List-O-Lures for shore anglers

[jwo1124]

I have been shore fishing for bass, as well as other species of freshwater fish that reside in ponds for many years now. As a younger child I always opted for livebait, since it was easy and produced fish. Nowadays, I have switched to lures, rarely using livebait;usually only when I wish with an inexperienced angler such as my younger brother.

With years of experience of fishing udner my belt, and the awareness of new anglers constently signing up to bassresource, many of which are probably shore bound like me, especially the younger ones, I have put together a list of lures that are a must have for shorebound bassers.

1.Topwaters-I have had good luck with poppers, though I am sure Walking the dog type lure will produce, but I have yet to utilize them enough to speak of them.

    You can also place buzzbaits, Frogs and Toads in this catagory since they are a species of Topwaters. When I say frogs I mean the floating hollow style like the Dean Rojas frog, and when I say toad I mean the soft plactic type that needs to be riged on a worm hook. Buzzbaits are good in the summer and early fall, and can be throw around moderate cover where the standard popper would get snagged. Frogs and Toads are great since they are virtually weedless, and can really get into the tight heavy cover where lunkers live. Buzzbaits are best when the bass are aggressive enough to chase this thing down and smash it whether its out of hunger or its just annoying the heck out of them.

2.) Spinnerbaits- I have probably had the best luck bass fishing from shroe while using a spinnerbait. It may because I usually only bass fish in the warmer months, beginning my season up here in chilly Massachusetts around the second week of May(whatta ya know; look at the time) Spinenrbaits are great since they can be worked around cover where other types of baits will get hung up, they cover a lot of water, they are very attractive to bass, and most importantly; they are one of the best producing bass lures ever made(Just Ask Jimmy Houston)

3.)Jerkbaits- FLoating or suspending depending on the day or time of year, or in others words, the mood of the bass. These baits are great in shallow water, they have a great action that looks like a wounded bait fish, and they can be worked around moderate over and even over submerged cover without too much worry about getting hung up. Just don't throw them into the heavy nasty stuff.

4.) Shallow crankbaits-One might say, "Why do I need jerkbaits and shallow crankbaits, they are both shallow running minnow imitations?" True, but cranks have a different wobbling/wiggling action where as jerkbaits dart around like someones eyes who just drank too much coffee. Cranks also have a different profile, similar to that of a panfish rather than a long, slender minnow. I like to focus on baits that dive to around 5 feet. Depending on the location where you fish, and the depth of the water there, you may need a medium or even a deep diving crank. But for my intensive purposes, I like 3-5' divers. I use a 8' around the boat ramp though.

These are just the top producing lures I have had the most success with shore fishing for the bucket mouth. I have also had luck tossing a wacky rigged senko type worms, as well as Tube jigs, though the tube jig darts around a lot and can hang up in timber or rocks since its hardly weedless at all.

Don't limit yourself to just these lures though, I'm sure there are bass where you are fishing, this list of lures will put them on the hook. They have proven themselves to me to be great shallow water lures that produce fish. I am certainly no Bassmaster, just an passionate amateur angler like most of the Joe's on this site, so don;t take my word for gospel, but know that I am not blowing smoke when I say these lures have worked very well for me, and I am confident they will catch you bass next time you are bank fishing around the shallows.

Another tip, if you can, attempt to fish around dusk, since this is when most of the bigger fish will lurk into the shallow areas and swim in the open preying on the smaller fish. But otherwise, anytime you fish, use your knowledge and seek out the spots that look liek they will hold bass: vegetation(oxygen producing, shade, cover for safety and ambushing) timber/logs/tress: cover, ambush point, rocks, docks, boat ramps, shady spots in the summer time.

I mainly wrote this article in hopes to show younger/less experienced anglers that you don;t need every single lures that's manufactured to catch bass. Success will come from more experience and knowledge more than more "stuff". At the same time, don;t limit yourself to the bare neccessities of fishing, find that balance where you have enough gear to fish almost most situations competently. Don't seek perfection, because there is no use in chasing the unattainable.

[roadwarrior]

Hmm...

I'm a soft plasics fan and for the past year or so, 1/2 oz jigs.

My top producers are the Fat Ika, 6" Senko, 5 1/2" tubes and

the GYCB Kreature.

In low light, the 3/8 oz Cavitron buzzbait has been successful, too.

8-)

[BassinBoy]

Good list of lures but you got to have plastics.  Just as good in ponds or better!  Worms, senkos, tubes, craws, that whole deal!

[tyrius.]

Texas rigged worms (Powerworm being my favorite) have been my all time best producer from shore.  Throw it out there, let it sink, and SLOWLY reel it in.  Bass KILL 'em.

