Bass_Akwards Posted July 16, 2009 Posted July 16, 2009 Here's what I do to crush it from shore. If I may brag for a moment? I catch WAY more bass, and much bigger bass than most anglers do, who fish the same ponds I fish. I spend lots of time talking with other fishermen on local message boards or when I'm done fishing, or as they walk by me when I'm fishing and i'm here to tell you, I outfish them nearly ALL THE TIME! Why? Because they aren't doing what I'm doing. Simple. In no particular order, some of the things I think are important when fishing from shore are........ 1. Learn the structure If you fish from shore, you don't get the luxury of electronics. Your job is to use a Carolina rig to feel the underwater structure you can actually cast to. Go slow and feel the contours and humps and ridges and rocks and shells and ledges down there so next time, you'll know where everything is and you can fish it accordingly 2. Times of day If you're not catching anything lately, pay attention to the time of day you fish. In my opinion, you need to be out there an hour before the sun sets, and fish until dark. OF COURSE you can catch fish during the day, but again, being stuck on shore it's much more difficult in general. LMB will have a tendency to move to the shallows and away from deep structure and cover to hunt closer to shore as night falls. This is good for shore fishermen for obvious reasons. In most states, the fish will give you a nice window near dusk, where they are really actively feeding. Sometimes this might only last 30 minutes and then turn off as fast as it turned on, but you need to be fishing when it happens. Go early as the sun is rising, or late nearer sunset. 3. Start fast and slow down OR throw two baits! Lots of people just show up and start casting their soft plastic. I think you should start with a faster lure like a crank or a buzzbait and see what the fish want. If you start slow and get a couple bass that's great, but you'll never know if the fast bite is even on unless you try. I like whipping a Senko out there and dead sticking it, while I throw a faster lure for 30 minutes to see if the fish want a quicker retrieve. If they don't want it fast? Slow down. 4. ABC - ALWAYS BE CASTING!!!!!!!!!!! I know, just from watching friends and other anglers on the water, that I make WAY more casts than they do. It's just a fact, and it's no accident. Chilling, talking, eating, joking, is all fun, but you HAVE TO KEEP YOUR BAIT WET! I honestly notice sometimes, that I'll make like 4,5,6 casts while the guys I fish with, make 1 or even zero casts in the same amount of time. Try making more casts than you usually do next time out. 5. Learn to fish the cover. Not near the cover, but IN the actual cover. When it's sunny, those bass are going to be in heavy cover. Don't be afraid to get in there to catch 'em. Most people love to fish weed EDGES but the sun makes those fish get deep in there and you have to learn what baits fish best in thick weeds, how to fish said baits, and go get them bass in those places others are literally scared to fish. 6. Top Water can be amazing! Lots of people are scared to fish baits like buzzbaits. I find them to be absolutely amazing for fishing at dusk and dawn from shore and so do lots of others. Try different retrieves and speeds and try poppers and spooks and jitterbugs too. Great for shore fishing when it gets darker out. 7. Pay attention to conditions. If there's no wind for 2 hours, and then it picks up to 15 miles an hour all the sudden, stop throwing that Senko and whip on a spinnerbait! I notice guys all the time just continuing to throw their C-rigged creature bait even though the wind conditions just changed semi-dramatically. If the conditions change, YOU need to change! 