish]

I fish from the bank all the time if I only have a limited time I don’t bother with my boat.

[Mobasser]

I usually pull my canoe on the weekends, when I have more time. But I bank fish a couple of evenings each week during the season.

[TnRiver46]

Me 

[Catt]

K.I.S.S 😉

 

I still walk the bank with one rod-n-reel

I still stalk deer with a recurve bow

I still shoot a .410 & .22

 

Up close & personal 

[Craig P]

@MediumMouthBass I like your write-up of the nuances that come with bank fishing.

 

While I have a boat, if the work week is too busy to commit to a boating day, I’ll make a quick trip or two during the week to some local bodies of water just to scratch the itch.  To be able to get out of the truck, throw on some muck boots and go is nice at times.  Good exercise too if you like to keep moving like me.

[Pat Brown]

I have a love relationship with bank fishing.

 

It's really satisfying when you catch a giant fish at a small pressured spot with your feet on the ground just sneaking around and figuring out the where's and when's.

 

I love forging new paths and finding casting angles and areas boats can only look at on Google Earth and say 'not worth it'.  I catch lots of great fish in spots like this.

 

I like knowing that my craft is honed and not limited to being launched in a boat at a marina with every rod at my disposal and lots of expensive electronics to be successful.  Very satisfying for me!

 

Also also - when fishing is REALLY tough (read: late winter and late summer) - smaller bank only bodies of water = less places to hide.

 

My top 3 from the bank are 9.3, 9.1 and 8.9 with piles of 7s and 8s.

 

Bank fishing is big fishing.

[gim]

Nope

 

No point when I have a boat to use

[Functional]

I have a boat but I do bank fish a few times a year at some ponds or my inlaws when I dont haul the boat up. It reminds me of kayak fishing to a more extreme level. I really spend my time and pick apart the areas I'm able to get to, I fish slower and I really select my lures/gear for the trip.

 

It's fun but I do still prefer the boat or even a kayak. 

[scaleface]

I do. I know some culverts and bridges on irrigation ditches that are often good for a bass or two. Also rip rap dams can be fished effectively from bank . I use inexpensive lures fishing rip rap because in order to fish them right  , baits will get lost. Inexpensive jig heads  with various plastics get the job done.

[ike8120]

Unfortunately this is my only fishing option.

[casts_by_fly]

"Who still fishes from the bank?"

 

Not if I can help it. While I am blessed with an abundance of lakes nearby, shore opportunities at them are limited.  I tried the first year we moved here before getting the kayak.  You know what I've learned since learning the lakes better in a boat?  That shore access around here sucks.  Most of the lakes have no access due to lake houses and private property.  There might be one access point with 20 yards of bank.  Most of that is in an awful location and all of it gets hit pretty hard.  There are 1 or two lakes with state park around them that you could fish from the bank.  But to get away from people and into any areas worth fishing you're going to go for a pretty long walk through some pretty nasty stuff to fight all of the shoreline brush and briars.  If there was absolutely no way I could have a boat of some type then I guess you could hike in to a few places with waders in a backpack and fish them that way (used to do that ages ago).  But if I'm going to go that route, I'm going to fish streams either for trout or smallies.  A 30 minute drive to the parking lot plus a 45 minute nasty hike is 30 minutes longer than being on a riverside somewhere.

 

There are a couple ponds here that I'll do lure testing on, but that's not fishing.  Catching a couple 12" fish in 3' of water isn't my bag. Growing up in wester PA we had tons of ponds that yielded fish to 9# over the years.  I'd kill to have that here.

[wdp]

I still bank fish all the time. Boat trips are typically reserved for the weekend. But there’s nothing like a quick therapy session bank fishing for an hr or so during the week after work. Holds me over til I can fish a full 8-10 hrs on a Saturday. 

[Rockhopper]

50% of my fishing is bank fishing and I have a boat and a kayak.

 

0% of my bass fishing is bank fishing.

[LonnieP]

I have a couple of small farm ponds that I’ll fish several times a year. It’s nice if I want to make a few casts after work and don’t feel like loading the boat up.

[Swamp Girl]

4 hours ago, Craig P said:

I like your write-up of the nuances that come with bank fishing.

 

Me too. @MediumMouthBass did a great job of explaining the pros and cons. 

