Bass fishing without a boat.

[bugman]

I'm looking for some advice on fishing for Bass from shore or wading. In my line of work(pest control) I'm very busy during the spring-summer season. But I do get some opportunity to fish between jobs. The problem is that I can't bring a boat.  

[basser89]

Hey bugman,

What type of advise are you looking for? While I have a boat, I do some shore fishing (over my lunch break) throughout the week when I can. Are you looking for lures to use, techniques? Let me know, I'd be happy to help you out where I can!

[Marty]

I do loads of shore fishing. In general, if you have visible cover or structure, fish it thoroughly. If your water is nondescript (like mine), move around and cover a lot of water to determine any unseen cover or hot spots or other patterns.

Any lure that can be used from a boat can be used from shore, except for the vertical techniques. Go as often as you can and try to be there during higher percentage times, like low light periods. It might be just the way I like to fish, but I catch a good number of my fish on topwaters, but also soft plastics, spinnerbaits, inline spinners and crankbaits.

Good luck.

[bugman]

Do you think I could use my wading gear or will I spook the bass by getting into the water?

[bugman]

Has anyone used float tubes for bass fshing?  I have covered much water on rivers but how much water can you expect to cover on lakes?

[Marty]

Do you think I could use my wading gear or will I spook the bass by getting into the water?

I think if you don't slosh around loudly and aren't too close to the fish, you'll be all right. I used hip boots at this one place, but the fish were a good distance away. Most of the places I'd like to wade so I could fish some water not accessible from shore, I can't, because the bottom is too soft and quicksand-like.

[BronzeBack]

I have used a float tube, in fact that is all I have for a boat, and I absolutly love it.  I like being able to get a to a part of a pond/lake where bank fishing is limited to a dock and it's surrounding area.  And it's great for night fishing.

[Shad_Master]

I have a question about float tubes that kinda goes with this thread -- I was fishing from shore last year in an area were there were lots of 2-3&4 #'ers when a guy came along and started fishing from a float tube.  He "launched" himself and began paddling backwards while casting over the area where he had just paddled (also where I was fishing >).  Does all this activity with flippers under the water spook the fish, if so it would seem counter productive.

[Raul]

As long as you don 't live in gator country float tubes are a good option for the boatless one, wading is a good option unless you fish a lake with very steep slopes and know where the river channels and tributaries are located, I found a tributary the hard way while wading when I stepped into it.  :

[bronzeback_NW]

Float tubes are great.You can get back in water thats boats can't get to.And it makes you fish slower there for you get better in your technique.I have caught almost all my big fish in a float tube including a 7.9lb LM.There are some places here in Washington on wildlife refuges that you can only walk into and are great places for float tubing and one special one that I know could hold the state record and NO boats.As for the scaring or spooking bass while tubing is up for debate.I have friends that I don't like going with any more because they just want to hang way out away from the weed line and throw their 7in black power worm and thats it.Granted for the last 10 years this bait has brought fish out of this pond pushing over 10 lbs.But for me I want to do other things.I the early spring I will be right on the weed line flipping into every little hole I can find and right into the russian olive tree's we have here.I would bet that 3/4 of the big fish I have hooked I had no more than 8 ft of line out.And during the early summer I will use buzzbaits out front and follow it up with the black worm.This is where my friends say I spook their fish.So as they paddle off I will sit in one small area and hammer them,some times as many as 6-7 fish in that area on both baits.So IMO I don't spook them.I have sight fished and had the fish swim around my flippers go back to the tight shore line and have still caught them.Hope something I have said help's you Bugman.GB...Jim

[Rattlinrogue]

Do you think I could use my wading gear or will I spook the bass by getting into the water?

Before I got my first boat(a beat up 14 ft jon that I loved like it was a Ranger),I often waded small ponds in cut off jeans and tennis shoes,and I caught a lot of bass.So yes,imo,you can wade and catch bass without spooking them too bad.

[justtrying]

twenty years ago, if you weren't wading while fishing the flats at Santee-Cooper, you weren't catching big fish!

i waded the lower lake many, many, times.  ..knew where every stump, every ditch, laydown, etc., was.  when the water came up, i caught fish til it was almost embarrassing.   ..and, back 10-15 years ago, we kept a Lot of bass.  we'd have stringers that most people only dream of.

so, back to the subject, can you catch fish while wading?   ..do bears play in the woods???  LOL  ..hey, come to think of it, i Still have my waders!!!!!!!!!!!

[sorethumb]

The biggest string i ever caught came from the bank in Febuary.  Blue jig and pig and one little stick up in the water, 26 lbs! 4 fish.  Rattlirouge saw them!  Don't need no boat!

[dink]

Don't be afraid to trek through the thicker shoreline brush and trees to give yourself different angles at some of the same cover you are fishing.  Also, tubes are wonderful vehicles for fishing backwater areas effectively and there is nothing in the world like getting your tube spun 180 by a six or seven pounder!

[Guest avid]

Down here in Florida I have never seen anyone in a float tube.  It wouldn't be the gators that would scare me but the snakes sure would.  Also the bottoms are muddy and weedy, so it would be pretty dangerous.  I fish from a canoe, and there is no place I can't get into.

[Guest avid]

Cont'd.....When I lived in NY I would find myself in a similar situation to you, namely having a few slow hours at work now and then where I could fish.  I used to keep a yellow neoprene raft in the back of my truck (had a cap on it) and just go to the lake and paddle around and fish.  

[BronzeBack]

Do you think I could use my wading gear or will I spook the bass by getting into the water?

Before I got my first boat(a beat up 14 ft jon that I loved like it was a Ranger),I often waded small ponds in cut off jeans and tennis shoes,and I caught a lot of bass.So yes,imo,you can wade and catch bass without spooking them too bad.

I would have to agree with the wading for fish.  That is how I traverse all the creeks and small streams when I looking for smallies.  As long as you don't get too noisy, it's an excellent way to fish.  And believe it or not I have on occasion caught a fish that I have spoked when I made a particular loud splash.  I was able to see where it went for cover and gave it a few minutes to calm down.

[Rattlinrogue]

hile

The biggest string i ever caught came from the bank in Febuary. Blue jig and pig and one little stick up in the water, 26 lbs! 4 fish. Rattlirouge saw them! Don't need no boat!

That's the truth.While several of us were out in a boat catching a sack full of dinks,Sorethumb

would start screaming from the bank every 30 minutes or so and be holding a giant bass.He caught 'em off one stickup that bordered a deep ledge.That was about 20 years ago on a military base in South Mississippi.Never seen a stringer that big back then or ever since.They averaged around 7 lbs each.By the way,everyone.Sorethumb is my brother-in-law(kathy's brother)and he is a pitchin' son of a gun!

[rocknfish9001]

Now, say what you want about me, but im a little hesitant to buy a float tube not because of gators or snakes, thats not a problem here in MI, but snapping turtles. I have been fishing a pond that i have been dying to get a boat in, but every now and then, i see a HUGE snapping turtle (maybe 2ft. diameter) cruising around some good fishing structure. Also, there are a lot of smaller ones. I have even caught them on topwater frogs.

[RoLo]

twenty years ago, if you weren't wading while fishing the flats at Santee-Cooper, you weren't catching big fish!

Very true. Wade fishing obstructed backwaters that a boat couldn't reach,

was Roland Martin's favorite approach on Santee Cooper.