8. CONFIDENCE THROUGH PRACTICE Trust me, when you start catching more fish, you'll start catching more fish. Make sense? Fishing has A LOT to do with confidence. If you don't have confidence in a lure, or your technique, or a body of water, or even a specific piece of cover or structure you happen to be fishing, you're likelihood of catching bass goes down at least 50% in my humble opinion. Start gaining confidence by practicing your casting, and presentations with each bait until you rock with each one. Show me a confident angler and i'll show you someone who's live well is almost never empty. 9. Don't just stand there You get to the pond at 7:30 and it's a beautiful night and you make your first cast. Nothing. Then make another cast with no result, then another, then another with no bites. For 20-30 minutes your fishing hard with a couple different baits and no bites. This is the time to MOVE! I see people fish for an hour, making the same fan casts, to the same spots over and over and over again. I just don't see how this is productive. At some point you have to realize "I'm not on fish" and move to a different part of the pond. 10. Long casts. If you're stuck on shore, you need to cover water, even if you're finesse fishing. At lots of the ponds I fish, the vegetation big bass love, is 40, 50, 60 yards from shore. I constantly see people that either have no clue that big bass love this sort of cover, or they have no ability to cast that far. Usually the latter. If you need to get to cover like this, OR need to get to deeper water because fish are relating to deeper structure, you NEED to get the equipment, line, and technique to get your lures where the bass are. Try some of these tips and see how you do. Good luck and Hook 'em hard. Quote
Bass_Akwards Posted July 16, 2009 Author Posted July 16, 2009 These are in no partucular order, but because Raul rocks, #10 is now #1. Plus, he's right, this might be the most important one on the list. Quote
Super User Raul Posted July 16, 2009 Super User Posted July 16, 2009 I liked: Don 't just stand there. Quote
Busy Posted July 16, 2009 Posted July 16, 2009 These are all good points. Thanks for the great post. I'll add what else I've found works for me. Location is huge when fishing from the shore. Find a good spot before you even get your poles out. Get your topo map out and choose some preliminary spots. Visit these spots and look for crawdads, baitfish, etc. If there are none, you can find a better spot. INLETS and OUTLETS. Even the small ones, like where a small seasonal creek runs into the lake can be very productive areas. Visit your spots regularly, even you don't have time to fish. Without being on a boat you will likely have to watch the ground closely to tell you when seasonal patterns are changing. ABC is completely true. Some of my friends seem to put their rods down and twiddle around until someone catches a fish. Right after a fish is caught they're back in the water. TOO LATE. Quote