 

I love bank fishing. That's how I started fishing and our past always pulls at us, at least my past tugs at me. So, before I step into my canoe, I always cast a few times from the bank and if I hook a fish, I LOVE it because I'm not in a tippy canoe that's bullied by bass. 

[MediumMouthBass]

12 hours ago, GreenPig said:

My 5 biggest bass were caught from pond banks. So I won't be quitting bank fishing anytime soon.

 

6 hours ago, Pat Brown said:

My top 3 from the bank are 9.3, 9.1 and 8.9 with piles of 7s and 8s.

 

Bank fishing is big fishing.

All my big ones came from the bank too, except for my PB smallmouth, the boat takes that win.

 

6 hours ago, gim said:

Nope

 

No point when I have a boat to use

Makes total sense fishing the giant bodies of water you do, it would probably take a week or 2 just to walk around them. And im guessing they are pretty deep too? Would definitely want that boat out there.

 

5 hours ago, ike8120 said:

Unfortunately this is my only fishing option.

This is the case for alot of people i know, and was me for most of my life. Because of my years fishing that way it gave me the utmost respect for guys limited to the bank only. Goodluck to you come ice out, hope you catch some nice bass!

 

5 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

"Who still fishes from the bank?"

 

Not if I can help it. While I am blessed with an abundance of lakes nearby, shore opportunities at them are limited.  I tried the first year we moved here before getting the kayak.  You know what I've learned since learning the lakes better in a boat?  That shore access around here sucks.  Most of the lakes have no access due to lake houses and private property.  There might be one access point with 20 yards of bank.

Any fishing videos ive seen from NJ seem to be word for word with what you wrote, that would make fishing on anything other than a boat/kayak very difficult. I couldnt imagine walking 45 minutes to get bit off by a pickerel on the first cast either.

5 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

There are a couple ponds here that I'll do lure testing on, but that's not fishing.  Catching a couple 12" fish in 3' of water isn't my bag. Growing up in wester PA we had tons of ponds that yielded fish to 9# over the years.  I'd kill to have that here.

Northeast PA has a lot of places like that too, its amazing fish can grow so much in a smaller body of water.

[gim]

6 minutes ago, MediumMouthBass said:

Makes total sense fishing the giant bodies of water you do, it would probably take a week or 2 just to walk around them. And im guessing they are pretty deep too? Would definitely want that boat out there.

 

Some of the lakes I fish are not very big.  Its more the lack of shoreline access that's the issue.  Most lakes here have private land surrounding them and walking on someone's property to fish is trespassing.  Some lakes have designated fishing piers to help that problem.

 

I've fished most of my childhood and adult life with my family.  We made trips out of it and big family traditions on opener.  We all fished from a boat.  Not from shore.  So it was just something I've done for nearly 30 years.

 

The other selling point is just throttling down at the access with the wind in my face from a boat.  That experience does not exist fishing on shore.  I realize some people can only fish from shore.  If that was my only option, I probably wouldn't be fishing at all.  Just not enough good opportunities here for it.

[MIbassyaker]

Most of my bass fishing now is done by kayak, but i'lI fish rivers from the bank or wade if I have just a little time to spare.  

 

I have three excellent rivers very close to me that, if anything, are underfished for bass, and unless I'm going to arrange a float trip, bank-hopping or wading is the most efficient way to get at them.

[MinDoFmejiA]

I mainly fish from the bank unless I visit my brother or decide to bring out the paddle board. And that has bin mabey a handful of time in the last 2 years. I have enjoyed being out on the water, but walking along the bank is so mutch easier. I also enjoy being able to follow deer and animal trails to get access to body's of water that people don't normally know to look for. Like letting my inner cave man out and go on the hunt for the next location.

[TnRiver46]

I’ve got 6 boats and still bank fish often. When it’s raining, when it’s windy, when I only have 30-45 minutes of free time , etc 

[Bankbeater]

After my dad passed away I was going to keep his boat, but the big drawback for me was that I'd have to drive 2-1/2 to 3 hours to a body of water where I could use the gas motor.  I couldn't justify the cost of the upkeep and insurance for using the boat maybe 2 or 3 times a year. These days I am fishing off of the bank most of the season.

[wdp]

I catch a big one bank fishing every now & then as well. Part of the thrill for me. Never know when some lil pond gonna hold an unexpected giant. 😁

 

I caught this one last spring on a popper. I had no idea this little pond had anything this big in it. 😳