It has to be tied to a line on a rod/reel. Cast it out like a lure and reel it back in. I did a lot of research on them, and the repeated criticism is that the batteries don't last a long time. And when they die you have to buy a whole new yellow beacon thingy for $20. There is a YouTube vid where a guy dissects one and installs a new batteries, but it requires cutting and gluing the unit.

Still sounds worth it, I think I'm going to get one.  Seems like it would help a lot.

I have an HB rod mounted unit. It is very limited in terms of resolution offering only a single tone (no grayscale) and large pixels. Sensitivity adjustments don't allow very good read on bottom hardness. It will tell you actual depth but not too much more. I tried running it over fish and it won't discern them from the bottom if small or anywhere near the bottom. Large carp showed as bumps that could just as well have been stumps. Waves also adds variation to the readings. Fun in a limited way but not a great fishing tool. Not like real sonar. My advice would be to save the money and buy a float tube. Then save again and get a compact sonar with good resolution.

 

Oh yes ... The battery in the sending unit only turns on when the two leads are wet, completing the circuit. If they stay wet the battery will continue to drain. So, dry it well before putting it away.

 

Sorry for the downer of a review, but I found the unit too limited and thought I'd throw it out there.

 

As to shore fishing I do and have done a lot of it. Agree with Sam that positioning issues are a major difference between shore and boat. However, baits and lures are much the same. When and where to apply them still counts.

So what are your Biggest Bank Side catches this year?

I have 2 that are very close in size aroung 3-1/2#

1. Caught with a Spro aruka shad jr oh 15' out from shore.

 

2. Kinami Palm Tree  way out around 100'

 

 

1.

 

 

2.

Not weighing my fish I couldn't say what my largest bass from the bank was, I keep a 20" mark on my rods and estimated a few bass to be in the 25-28" range.

My biggest banks catches this year, was my Avatar pic that is 6+, and a 7+.

Biggest this year from the bank was around 22" I do the same where I have a 15" mark and a 20"mark on my rods. Couldn't weigh it but it was a lil chunky and had some heft. thinkin 5lber. Personal best. on flipping jig close to the bank. Hit hard Gave me such a rush.

Yes, I agree, a bank/shore fishing forum would be great.

 

By using the websites search engine for bank fishing/shore fishing, many posts are lost in the search because keywords are not always included in the original posters comments. 

 

It would make the site more user friendly for bank/shore fisherman. I like reading about fishing in general but, I also like to read about specific posts regarding bank/shore fisherman. 

X2

 Such an idea as this has so much potential for the betterment, education, and communication of (bank) anglers everywhere.  Is this not the very precipice upon which this site was founded?  Not everyone owns a rocket sled. I certainly don't.  Young anglers such as myself, most of whom will be bank fishing, would have a kind of haven, a classroom if you will, in which they would learn how to expand their abilities.  BR accomplishes this quite well as it is, but a bank forum would be a college to the general forum's real world.  This could help bring in so many anglers, especially younger ones, to a site that they might have otherwise misjudged as a chatroom for bass boat jockeys; a site that would teach them to be more responsible, conscientious, skilled anglers.  I implore you to analyze the possible outcomes of making this its own forum in a pragmatic manner.  There is nothing to lose, and yet, there is much to gain, with the possibility of helping so many individuals, and possibly the sport itself, by making this a forum. I await your decision with the patience I have garnered from years of teaching myself how to fish, from a bank I might add; (that is to say, until, through BR, I had others to teach me.)  It is time for me to attempt to repay the favor.

   

One thing I'm surprised I don't hear mentioned in relation to bank fishing more often...pitching and flipping. Given how quickly you can make successive casts, it is a great method to cover water quickly.

One thing I'm surprised I don't hear mentioned in relation to bank fishing more often...pitching and flipping. Given how quickly you can make successive casts, it is a great method to cover water quickly.

Here´s something that I would like to read more as well...

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I caught this 6#er from the bank. 

A significant difference between bank and boat is landing the fish.  From boat quite often one is pulling the fish out of cover into open water, from the bank pulling it back into thru cover.  High banked canals or a sea walls poses a different situation than lipping, netting or gaffing from a boat.

What do you do to get to those big girls hiding out in deeper water, or are they even hiding out in deeper water this time of year? I went to a pond this Saturday and last and I caught about ten fish total. I'm not mad about that it sure beats a skunk but they were all about 1 1/2 pound or less and were all caught about twenty feet or less from shore. I'm wondering are there big girls in this pond Im exploring and if there are some big fish where are they hiding. Or is my presentation off. I caught them all on a Zoom trick worm t rigged weightless, junebug. I didn't bother changing because I was catching them at a pace I was happy with.