Lynx Posted July 16, 2009 Posted July 16, 2009 YES THESE ARE ALL GOOD POINTS, & A GOOD POST TO. BUT I SEE ONE THING THAT YOUR FORGETTING: YOU CAN LAND BASS AT ANYTIME, ANY TEMPATURE, ANY CODITION OF ANY DAY ALL DAY LONG. HERE'S 1 OF MY PSOT THAT I HAVE POSTED SEVERAL TIMES FOR THOSE THAT WOULD LIKE SOME TIPS ON WHAT TO DO IF THERE NO CATCHING FISH. (IT COVERS SOME OF WHAT YOU SAID, & SOME THANGS THAT YOU DIDNT. BUT MAY BE DIFFERENT IN WAYS, THAT I FISH FROM A BOAT, PONTOON, OR FLOAT TUBE WHEN I AM OUT. I RARELY FISH FROM THE SHORE) SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA Here's a couple of tips that might help you out. LOCATION, PRESENTATION, & CONDITIONS ARE ALL A FACTOR. AND ONE MORE THING IS THAT YOU IN FACT MIGHT BE GOING TO FAST W/ YOUR FISHING. DONT BE AFRAID TO SLOW IT DOWN: MEANING TAKE 2-4 MINUTES TO RETRIEVE THAT LAST CAST. I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH! ALSO: MATCH YOUR BAIT COLORS TO THE CLARITY OF THE WATER. THIS HELPS IN A BIG WAY. IF THE WATER IS CHOPPY, THEN YOU NEED (SHOULD) BE THROWING TOPWATER LURES. WHEN I GO OUT I EXPECT (I GUARANTEE) THAT I AM GOING TO LAND BASS, & DO THAT AT ANYTIME OF THE DAY: WETHER IS 0 DEGREES-110DEGREES OUTSIDE. IF YOU HAVE TAKEN THE TIME TO DIAL IN YOUR SKILL LEVEL, AT NO POINT SHOULD THE TIME OF DAY BY A FACTOR IN LANDING A HAWG. I live in Sacramento, California, right now the Bass are in a suspended state: Which Means: AT THIS TIME OF YEAR ON THE WEST COAST, BASS ARE IN SPAWN & POST SPAWN MODE: WHICH MEANS THEY ARE GOING TO BE ON REACTION STRIKES. THE BEST THING TO DO IN THIS CASE IS TO SET YOUR LURE IN FRONT OF THE BASS & BRING IT TO THEM. LESS EFFORT FOR THE BASS MEANS MORE FISH. THIS TIME OF YEAR ITS ALL ABOUT SENKOS, & SPINNER BAITS. (MATCH THE COLOR OF YOUR BAITS TO THE CLEARITY OF THE WATER). SPAWNING (POST) = SHALLOW WATERS & HEAVY COVER. AN OFF-SET HOOK RIGGED WEEDLESS W/ A WATERMELON SENKO (DEAD-STICKING) WORKS GREAT. 2 MORE TIPS: LARGEMOUTH BASS LIKE SHALLOW WATER W/ HEAVY COVER (BANKS, TREE'S, LILYS). SMALLMOUTH BASS LIKE DEEPER WATER W/ DROP OFF'S, ROCK BEDS, SLOPS. SPOTTED (BLACK) BASS LIKE DEEPER WATER YET (CENTER OF A POND, LAKE, ETC), W/ COVER SUCH AS GRASS & ROCKS. FISH ARE LIKE US WHEN IT'S HOT OUTSIDE & THE SUN IS DIRECTLY ABOVE, WE FIND COVER, SO DO THEY. THEY'LL ALSO WILL DO THIS BY GOING INTO DEEPER WATERS. YOU CAN CATCH BASS WHEN IT'S HOT OUTSIDE, 75% OF THE TIME THERE NOT GOING TO CHASE IT (BAITS) (WHEN IT'S LIKE A DESERT OUTSIDE) IT'S GOING TO BE WHEN YOUR BAIT OR LURE SUSPENDS. REMEMBER (SUMMARY): LOCATION, PRESENTATION, & CONDITIONS ARE ALL A FACTOR. AND ONE MORE THING IS THAT YOU IN FACT MIGHT BE GOING TO FAST W/ YOUR FISHING. DONT BE AFRAID TO SLOW IT DOWN: MEANING TAKE 2-4 MINUTES TO RETRIEVE THAT LAST CAST. I HOPE THIS HELPS YOU IN CATCHING THE "BIG KAHUNA Quote
Hemi6677 Posted July 16, 2009 Posted July 16, 2009 I primarily fish 1 to 2 acre farm ponds but will generally catch more fish then the people I am with. While they are farting around with worms or bobbers I tie on a chatterbait and make laps around the pond usually catching 3 - 4 bass before the others even have their baits wet. Put me on a large body of water or in a boat though and I'm horrible. I have no clue what I'm doing on lakes. :-/ Here is a picture of a decent bass I caught a few weeks ago on a Zoom pumpkin seed colored worm. I caught this because I didn't sit on my butt and climbed through a forest to get to the good spots. (Sorry for the absolute horrible picture quality. My BIL's camera phone is junk) Quote
Busy Posted July 16, 2009 Posted July 16, 2009 Fishing lakes is much more difficult. If you can't find the fish on a 1 or 2 acre pond, then you just can't find fish. I love fishing ponds and they've taught me a lot, but I generally feel as though ponds are like a practice field. Lakes are much more diverse in current, cover, feed, depth, etc. This is why I always start with a topo for lakes. There are a lot of maps out that also have lake-bottom topography which can be immensely helpful. Maps that show run-off can also help. Quote
DMac Posted July 16, 2009 Posted July 16, 2009 Awesome post! I too shore fish a lot and I really agree on the keeping your bait wet tip. The more casts you make the more fish are gonna see your bait. Quote
