How To Find Fish

[BassAssassin726]

Unfortunately i dont own a boat so i fish from shore 99 percent of the time. My question is since i dont own any fancy fish finding electronics how can i know im on fish? Should i be looking for the normal stuff? Structure, points, etc etc?

[Marty]

I have done a huge amount of shore fishing in the years I've been at it. If you see what you consider good cover and/or structure, by all means fish it thoroughly. If you don't see any or you see it and don't catch anything, then move around a lot and cover as much water as possible. You may very well pick off some fish and find some good spots. Often you won't know why the good spots are good, as you don't know what's beneath the surface.

I'd get out as often as possible and learn the waters you visit. There is potential to catch some pretty big fish from shore and I've caught plenty of them (meaning big by my standards), including my personal best.

[Edgy]

I stick to casting parallel with the banks then keep moving deeper, the bass in my lake tend to stick to the banks in deep enough water waiting for bait fish thats why i cast there. and i cast in the same general location a few times, i dont move but i cast about a foot farther to the center of the pond until i am casting straight to the center then move down to just before the distance i can throw my lure. The biggest largemouth i have caught was 8lb and that was bank fishing, and wear neutral color and when you are walking walk high up on the bank and if you spook a bass that is sitting on the bank then try to cast at him sometimes they will swim out as fast as they can and hide and sometimes they'll cruise and stil take your bait.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Keep your eyes open for baitfish activity and try creeks this time of year. Presence of a heron is a clue that there is bait in the area. Read the water and make high persentage casts to targets like wood, rocks, weedlines etc. Look for current breaks in moving water.

[senile1]

Below are a few basic things you can do to find structure, cover, and forage from the bank, and hopefully you will find fish near these items.

• Fan Cast a lure that can be dragged on bottom. By counting it down in different spots you can determine an approximate depth in each of those locations and you can slowly map out the bottom of the waterway and find drop-offs, humps, holes, points, etc. One of the better techniques for doing this is a carolina rig. This can take some time.
  
• Keep your eyes peeled for rocks, timber, stumps, and vegetation that can hold fish. A good quality pair of polarized sunglasses can help immensely in finding these areas because you will be able to see down into the water.
  
• Watch for baitfish activity like bluegills or other sunfish feeding. Bass should be close by.
  
• Watch for birds like herons and pay attention to the areas they choose to feed which is another indication of baitfish.
  
• Humminbird makes a wireless fishfinder that you can attach to your line. This will help you to find fish holding structure as well.
  

[Catt]

Exactly what senile1 said

[Hyrule Bass]

funny, last time i seen a heron at a lake he wasnt going after no baitfish, i was bank fishing at night at lake gaston with my bro-in-law. kept hearing splashing, shined my battery powered lantern over there and a heron was pecking in the water, next thing we know, he picks up a 20+ inch fish outta the water and flies off with it, was pretty cool to see...

as for bank fishing, you just have to work the area, you may not know exactly whats there but you can find out some info. like if youre pulling in grass, you know theres a grass bed out there, i form a mental line of the edge of the grass and work that line. if no results ill try something that i can work above the grass. maybe theres a spot where you keep getting snagged, work a radius around that area, could be a stump or log underwater, maybe a rock bed.

[deep]

Fishing from the bank isn't as bad as it often seems. Did you know that most big bass are caught in less than 10 feet of water? Did you know that a lot of good big bass hunters beach their boat and fish? Fishing from the shore means you're always fishing uphill, which is a pretty good thing, if you ask me..

A few suggestions; get a good pair of polarized sunglasses, if you don't already have one. Also, walk around the shore and take photos and notes when the water is at its lowest level (I have a couple hundred photos of my favorite lake's entire shoreline). Over the winter, analyze those photos. Google maps is often a help to see the big picture and find useful structures (not cover).

[Sam]

Suggestions:

1. When approaching bank do not let shadow fall over water.

2. When moving from spot to spot go back 50 feet from the bank and sneak up on the new area to be fished.

3. Throw lure #1 in a "fan" pattern, starting throwing to either your right or left.

4. Throw lure #1 in the "fan" pattern at 3 o'clock, 2 o'clock, 1 o'clock, Noon, 11 o'clock, etc. until you get back to 3 o'clock to the other side of where you started.

5. Throw lure #1 in the "fan" pattern two or three times before going to lure #2 or moving to another spot.

6. Take lure # 2 and repeat above.

7. Before you get to the spot on the bank you will be fishing use the pitching method and throw your plastic in the water in front of where you will standing. You may be on top of a bass and not know it. It has happened to me.

Good luck.

[SirSnookalot]

Senile summed it up well. The weather( wind, exceptionally important), water, birds, bait will tell you every thing you need to know from shore ( offshore too), still doesn't guarantee a quality. Doesn't make any difference what venue you are fishing, there is always bait, wildlife or lack of it, in that case I move locations.