One thing I'm surprised I don't hear mentioned in relation to bank fishing more often...pitching and flipping. Given how quickly you can make successive casts, it is a great method to cover water quickly.

I do this very often. On a lot of the Inland reservoir lakes there are fallen trees and docks that the techniques are - IMHO - more critical to master than those fishing from a boat.

I fish from the boat on weekends and from the bank almost every evening. From the bank I look for points, drop offs and anywhere there is visible structure. A place with two or more types of vegetation is always a good target. Mixed vegetation is always better then just one type. In man made lakes in Florida, there is always a drop off with a depth change of 5 to 20 feet. Bass love to hug the drop offs and use them for shade and ambush points. On windy days bank fishing always allow you to fish slower and it is often more productive, at least for me. Always watch for weeds moving, a shaking pad or stick up is a great sign. Fish in stealth mode. Clear water will give away any sudden movement on the bank. Make long casts in ultra clear water. Our lakes are often loaded with weeds and pads so Texas rigged plastics are the way to go. I often throw weightless senkos, flukes, worms, centepedes, and frogs with good success. When fishing slow down. Many fisherman fish way too fast. Exceptions would be when they are crashing bait fish, or early mornings, or late evenings and night fishing. Good luck, I hope this helps someone out there.

I fish from the boat on weekends and from the bank almost every evening. From the bank I look for points, drop offs and anywhere there is visible structure. A place with two or more types of vegetation is always a good target. Mixed vegetation is always better then just one type. In man made lakes in Florida, there is always a drop off with a depth change of 5 to 20 feet. Bass love to hug the drop offs and use them for shade and ambush points. On windy days bank fishing always allow you to fish slower and it is often more productive, at least for me. Always watch for weeds moving, a shaking pad or stick up is a great sign. Fish in stealth mode. Clear water will give away any sudden movement on the bank. Make long casts in ultra clear water. Our lakes are often loaded with weeds and pads so Texas rigged plastics are the way to go. I often throw weightless senkos, flukes, worms, centepedes, and frogs with good success. When fishing slow down. Many fisherman fish way too fast. Exceptions would be when they are crashing bait fish, or early mornings, or late evenings and night fishing. Good luck, I hope this helps someone out there.

Hi, It does!

I think a bank specific sub forum would be useful to many. So often on the rod/reel forum folks who are bank fishing get suggestions on rods that hold very little practical purpose on shore from boat anglers. I imagine more than a few regretted purchase's they made after a short time of use. Just like in politics, boat anglers have more say a.k.a. Lobbyist like power. If it be on a forum, or in swaying manufacturers into making products better suited for only them.

I fish from the bank, kayak, canoe, and bass boat.  I can't really think of any rod in my collection I wouldn't bring for whatever I was fishing from.  There's definitely some big differences in techniques, each specific to to what your fishing from, but really, I always use the cover present to determine what rods I'm going to use.

 

0119: just curious, what features would you like to see in a rod for bank fishing?  What problems do you encounter?  I know for me, spinning reels with long rear grips can be clumsy while sitting in a kayak.  I've also always wanted to see a hybrid pistol grip flipping stick, but with a removable fighting grip, like many heavier fly rods feature.

Problems include tight quarters, lots of brush hampering a backcast. Finding situations where you need to flip or pitch but a rod longer than 6ft cant fit in the space around you. I kayak too and rod butts are all to long for comfort unless you have a size 28 waist and flat stomach. So many long rods made now aren't really longer in the portion between tip and seat, they only add to the rear grip. Todays rods are made to satisfy a guy at the bow of a bass boat who fishes wide open waters. I myself mostly fish overgrown and overhanging banks, barely 20 yards wide. I need a combo that can pull out bigger fish from tiny man made waters most fishermen neglect to consider.

The long handles don't bother me as much, but I fit that skinny guy description.  I tuck the butt end under my arm, which is why I like a full rear cork grip.

 

The kayak market is growing rapidly, and I think someone could really do well, working at a grass roots level to develop a line that would satisfy this group.  You're not the first to have those complaints.

There have been some kayak specific rods in the recent past.  Okuma thought kayak rods needed even longer rear grips and double foregrips to prevent high sticking.  Maybe they work for So. Ca. yakkers jigging kelp beds but not anyone else.  Quantum tried it too but you never found them on a rack anywhere.  American Rodsmith's did a yakkers series a few years back that really fit the bill with shorter rear grips and pre drilled holes in the real seats to attach a leash to.  No retailers around here carried them except Bass Pro, but only for a year.  St. Croix has been quoted in magazines as stating there is no market to support kayak specific rods.  Kayaking is slowing down a lot here. Everyone is jumping on the SUP bandwagon.  Standing so there is no need for special rods any more.  And that seems to suit the yak shops, now they only stock ultra high end St Croix and Loomis rods in cater to the high dollar customer.  SUP's just doesn't fit bass fishing in waters stuffed with gators though. 