Little Luey Posted July 16, 2009 Posted July 16, 2009 thanks guys, I see I am guilty of doing just the opposite of waht you say. For instance I have a tendency to stay on a spot for too long and try a bunch of lures to see if I find the right one, when in reality the bass may not be in that area. I need to pay more attention to the conditions, where i live it is ussually sunny and hot but once in a while a cloud may pass by or the wind may pick up, most of the time I don't even notice, I feel I am paying attention to the lure and my retrive but fail to see other things. One thing I do and you mentioned is to have two lures/baits out in the water. I usually have a rod with a nightcrawler on a carolina rig while I cast using another lure. Thanks for the tips. keep them coming. Quote
duxfan Posted July 17, 2009 Posted July 17, 2009 Awesome post. I also seem to stay in the same spot too long and usually just switch between crank baits and seldomly gotten lucky. Right now, I'm trying to figure out how to fish in the weeds without getting stuck Quote
Lynx Posted July 17, 2009 Posted July 17, 2009 Awesome post. I also seem to stay in the same spot too long and usually just switch between crank baits and seldomly gotten lucky. Right now, I'm trying to figure out how to fish in the weeds without getting stuck Off-set hook, Plastics, Split shot above eye (stationary Texas Rig). Braided Line also cuts threw brush & debris, where as mono or fluorocarbon: stretch's, splinters, fray's, & breaks. ALSO: Dont be affraid to put a Spinnerbait right in front of the hairy looking stuff (dense growth). GOOD LUCKS TO YOU IN CATCHING THE "BIG KAHUNA." Quote
tnbassfisher Posted July 17, 2009 Posted July 17, 2009 Even If I do have a "weedless" rig, I am always seeming to get hung up. Quote
LloydTheFisher Posted July 17, 2009 Posted July 17, 2009 These are in no partucular order, but because Raul rocks, #10 is now #1. Plus, he's right, this might be the most important one on the list. This is my problem, how do I cast further? Quote
D4u2s0t Posted July 17, 2009 Posted July 17, 2009 practice! Most people I see cast completely wrong. It's like making a good golf swing, swinging a bat, throwing a ball, whatever. I see lots of people practically throw their whole body into a cast when trying to get it to go far, not using the pole the way it's mean to be. Like the golfer that swings as hard as he can, yet the person that swings slower but has good form will hit it further, and more accurate. You want to use your pole like a whip (is easier if it's not a super heavy rod) and mostly use your wrists. Say for a basic overhand cast, hold your hands out in front of you, bring the pole back, (don't move your arms too much. use your wrists!) and then snap it forwards, ending with the tip pointing to your target. The goal is to use the rod to do the work, not your arms, back, and rest of your body. If you're not using a telephone pole for a rod, the rod will get a real nice bend in it, and will throw the bait out, kinda like a slingshot. Also keep in mind that what you're throwing, line weight, wind, etc all have a part in how far you cast. Last night I was throwing a fluke, which is heavy, and it was getting way out there. Put on a space monkey, I was lucky to get it 20 yards. Creature baits tend to cast less distance because there's more drag as they fly through the air, and they are not that heavy. I also try to cast big profile baits at a lower trajectory, keeping them not too far off the water. With the fluke, which is heavy and aerodynamic, I just throw it out with some nice height. Do that with a space monkey and it will come back and hit in you the face if there's a breeze lol. Also, line weight plays a part. Lighter line will cast further. Don't be afraid to go outside and make some practice casts. Get a bucket, or something similar, and try to get the bait in the bucket. Start out close, to where you can get it in all the time, and start working your way back further away. Will not only help your distance, but will help with putting your bait where you want. Quote
