Fishing from shore

[bigbill]

Fishing from shore is the same as from a boat only its backwards. You can also have good success too. Knowing the bottom structure like drop off's, deep holes, rocky points and were the changes in the bottom structures as is important too. I like the portable hummingbird fish finder. I use it more for seeing what the depths are than finding fish. You'd be surprsied how every guy fishing from shore will say what the bottom is like infront of us. The fish finder doesn't lie when it comes to depth. Once you know what the bottom structure is like you can adjust your way of fishing it.

The downfall is sometimes we can't reach the fish that are breaking the surface. I seen one fish work over the lilly pads for a month or so just out of my casting reach. But fishing every morning and watching this fish i was very patient. One day it came close enough for a cast. I casted about 25' to the right of it and past it so i didn't spook it. I seren it make a pass and hit my topwater lure. After an awesome fight i landed a 30" pickerel. The fight was just to fast for a bass. At another spot the samething happened i watched a fish tearing up the lilly's and i got a cast near it as i had it in my hand there in the lilly's they were still be torn up. I had a 6lb 1oz bass in my hand but there was another big fish out there still.

My point is in fishing from shore don't let it discourage you, we need to adjust to fish from shore remember its backwards. Plus when your lure gets near the shoreline slow it up and maybe pause just incase a fish is nearby. Take your time with casts too don't rush. This is whay i like to go early when no one is there and take my time and fish slow. As we get better at it the numbers of fish caught will increase.

Now were are the bass feeding?  There up near the shoreline ambushing the baitfish in low light conditions like early mornings and late evenings.  The bass's eyes change faster to the different light conditions when the baitfishes eye's take longer to change.  This is why the feeding frenzy takes place at low light conditions when the light changes.

I'd like to hear more from shore fisherman here too. Maybe you have a trick or tactic you want to talk about too.

Remember its not luck in fishing luck is at the casino. Its skill that catches fish. BB

[NateFollmer]

There's two things I always see shore anglers do and it needs to stop!

1. They stay in 1 spot the entire time... MOVE PEOPLE! If you were in a boat, you'd be moving (sometimes), so start walking. I'll stay at a spot for maybe 10 to 15 minutes, if it isn't producing, I'll move. As I'm walking to another spot, I'll cast every so many feet and see if I can feel any changes in the bottom or even find a fish.

2. Cast straight out into the water... I bet 90% of my fish were caught from shore when I was paralleling the bank. If paralleling the bank isn't working, begin to fan cast the area, change your cast by maybe 5 degrees at a time (get out a protractor and measure...).

I could go on and on about this, but I think I'll stop there... I've been working on an extensive article about this so I don't want to write the entire thing here HA.

[noogai13]

its funny you should bring this up because i HAVE a boat, its a little jon boat perfect for my lake, but heres the catch: IT HAS NO TRAILER, MOTOR OR REGISTRATION!!!! D: D: D:

[bigbill]

I'm fishing smaller ponds that were dammed so they used the water power in the 1800's.  These are still flowing rivers.  Since i have 3 or 4 places close together I go thru my favorite ritual of baits and move quickly to the next spot if nothings happening. I'm gunnin and runnin from shore too.  If I had a small boat it would only slow me down.  Its funny how one place will be dead with nothing happening while another place may come to life that was dead yesterday.  The PH can change very rapidly i guess.

                                                  BB

[Marty]

It helps to have a good mental attitude, that is, don't worry about the fish, cover and structure that you can't reach and concentrate on what you can do.

I tend to keep moving and cover a lot of ground unless I have reason not to. Also, there have been exceptions, but most fish have been caught within, say, 20' of shore, so it's a better bet to cast at an angle to or parallel with the bank.

But keep an open mind and don't rule out anything.

[islandbass]

I concur with just about everything said and I really don't think I can add more.

I'm definitely sold on the positive mental attitude, but in addition, I have learned you there are times that you have to grind through it. Pay your dues and you will be rewarded.

As for a tip, I on my person what I call my "magic" bag.  As you know carrying too much junk can be combersome from the shore.  What I do to minimize walking back to my bag (if I don't feel like fishing with my bag on my shoulder)  every time when I switch soft plastics.  What I do is have a small plastic bag (like a zip lock or bag the lures came in) and have a couple of the plastics all in that bag and put it in my pocket.

