Slow fishing from the bank

[fishinTexas]

I was wondering if you guys could help me w/ some slow fishing presentations from the bank. I don't think jigs are very effective because you are not vertical. If you guys have any suggestions I would greatly appreciate them.

[D.Taylor]

Jigs are great presentations for slow fishing from the bank. Another one is a 3/4 oz spinnerbait with a  big colorado blade and reel it just fast enough to feel the blade turn.

hope it works

Dusty

[GobbleDog]

fishinTexas, meet Senko.

Senko, this is fishinTexas.

[Jeff P.]

Jigs would work fine from the bank.  Most folks use the pork trailers in colder water.  Cast it out, let it fall to the bottom and let it sit for a minute or so.  Slowly work it back to you (really slowly).  Also, take GobbleDog's introduction - senko style soft plastic.  Rig it either wacky or weedless, and work it the same way.  Cast out, let it fall to the bottom and sit there.  Slowly work it back.  Another option you might try is a lipless crankbait.

Good luck.

[skeeter944]

try a dropshot rig.u can use a senko or any small, natural colored plastic worm.i have had great succes using it this winter.

[Capt. George]

A Cast Net!

[roadwarrior]

The vast majority of my largemouth fishing is at small, local ponds. Here are a couple of baits that will catch you some fish:

1. 5" Senko, weightless and weedless on light line. Cast parallel to the bank, out 5-10 yards. Cast into or close to any cover or structure you come across. Fish SLOW. Let the bait fall on slack line. When it settles to the bottom let it sit for a minute then move it with a slow, horizontal sweep about 6-12". Then let it sit and repeat until you feel you are out of the zone.

2. Fat Ika, weightless and weedless fished just like I described fishing the Senko. This lure was my #1 producer in 2005, it will work for you.

[tipptruck1]

All I do is fish from the bank. I fish a lot of hard jerk baits. I also fish alot of soft jerk baits. I cast them out and let them sink a little then jerk a few times. Then when I fish rivers or ponds with little rock i slow roll a worm or a tube along the bottom. Move them a little the jerk them.  

[Lightninrod]

click here if the image doesn't show

That's my best friend Bill. He's hauling in a nice Bass that sucked in his weightless, color #222, 5" Senko. That's a cotton field farm pond near Tifton, GA where we meet once or twice a year. He has no boat and yet, manages to catch many Bass with that same bait and out of golf course ponds in Jax, Florida including an 8/13.

That same day, I caught my then PB, this 8/11 by slow-rollin' that 3/4 oz spinnerbait.

That's my best friend Bill. He's hauling in a nice Bass that sucked in his weightless, color #222, 5" Senko. That's a cotton field farm pond near Tifton, GA where we meet once or twice a year. He has no boat and yet, manages to catch many Bass with that same bait and out of golf course ponds in Jax, Florida including an 8/13.

Dan

[Panamoka_Bassin]

Just like you can see above, everybody will say something different, but at the same time they are all correct.  Anything you can use from a boat I think you can pretty much use from the shore.  Its just a matter of a little different techinique. I've found that the only real difference between a boat and shore fishing is that you can cover a lot more territory in a boat.

[Rebbasser]

Something I rarely see when asking about fishing slow is this:  We all know fishing slow is moving the bait very slowly, but how far are you moving it?  I've found that moving a bait 6 inches rather than 2-3 feet can make a big difference.  Rather than raising my rod tip from say 9-10:00 to 11-12:00 I use a side sweep like with a C-rig and can c-r-a-w-l it along inches at a time.  

[roadwarrior]

Rebbasser,

Yep, that is how I was trying to describe "slow" in my post. In addition to a short, horizontal sweeping motion, I also suggest that you let the bait sit for a while between movements. Bass will sometimes pick it up, but more often strike on the next movement after you have paused your lure.

I agree that any lure you use from a boat will catch fish from the bank, but under a lot of conditions you will lose lures from the bank that would be recovered in a boat. For example, I don't recommend fishing crankbaits through deep structure or cover from the bank, but that is exactly where I like to fish them from a boat. My specific lure suggestions will catch bass consistantly everywhere and if you lose a few, well that's just part of the program. It doesn't cost an arm or a leg.

[Rebbasser]

Sorry, RW-missed that the first time I read your post.  

[Aaron_S]

Use a texas rigged plastic worm, and cast parallel to the bank like Roadwarrior said.

[Peter E.]

In your opening statement you mentioned vertical approaches, well to this I would remind you that a good deep diving crankbait is a good call. I would say to go with a suspending model and to let it slowly dig up the bottom and pause it from time to time. Another approach would be to use a carolina rig. Those are just some ideas that take a vertical approach.

Peter

[Lightninrod]

Acouple of y'all have mentioned casting T-rigged worms, etc, parallel to the bank and I do that when I first get there.  I want to try and find a shallow Bass before spooking it.

But, don't eliminate throwing it out into the deeper water as far as you can.  Work it by short-hopping it and then letting it rest on the bottom.  There is a theory stated in "Big Bass Zone"(swimbait trophy Bassin' book) that relates to this:  A Bass will follow a bait headed towards shore knowing the bait's directions of escape narrow down to two directions instead of four as it get's shallower and shallower.  As it approaches shallow water, it has only the right or left direction to escape from the Bass.  The water's top and the bottom are converging, making it easier for the predator

Dan