Problems include tight quarters, lots of brush hampering a backcast. Finding situations where you need to flip or pitch but a rod longer than 6ft cant fit in the space around you. I kayak too and rod butts are all to long for comfort unless you have a size 28 waist and flat stomach. So many long rods made now aren't really longer in the portion between tip and seat, they only add to the rear grip. Todays rods are made to satisfy a guy at the bow of a bass boat who fishes wide open waters. I myself mostly fish overgrown and overhanging banks, barely 20 yards wide. I need a combo that can pull out bigger fish from tiny man made waters most fishermen neglect to consider.

 

Size 28 waist, flat stomach and 110 lbs, have we met somewhere ? cuz that sounds like me. I also agree on the rod selection/suggestion, reel selection/suggestion too, I do own a boat ( actually it´s a 12 ft jontub ) which, unless somebody else is gonna go with me, spends most of it´s time stored, so if I wanna get some action it´s going to be from the bank and on foot patrol.

 

It´s sad to see that tackle manufacturers in the US don´t offer really nice 2 piece rods, where I´m at two piece rods are a necessity, bank fishing in my neck of the woods most of the times involves having to walk thru thick brush and you can´t do that with a single piece rod comfortably, import rod manufacturers like GraphiteLeader, MajorCraft, Tailwalk & Daiko do offer really nice rods. I may love baitcasting gear, I´m really good at operating the gear but as good as I am I can´t do more than the room I have to swing the rod allows me to, therefore, spinng gear is my choice for the foot patrol. Lure selection is also important, I´m a tackle junkie, I´ve got tons of stuff but I can´t carry all my junk with me, years have taught me that I don´t need a lot of stuff, what I need is to know a lot of stuff ( rigging and fishing techiques ) to get the most out of every single bait I´m able to carry.

 

 

It´s sad to see that tackle manufacturers in the US don´t offer really nice 2 piece rods, where I´m at two piece rods are a necessity, bank fishing in my neck of the woods most of the times involves having to walk thru thick brush and you can´t do that with a single piece rod comfortably,

 

A good tip I learned somewhere along the way:  hold your rod(s) backwards (trailing behind you).  You will have fewer snags.

I fish a lot of spots with pretty dense cover, and I usually put a trash bag over my rod when bushwacking.  

 

Some techniques I use when its too thick for any kind of backcast....

 

Wrist rocket - be careful doing this as it could potentially implant a hook a long way into somewhere you do not want it. It is most dangerous on hardbaits with hanging, swinging trebles.  You just have to be mindful about making sure the hooks are facing out.  If you snag a treble on the pocket and it then slings back, well you might get away with it once, or you might not.  And, if you do not get away with it, you won't be too happy with yourself.  I wasn't happy with myself once, or maybe twice , so I try to stick to t-rigs now when using this.....until I get really desperate.  I have never had an issue using t-rigs.  They do not go as far as I can cast, but considerably further than I can pitch or flip.

 

Another thing I will do is slack line drift a frog on windy days.  Put yourself upwind of some nice looking cover, drift it through, and then drag it back.  I have combined that technique with the wrist rocket and put bait in places i had no business getting it to.  Sometimes you can fling it out there into a crosswind past an exposed stump and then work the bait right to left or vice versa without dragging it back towards shore.  The trick is being able to sling the line over the stump when you get a strike.  It can make hooksets tricky, and obviously you will eventually end up with line abrasion.  Or you may end up with a fish on in an unlandable situation if it zooms back toward you and around the stump.  But if it can get you to fish you can't otherwise reach....well thats the name of the game, right?

 

Anyway, just some stuff I use occasionally.  Hopefully it helps or gives someone some ideas.

I do all of my freshwater fishing from the bank, the areas I fish I can use whatever I wish, it's very open.  I do prefer using a 7' med spin for high banked canals and 6'6 light or ml spin for ponds.  I like casting with rods with longer butts.  A good portion of my saltwater fishing is done from beach, sea walls and jetties, again I like the longer butt for casting and more so tucking the butt under my armpit is useful in handling some of the species.  I have probably said this at least 100,000 times, I would never buy a rod for any kind of fishing with good foregrip.