18 replies to this topic

[mikeyjsc]

Hi everybody,
I'm new to fishing and have lots of questions. I've fished a couple of times over the years, but not nearly enough to feel confident or competent. Over Christmas I got a rod and reel(a 6'6" shakespeare tiger/WalMart special), and started to fish at Lake Greenwood near home here. I'm fishing off the bank, and am hoping this isn't completely futile(Won't have funding for a boat for a long time). Anyway, tried to do a little catfishing, and was unsuccessful. But I have really wanted to try some bass fishing. My questions would be, is this even possible without a boat? Also, I know how to fish worms with Carolina and Texas rigs, but I got some spinners(mini-king, rocket shad, and rooster tail) and am unsure how to rig these. I've been doing some searching and can't seem to find the answer. t or c rig? or just tie it on? Anyway any help you all can give me will be greatly appreciated. I look forward to gaining much knowledge and experience.

[Fishin49er]

Bass fishing from the bank is definitely possible.  With spinnerbaits and inline spinners just tie them on, and then chunk and wind, till you get comfortable with them then you can vary your retrieve speeds and angle.

[Nick B]

Heck yeah you can catch bass off the bank.  There are many ways to catch bass with a spinnerbait, the ones that you have are fairly small so you will have to fish them kind of fast, not burn them. Spinnerbaits can be burned (fished really fast), throw out reel in at varying speeds see what works best.  You can "jig" them, let it fall to the bottom then rip it up, and let it fall again. Usually you just tie these straight to the line. hope this helps you out

[Troutfisher]

I primarily bank fish for bass, and I have luck using senkoes, a soft plastic-cigar shaped lure (info can be found here on the board in the tackle/equipment section), spinnerbaits (small ones for me), buzzbaits, and  various types of soft plastics.  Also, don't be afraid to use live bait, such as a whole nightcrawler.  Live minnows are good as well.  Target key areas such as around boat docks, weedlines and lillypads, coves, and fallen timber.  Try fishing the soft plastics with some bottled scent from Wal-Mart (usually only about 2-3 $$$).  

Anyway, hope this is helpful, and let us know how you do once you hit the lake.  

[paparock]

First, welcome to the forum.

One thing I noticed a long time ago was how often guys in boats cast as close to the banks as possible before starting their retrieves while guys on banks seemed to ignore the banks and cast as far away from the bank as they could to fish. Where I fish the area from the bank to fifteen feet out from the bank are generally the most productive. So in answer to your question, Heck YES you can catch bass from the bank. When I was about 15 years old one hit so hard he darn near made me fall off the spillway into the water. Good luck and tight lines!

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[senile1]

Welcome, mikeyjsc.  The articles on this site are a great place to start.  

Hey, everybody, he's from Greewood, SC, per his profile.  

[Clayton]

Hey man welcome to the forum!  Congratulations on your new rod and reel.  When I started fishing I got a zebco 33 from walmart and used them until the fish I was catching got too big!  Everyone is on the right track here, bank fishing is great and I do it alot.  Get around some structure that you can see going down into the water a pitch some worms in there.  Get around some grass close to the bank and buzz those spinnerbaits around there.  Ratlle traps will work well this time of year as well.  Try crawfish color.  Hope this helps and good luck.  Oh by the way, when the spawn starts in mid march try to get out there as much as you can.  For a bank fisherman that would be one of the best times to go.

[mikeyjsc]

Wow!! Thanks alot guys for all the help and information. I do have worms I intend on fishing, I got a big ol Luck E Strike worm kit. I saw on an internet report that Lake Greenwood (SC) was having good results with lizards, so I was gonna try some of them. I do have some bass scent also. Thanks for the info on the spinners also. I was able to find a fair amount of info on rigging and fishing worms, just wasn't sure about those spinners. It's a little intimidating not knowing any of this, I'm hoping to meet up with some people and hopefully learn more along the way. I can't thank you all enough.

[Troutfisher]

No problem!  The best part about joining here is the quick responses by members to help one another with basic questions, or even advanced questions about fishing.  Lizards sounds like a good bet...I usually fish them T-Rigged, and remember to add some scent, especially in the winter when finicky bass need that "extra appeal."

[Grey Wolf]

WELCOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and don't be afaird to ask more questions.

[SPEEDBEAD.]

Welcome aboard!!! Roadwarrior did a piece not too long ago on the basic tacklebox setup needed to catch fish....cant seem to find it right now, so if anyone would care to help locate, it should give you some good insight.

Wayne

[roadwarrior]

"Suggestions for Your First Tacklebox." Here's the thread:

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1167329834

[BassBeat101]

It can definitely be a bit intimidating, as I found out a few years ago as well.  I didn't really know where to start and what to start with.  Roadwarrior's starter tackle box is a great idea, I wish I would have known about it when I started!  

But one thing I would suggest is to focus on a particular bait each time you go out - plastic worms trigged one time, spinnerbaits the next.  I had never caught a fish on a spinnerbait, but I had never really made the dedication to practice with it either.  Then, I decided to use them for a week, and nothing else.  Now my confidence has grown, big time.  This year it's crankbaits and topwaters - never really used them too much, so it'll be my "project".

Daryl