That way, when I feel the need to switch to something else, I don't have to walk back to my bag just to change baits. I just remove the old one and put on the new one.  I will also have a variety of weights and hooks too.

When I am done, I put the plastics back in their original bags.

I think doing this has really saved time that is better expended on fishing.

Everyone knows about my homemade rod carrier. It keeps my rods apart from each other and off the ground, thereby keeping them clean, and I can hold 3 rods in one hand easily.

It is surprisingly easy to make. Great topic!

[hmongkidBee]

I totally agree with everyone.  Here in southern California, these lakes are highly highly pressured.   Anyways here's a tip that will help any angler: TALK TO THE FISHERMEN THERE.  Find out what the lake you're fishing at is all about, the cover, the structure, and find out what lures have been working.  I used to bring three or four rods with me, now I have lowered it down to 2.  One for jigs/soft plastics, and the other for moving baits.  Aside from this keep an open mind on fishing, and don't change lures too quickly as well.

[ChiCityBasser]

I fish from the shore also and agree with the things said in regards to moving around and learning bottom structure and changing up lures. Of the fish I have caught this year I would say 90-95% have been caught when casting parallel to the bank. Either using a shallow diving crankbait just coming over the tops of the weeds near the shore or using a swim jig with any creature bait as a trailer. Most important thing for me is learning the lake makeup meaning the shallow areas, the bottom structure, what types of weeds and how high up in the water column the weeds grow. I have caught most of my fish this year on a Strike King 1XS or on a variety of swim jigs in either 1/4oz or 3/8oz. The fish in my profile pic was caught from the shore as well and was my first frog fish caught on a Spro Bronzeye.

Learning the lake is the most important part of fishing the shore for me and the way to fish either over or through the weeds near shore.

[Shad_Master]

There is a small "lake" near my home that I used to refer to at the "test pond" - it was loaded with bass and most of the shore "anglers" were using live bait - I would alway go there to use any new lure just to see what the action was like and reaction of the bass.  One thing to keep in mind about shore fishing, while there may be a lot of people doing it, they are most likely not fishing the same way a boater would and this can give you an advantage by throwing something they probably have never seen before.

[grimlin]

The current is your friend.......People avoid the current for some odd reason here(mostly for lures getting hung up).Some of my best fishing has came from heavy to moderate water currents.

[the lone fisherman]

thanks for the info it will help  :)i like use topwater inthe morning finding low branches to throw under later i will walk the whole lake stopping at every cleaning and sight fish until i see big bass if cant catch it ill keep going till make my way all the way around then ill catch some bream around 4 or 5''s long go back to the where seen the biggest bass and throw out the bream on a big bobber... its usually works for me

[WanderLust]

I fish from shore 5 days a week generally. There's been some good points brought up already so I will just try to add some more food for thought.

Use the right presentation for the right environment. Most shore fisherman don't move around that much however when you do move; you need to be using the right tool for the job.

Be through and methodical when attacking an area... If it doesn't work; change it up.

I constantly have people ask me what are they biting on etc... Just throw the right presentation at them, at the right time with the right speed. Which is part of challenge I love about fishing.

[Hellbenderman]

This only works if the wind is blowing out or better yet, parallel and out. Blow up a balloon. Run a piece of thread through one of the eyes on your lure, either the nose ring or a hook ring, and also through the hole of a cherry Lifesaver and tie a knot so the thread has tied the Lifesaver and your lure together. Tie another thread to the balloon and also to the Lifesaver. Now you have the lure attached to the Lifesaver and the ballon attached to the lifesaver. Let the wind take the whole mess out into the lake. When you have reached your "spot", just hold on until the lifesaver melts, the balloon floats away, and "voila", your lure is now 100 feet out! There are a million ways to do this. I prefer sending two lines out, one very light 4lb and the other my fishing line, with a slip knot, so I can release the lure and reel the balloon back in. I first started doing this off piers at Cape Hatteras to get my bait a couple hundred yards off shore to sand bar occasioned by Tarpon. Before I got a boat, I did this at my local lake, and would float a shiner out 50 yds to fish some tree tops twenty feet down. Home made potato cannons are useful for rocketing your lures, but that's another story.