Bank/shore Approach...?

[slaynbass365]

Alright, so im typically on foot along the bank of either a large lake or medium sided pond. I've been having decent luck with t-rigged senkos and flukes, with a slowww retrieve. I have a decent arsenal of plastics, but i'm looking to expand.

So here is my question: Are other lures/baits effective when bank fishing? I'm looking to get a decent amount of crankbaits and jigs but im not sure if it'll be a waste of my money because of my lack of boat, and being on the bank- half of the distance of my cast is fairly shallow.

Should I even attempt crankbaits? if so, any advice would be appreciated!

nick

[Andy C]

You can fish anything that a person in a bass boat would be using. You just need to fish places that are applicable to the lure that you are using. Focus on lake spillways, riprap banks, creek mouth, etc.

For example, I love to fish windblown riprap banks. These are some of the best places to fish crankbaits and jigs, and being shorebound can actually be to your advantage. When the wind is really howling, boats are having to focus on boat control or are blown off of the water. You can make repeated casts to any hot spots you find, and won't have to worry about the boat crashing into the shore. I fished from shore for years, and I have had some of my best fishing years stuck on shore.

[Jigfishn10]

What's the lake composition like? Weedy, rocky, woody? Water clarity? Depth? I try and base my tackle around those things.

Andy C is on point about fishing the same from a bank in comparison to a boat. There's really no difference other than you have more access to fishing spots in a boat.

[slaynbass365]

You can fish anything that a person in a bass boat would be using. You just need to fish places that are applicable to the lure that you are using. Focus on lake spillways, riprap banks, creek mouth, etc.

For example, I love to fish windblown riprap banks. These are some of the best places to fish crankbaits and jigs, and being shorebound can actually be to your advantage. When the wind is really howling, boats are having to focus on boat control or are blown off of the water. You can make repeated casts to any hot spots you find, and won't have to worry about the boat crashing into the shore. I fished from shore for years, and I have had some of my best fishing years stuck on shore.

Great advice, thanks!

What's the lake composition like? Weedy, rocky, woody? Water clarity? Depth? I try and base my tackle around those things.

Andy C is on point about fishing the same from a bank in comparison to a boat. There's really no difference other than you have more access to fishing spots in a boat.

I fish two lakes primarily. One is very heavily fished both from shore and by boat, and the bottom of the entire lake is weeds. There is good clarity here.

The second lake is much smaller, and not heavily fished at all. The bottom is rocky (dirt/gravel type mix), and the clarity isnt great. I have never had a problem with weeds here, but I have also not had much luck with anything other than a weighted fluke or senko. I have tried two crankbaits here with zero luck, and that's what got me thinking if crankbaits, etc are efficient for bank fishing...and worth the investment to get an assortment of them while I have a little extra money.

[clayton86]

I am in the same situation as u and I have had luck with cranks but I loose ALOT so I tend to throw shallow cranks even in deep water with luck.

[ChiCityBasser]

I fish from the bank/shore also and have been very effective with crankbaits this year. If you are going to fish them shallow I would try the strike king 1xs or BPS Egg shallow divers. Both have been very successful for me this year. Swim jigs also work well shallow and can be fished through the weeds as well.

Good luck

[Jigfishn10]

IMHO:

In both cases, obviously keep the stick baits and flukes. Both waterways you can use jigs, spinnerbaits, tubes, lipless cranks, worms (I'm sure I'm missing some things here) and any topwater of your choice.

Lake 1 with weeds: I'm not a huge lipped crankbait fan fishing from the bank on weedy lakes. I'd rather throw a spinnerbait of lipless crank if I'm looking for a reaction strike. My opinion only. Jigs would be some type of finesse/flipping jig like an SK bitsy bug or bitsy flip (just using that brand as an example). Check out some of the sponsors here on this site (Siebert Outdoors and Northstart) you can't go wrong with either. The jig needs to have at most a 30* line tie otherwise you'll spend a lot of time taking weedes off your jig.

Lake 2 with rocks/gravel: Screams lipped cranks, especially in a craw pattern (if any time would be the most ample time would be spring) or a shad pattern. Football jigs: You can't beat a football jig in rocks/gravel.

I only scratched the surface and I'm sure some folks here will chime in on this, but I hope this helps you get started.

[slaynbass365]

IMHO:

In both cases, obviously keep the stick baits and flukes. Both waterways you can use jigs, spinnerbaits, tubes, lipless cranks, worms (I'm sure I'm missing some things here) and any topwater of your choice.

Lake 1 with weeds: I'm not a huge lipped crankbait fan fishing from the bank on weedy lakes. I'd rather throw a spinnerbait of lipless crank if I'm looking for a reaction strike. My opinion only. Jigs would be some type of finesse/flipping jig like an SK bitsy bug or bitsy flip (just using that brand as an example). Check out some of the sponsors here on this site (Siebert Outdoors and Northstart) you can't go wrong with either. The jig needs to have at most a 30* line tie otherwise you'll spend a lot of time taking weedes off your jig.