[jwo1124]

I know that the plastic worm is one of, if not the best bass fishing lure in history, but I have never caught on to the trend. I like hardbaits. I don;t know why but I would much rather use a spinnerbait, topwater, or a jerkbait over a soft plastic anyday. I think it is because I really don;t have the patience to "work" a soft plastic or a jig. Thats just me though. Plus, when I am fishing from shore, I tend to fan cast and cover as much area as possible, and for me this means horizontal presentations. I feel plastics and jigs, aside from the carolina rig, are more "pitching", "target", or vertical presentations that are more object oriented. FOr example, pitching a worm or a jig to a fallen tree or a dock. I like chucking and winding. I'd probably have better success if I could slow down and finesse better, but it's just not my style. I'm glad you added in with the soft plastics though. This shows newbies not only that no one man's opinion is gold, but also that some anglers have different styles.

Also, and I'm not too proud to admit it, I think another main reason why I am not big on palstics and jigs is because, fo rme at least, these are the hardest lures to "feel" why you fish them. I meanyou could fish with a wet noodle and feel a 1/2 ounce spinenrbait or a crankbait pulling through the water, but I think it take s alot of patience, practice, and focus to really master worm and jig fishing.

And I think it's patience or focus that I just don't have right now. Also, I have fished with compostie and glass rods alot, and its impossible to fish jigs and worms correctly or effectively on these types of rods. I think I may just have to go invest in a higher end graphite jig/worm rod and make up for lost time.

[Marty]

I use the lures you listed except I don't use hard jerkbaits very often, but I also use some soft plastics. Like you, patience is not my strong suit and I prefer faster moving baits and covering a lot of water.

But the bottom line is that just about any lure that can be used from a boat can be used from shore and be effective. The bass looking up at that  topwater (or whatever) doesn't know what a fisherman is or where he's fishing from.

[Bass_Akwards]

Don't forget the ole Jitterbug

[BassFishingMachine]

Jigs and all softplastics are definetly worth the time of learning, once you catch fish and get confidence with the bait trust me...patience won't be an issue. IMHO more quality fish are caught using finesse style techniques rather then power fishing, I am not saying big fish won't hit a spinnerbait or lipless crank etc, but I do belive a big fish, if given the option of a fast moving bait or slow moving bait, would take the slow moving bait majority of the time, they just seem like lazy fish to me when they get bigger.

[Bankbeater]

When I'm fishing from shore the hardbaits I use are topwaters, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, and shallow runners. I hate getting them hung up and loosing them.

[tyrius.]

I know that the plastic worm is one of, if not the best bass fishing lure in history, but I have never caught on to the trend. I like hardbaits.

Hah!  I'm the exact opposite, I grew up fishing almost nothing but plastic worms.  Just grab a couple packs of motor oil powerworms and a pack of hooks and I'd be set all day!!

Just last year I got back into fishing and started fishing hard baits more.  It's put a pretty good dent in my wallet to fill out by tacklebox with spinnerbaits, crankbaits, jerkbaits, and more topwater baits (I fished the jitterbug and hula popper a lot growing up too).

Also, I have fished with compostie and glass rods alot, and its impossible to fish jigs and worms correctly or effectively on these types of rods. I think I may just have to go invest in a higher end graphite jig/worm rod and make up for lost time.

Growing up I used an Ugly stick for worm fishing.  That thing was most certainly not the best suited rod for worm fishing, but I still caught tons of fish.  So, rather than saying it's "impossible" I'd say it's just not ideal.  I now use BPS extreme rods for my soft plastic fishing.  They are MUCH better than the Ugly Stick, but still far from high end.

[roadwarrior]

Unless you are exclusively a California Hawg Hunter, soft plastics and jigs are a must.

8-)

[Tokyo Tony]

When I shorefish (which is often - almost everyday after work) I usually take one spinning rig (braid - longer casts, stronger, more sensitive, etc.) and a backpack. In the backpack I have one tacklebox with hooks, weights, and an assortment of lures for that particular body of water during that particular time of year, and in the outside pocket I have several bags of plastics (and a scale, camera, pliers, leader material, etc.). From one pond to another, and during different times of the year, the lures in my shorefishing backpack change a lot. For example, on one body of water in early spring I'll never be caught without a clown color X-Rap, but wouldn't even consider a toad. Two months later, the X-Rap is at home and the backpack is full of toads  

I think for the beginner shorefisherman, always have Senkos, a variety of other plastics, some inline spinners, maybe a Jitterbug or two, and some other stuff, depending on the body of water. More important than lure selection, I think, is to keep it simple and don't take too much crap  8-)