Hear, hear for the shore anglers!

[bp_fowler]

1 hour ago, gimruis said:

Being planted on the bank in one spot does not appeal to me. It sounds a lot like ice fishing which is mostly a stationary thing.

It doesn’t appeal to me either.  That’s why I try to be as mobile as possible when I fish from the bank.  While I’ll never be able to cover as much water as someone in a boat, the more fish I can potentially get my lure in front of the better my results tend to be. 
 

1 hour ago, gimruis said:

If I was a bank angler, I would do what @throttleplate does and target areas near dams.

Yes, dams are awesome. They usually hold lots of fish around the rip rap during certain times of the year.  Also they are almost always maintained by a local or state agency which means easy access.

 

[Swamp Girl]

@Catt, your bass is just perfect. Largemouth come in so many different shapes and the big ones can bulge here and there, but yours looks both sleek and huge. A perfect specimen.

 

25 minutes ago, bp_fowler said:

It doesn’t appeal to me either.  That’s why I try to be as mobile as possible when I fish from the bank.  While I’ll never be able to cover as much water as someone in a boat, the more fish I can potentially get my lure in front of the better my results tend to be. 

 

I know your shorelines and moving and casting is possible. It would be nigh impossible in Maine. Our shorelines are a jumble of boulders and fallen trees. Sure, there are openings, but to reach them, you'd have to be part squirrel. 

[bp_fowler]

@ol'crickety  For sure, and for the record I’m not always able to do it all the time here and I have to resort to the stationary fishing fishing that @gimruis described.  Not ideal but I try and make the best of it.

[gim]

2 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

If I didn't have the boat...I'd still fish...it's an obsession.

I understand. It’s very difficult for me to grasp only ever being a bank or shore angler because fishing from a watercraft is all I’ve ever done since I was a kid. It’s all I’ve ever known.

[Catt]

Sometimes it is as simple as being in the right place at the right time.

 

Aiden caught this bass under the dock we're standing on. In the background is a boat launch.

 

Aiden asked if I could tie a jig on for him, so I did. He took the rod flipped the jig under the dock. I just started to shake my head when he set hook.

 

He had seen the bass before asking for the jig & had been watching videos about flipping docks. He said, I saw a dock, a bass, & figured all I need is a jig!

 

 

[TnRiver46]

I love fishing , bank dock or boat. But getting my lures stuck over and over while fishing off the bank does drive me bonkers. I’ve got a small fortune in jigheads and cast nets stuck in the water below ft loudoun dam. Although one time I was there in my boat and got stuck. Pulled up a ball of line with 20-30 striper jigs stuck in it 😂 

 

It would take me too long to find all my bank fishing pics but the last one that sticks out in my mind was smallmouth on Christmas Day 2023, even better when you are standing in your own yard bank fishing 

 

[Catt]

@ol'crickety Merci Beaucoup!

 

At 26" she's the longest bass I've caught. Don't know why but the bass in that marsh grow longer than usual. The picture of Aiden is from the same marsh.

[Pat Brown]

Dang another one just in time for this thread!  

 

Never underestimate the bank beater.  😎😎😎👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼😂😂😂

[roadwarrior]

7.8 is WAY above average!

 

                              

[Catt]

21 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

So, here's my question: When you hook a monster from the bank, to land her, do you go into the water sometimes?

 

I've been known to get out of the boat in the middle of a marsh. My thought process is to stick em first, then figure out how to land em.

[Pat Brown]

For the record I 1000% went wading for that fish this morning.  Water was way too skinny to drag her up the bank so in I went as soon as she was close enough to lip. Worth it!

[Swamp Girl]

Pat is a great angler.

[Jmurphy87]

All of my pb fish have came from the bank, I have caught  3.5, 3.9 when I had my kayak. Although if my life keeps going the way it is I might just go down the rabbit hole, then there is no telling what I can do lol. Hopefully not but oh well if it does. Here’s photos of some of my nice ones.

Edited May 13, 2024 by Jmurphy87
To get rid of the stars in my post

[Swamp Girl]

Bank tanks, Murphy!!!!!!

[Jmurphy87]

6 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

Bank tanks, Murphy!!!!!!

Thank you, sad part is that the one lake that my pb has came out of is private 😢 I am stuck wandering the banks and I can’t launch a kayak unless I want to do it illegally. I have heard stories from older guys at the local tackle shop from when they use to rent boats out there of 7.5lb bass coming out of there. If I want a real Michigan pb I am going to have to pound the banks and get lucky. Just under 5lb is nothing to sneeze at but I want another 3lbs to hit 8lbs and call it good for my state. And it’s right there in front of me but so far out of reach lol. Someday maybe, my goal for my state is 8lbs and then I can say that I am a decent angler.

[Swamp Girl]

You're more than a decent angler, Murph. You can't measure yourself against guys with FFS at OH Ivie. Measure yourself  against the guy casting ten yards down the bank. You outfish him and the guy beyond  him and the guy beyond him....

[Jmurphy87]

6 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

You're more than a decent angler, Murph. You can't measure yourself against guys with FFS at OH Ivie. Measure yourself  against the guy casting ten yards down the bank. You outfish him and the guy beyond  him and the guy beyond him....

Thank you, that means a lot to me. The drive to catch bigger fish is what keeps me going. I know that I can out fish most people on the bank no questions asked on that. The drive to always do better is what pushes me to the limit and that’s what I am chasing. I enjoy fishing and catching them, odd part is most of my bigger fish come later in the year. Guys around here catch 5lb plus fish during the spawn, I do it in the middle or late summer. I am weird that way but oh well. My methods work and for that I am happy.

[Zcoker]

Never ever ever underestimate the bank, or presume that only those on the water fare better. Hogwash! I've done extremely well off the bank, park and fish, often far better than on a boat or kayak. I've even won tournaments off the bank, nationally. So to those who beat the bank, keep on beating it!

 

 

 

 

[Fishlegs]

At least half of the fish I catch are caught from the bank of a highly pressured lake. There are plenty of days when I catch nothing, but some days it pays off nicely. Here are a couple nice ones that I caught on my lunch break. Even if I don't catch a fish on my lunch break trips, I still get fresh air, and exercise. Can't beat that.

 

[roadwarrior]

Today?

[Fishlegs]

17 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

Today?

Unfortunately not. I didn't get to go today. I would've called you if I'd caught those today. 🤣

[roadwarrior]

David and I are fishing tomorrow.
Rage Hawg, Menace, PopMax, Rage Swimmer, Vision 110, Red Eye Shad.

Any other suggestions?

[Blue Raider Bob]

2 hours ago, Zcoker said:

Never ever ever underestimate the bank, or presume that only those on the water fare better. Hogwash! I've done extremely well off the bank, park and fish, often far better than on a boat or kayak. I've even won tournaments off the bank, nationally. So to those who beat the bank, keep on beating it!

 

 

 

 

Dang!   Zcoker, your fish could eat all my fish and still be hungry!

[Fishlegs]

@roadwarrior Looks like a good list to me. I got a couple of strong follows with a spook, but no bites. My most productive lure recently has definitely been a brush hog in root beer pepper green. I also caught a couple slow rolling a silver & gold swim jig with a sexy shad paddle tail trailer a couple weekends ago.

 

Good luck! Man, I wish I could go with y'all.