Lake 2 with rocks/gravel: Screams lipped cranks, especially in a craw pattern (if any time would be the most ample time would be spring) or a shad pattern. Football jigs: You can't beat a football jig in rocks/gravel.

I only scratched the surface and I'm sure some folks here will chime in on this, but I hope this helps you get started.

Perfect, so i'll be ordering some cranks and some more jigs then. I have about 50 to spend on an assortment for fall, so that should at least get me started. Got the plastics and frogs covered so now I have the confidence to order some hard baits and know they wont be wasted! Thanks a lot for your input.

[Marty]

Like has previously been said, you can use any lure you want that fits the conditions. The bass don't know whether you're in a boat or on shore. I've done a huge amount of shore fishing and have used a wide variety of lures.

[slaynbass365]

Like has previously been said, you can use any lure you want that fits the conditions. The bass don't know whether you're in a boat or on shore. I've done a huge amount of shore fishing and have used a wide variety of lures.

Well my main concern is that on a 30 ft cast, about 15 feet of that distance is shallow and full of weeds- only giving me about 10-15 feet of decent presentation and utilization of the cranks diving before they snag the weeds. As opposed to being in a boat and not having to worry (as much) about your cranks running through thick weeds on their retrieve and dive...

I may be completely wrong here, as I am fairly new to using crankbaits, etc but it seems that the general vibe im getting is that any type of bait is appropriate if chosen and used appropriately based on the location....

On that note, I have been browsing hundreds of different crankbaits and find myself overwhelmed. Fat ones, thin ones, long bills, short bills, square bills.....i'm assuming some are just outright wrong for my situation. Any tips on what I should be looking for when it comes to cranks being used in my conditions?

[Glenn]

These may be of help:

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/shoreline_fishing.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/bank_fishing.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/bank_fishing_shore.html

[ChiCityBasser]

I use the strike king 1xs and Bps egg over weeds with the cranks running 1-2' or in the 1-3' range. Sometimes ticking the tops of the weeds and ripping it out draws a reaction strike. You will have to experiment with cranks but I usually keep my lipped cranks in or around the 5-8' range or depending on conditions at the lake I'm fishing.

[bassin is addicting]

i fish from the bank 3-4 times a week... and my approach is...

i look for cover, rip rap, weeds, points...the same as a boater looks for

i seem to lose a jig within 5 casts from the bank...

and crankbaits that dive more than 3ft are not much different..

so....

i use a lot of:

weightless or 1/8oz t-rigged plastics...worms, craws, beavers, hula grubs, swim senko..etc..

hollow bodied frog

rage shad

buzzbait

jitterbug

popper

spook

spinnerbait

scrounger

shallow running crankbaits

good luck

[hookset on 3]

Crankbaits for stained rocky water inthe 3 to 6 foot zone should be wide bodied with some rattles.

Some of my favorites are the Norman Pro Edge shalow, rapala DT4 fat,Bomber Fat Free Shad shallow.

Try using our sponsors Bass Tackle Depot , Cabelas or BPS.

If you can match the hatch of the kinds of baitfish you see in the rocky lake, all the better.

[TeamDaiwa69]

I would stick with texas rigged plastics like the Berkely Gulp 5 1/2" sinking minnow in green pumpkin. Cast parallel to the shore an jig up and down very slowly with a 1/8 oz worm weight.

[BassinMidWest]

Fish don't care where you are when you got the right lure in front of them. Anything you can use in boat, will catch fish from the bank. Deep diving crankbaits are a little tricky to use, but if you can find deep enough places to use them, use them. Restricting you self to flukes and senkos will really limit your catches. Jigs and shallow cranks are actually a favorite of mine when busting the bank.

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

Well my main concern is that on a 30 ft cast, about 15 feet of that distance is shallow and full of weeds- only giving me about 10-15 feet of decent presentation and utilization of the cranks diving before they snag the weeds.

What are you throwing that you only get 30' out? Even with a Bitsy Minnow, a very small crankbait, 60' is what I toss one. I think though you should try a Strike King Bitsy Minnow they are great little cranks dive 4-5 feet or so.

Also walk lightly. My shore fishing many times I go to a spot with large rocks and the bass stay near them and one little thump of your foot and 2-3 bass head out from the rocks. But then knowing this a 1/8oz jig w/ragetail baby craw tossed that way next time lands a nice fish.

Nightcrawlers

Senkos

Jigs w/craw

Bitsy Minnow

Spro Frog

[Bill Porter]

Strike King KVD 1.5 in any color! Good luck!!!! Tackle Warehouse has them on sale, I recommend the Chart Blk/back, Craw colors, Sexy Shad, and Bluegill patterns.