underwraps1 Posted July 17, 2009 Posted July 17, 2009 There is some good information in this thread. I am sure to do some more studying. Thanks! Quote
tnbassfisher Posted July 18, 2009 Posted July 18, 2009 YES THESE ARE ALL GOOD POINTS, & A GOOD POST TO. BUT I SEE ONE THING THAT YOUR FORGETTING: YOU CAN LAND BASS AT ANYTIME, ANY TEMPATURE, ANY CODITION OF ANY DAY ALL DAY LONG. HERE'S 1 OF MY PSOT THAT I HAVE POSTED SEVERAL TIMES FOR THOSE THAT WOULD LIKE SOME TIPS ON WHAT TO DO IF THERE NO CATCHING FISH. (IT COVERS SOME OF WHAT YOU SAID, & SOME THANGS THAT YOU DIDNT. BUT MAY BE DIFFERENT IN WAYS, THAT I FISH FROM A BOAT, PONTOON, OR FLOAT TUBE WHEN I AM OUT. I RARELY FISH FROM THE SHORE) SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA Here's a couple of tips that might help you out. LOCATION, PRESENTATION, & CONDITIONS ARE ALL A FACTOR. AND ONE MORE THING IS THAT YOU IN FACT MIGHT BE GOING TO FAST W/ YOUR FISHING. DONT BE AFRAID TO SLOW IT DOWN: MEANING TAKE 2-4 MINUTES TO RETRIEVE THAT LAST CAST. I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH! ALSO: MATCH YOUR BAIT COLORS TO THE CLARITY OF THE WATER. THIS HELPS IN A BIG WAY. IF THE WATER IS CHOPPY, THEN YOU NEED (SHOULD) BE THROWING TOPWATER LURES. WHEN I GO OUT I EXPECT (I GUARANTEE) THAT I AM GOING TO LAND BASS, & DO THAT AT ANYTIME OF THE DAY: WETHER IS 0 DEGREES-110DEGREES OUTSIDE. IF YOU HAVE TAKEN THE TIME TO DIAL IN YOUR SKILL LEVEL, AT NO POINT SHOULD THE TIME OF DAY BY A FACTOR IN LANDING A HAWG. I live in Sacramento, California, right now the Bass are in a suspended state: Which Means: AT THIS TIME OF YEAR ON THE WEST COAST, BASS ARE IN SPAWN & POST SPAWN MODE: WHICH MEANS THEY ARE GOING TO BE ON REACTION STRIKES. THE BEST THING TO DO IN THIS CASE IS TO SET YOUR LURE IN FRONT OF THE BASS & BRING IT TO THEM. LESS EFFORT FOR THE BASS MEANS MORE FISH. THIS TIME OF YEAR ITS ALL ABOUT SENKOS, & SPINNER BAITS. (MATCH THE COLOR OF YOUR BAITS TO THE CLEARITY OF THE WATER). SPAWNING (POST) = SHALLOW WATERS & HEAVY COVER. AN OFF-SET HOOK RIGGED WEEDLESS W/ A WATERMELON SENKO (DEAD-STICKING) WORKS GREAT. 2 MORE TIPS: LARGEMOUTH BASS LIKE SHALLOW WATER W/ HEAVY COVER (BANKS, TREE'S, LILYS). SMALLMOUTH BASS LIKE DEEPER WATER W/ DROP OFF'S, ROCK BEDS, SLOPS. SPOTTED (BLACK) BASS LIKE DEEPER WATER YET (CENTER OF A POND, LAKE, ETC), W/ COVER SUCH AS GRASS & ROCKS. FISH ARE LIKE US WHEN IT'S HOT OUTSIDE & THE SUN IS DIRECTLY ABOVE, WE FIND COVER, SO DO THEY. THEY'LL ALSO WILL DO THIS BY GOING INTO DEEPER WATERS. YOU CAN CATCH BASS WHEN IT'S HOT OUTSIDE, 75% OF THE TIME THERE NOT GOING TO CHASE IT (BAITS) (WHEN IT'S LIKE A DESERT OUTSIDE) IT'S GOING TO BE WHEN YOUR BAIT OR LURE SUSPENDS. REMEMBER (SUMMARY): LOCATION, PRESENTATION, & CONDITIONS ARE ALL A FACTOR. AND ONE MORE THING IS THAT YOU IN FACT MIGHT BE GOING TO FAST W/ YOUR FISHING. DONT BE AFRAID TO SLOW IT DOWN: MEANING TAKE 2-4 MINUTES TO RETRIEVE THAT LAST CAST. I HOPE THIS HELPS YOU IN CATCHING THE "BIG KAHUNA I've read that somewhere else. Was that from an article or something? Quote
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