So I’ve bank fished forever. And taking it serious for the last 10 years. As I get closer to the boat deal. I will be able to get out on small to medium lakes. How do you build confidence in that? On the bank I know what to look for. And honestly ya just walk the bank. But once on a larger body of water. What is your go to tactic? To get started.

If 20 of us respond, you'll be given 21 different approaches. @Lottabass scores big by working structure. @padlin really works an area. @Pat Brown applies his bass whispering wisdom to put his lures where the bass are most likely to be. And so on.

Well, I'm a mover. See the wetlands below:

A more patient angler than me might allocate a dozen or more casts to all the bassy possibilities above. I might cast half a dozen times at most, but more likely two or three casts. I'm looking for the most active bass. So, I paddle, cast a few times and repeat, repeat, repeat. And whereas I might often have a general idea of where bass are supposed to be, about every tenth cast is into a place that appears to offer no structure or cover...just to check.

I'm so excited that you're buying a boat, Joe!

5 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said:

If 20 of us respond, you'll be given 21 different approaches. @Lottabass scores big by working structure. @padlin really works an area. @Pat Brown applies his bass whispering wisdom to put his lures where the bass are most likely to be. And so on.

Well, I'm a mover. See the wetlands below:

A more patient angler than me might allocate a dozen or more casts to all the bassy possibilities above. I might cast half a dozen times at most, but more likely two or three casts. I'm looking for the most active bass. So, I paddle, cast a few times and repeat, repeat, repeat. And whereas I might often have a general idea of where bass are supposed to be, about every tenth cast is into a place that appears to over no structure or cover...just to check.

I'm so excited that you're buying a boat, Joe!

These are all excellent points! I have always been a mover as well in my old canoe. It’s just been a long time since I’ve been mobile off the bank lol. Getting thee nothing bought yet.

Get a topo map, or there's probably maps of lakes online, dont know how detailed they might be

Guntersville Waterproof Map #102 – Kingfisher Maps, Inc. https://share.google/gn1Rwox63qsPHkV87

This is what Im talking about, its good to have a physical copy for your home lake but there has to be some good apps that can show your bodies of water. Shows creek channels, humps, the main river channel, dropoffs and such

Bank fishermen stand on the shore and throw lures out into the water. Boat fishermen take their boats out onto the water and throw lures at the shore.

I love my boat. You said you know what to look for from the bank, so you know what to look for from a boat. Catch 2 fish in a row and you'll have your confidence. It took me about 1/2 an hour to decide I made the right decision to buy a boat. Maybe less.

3 minutes ago, BigAngus752 said:

Bank fishermen stand on the shore and throw lures out into the water. Boat fishermen take there boats out onto the water and throw lures at the shore.

I love my boat. You said you know what to look for from the bank, so you know what to look for from a boat. Catch 2 fish in a row and you'll have your confidence. It took me about 1/2 an hour to decide I made the right decision to buy a boat. Maybe less.

That’s great to hear. Because I do have that lingering thought of is this gonna be a huge waste of time lol

Cast to all of the places you wanted to fish from the bank, but couldn't get because of shore cover, or distance from shore. If for no other reason than to find out if that big bass really did live under that tree you couldn't reach from shore. If the bass is there, you will gain confidence, if she isn't then you will know you were not missing out. Either way it is a win win situation.

Time on the water is paramount. When you have success, and then can replicate that success is when confidence comes. That requires time on the water more anything.

1 hour ago, Joedodge said:

How do you build confidence in that?

First, get used to operating a boat if it's new to you. I'd focus on this for at least the first few trips.

As far as getting used to fishing from a boat and building confidence, it's time on the water, time on the water, and more time on the water. Keep your gear simple and don't overthink it. Start with what you're already confident with.

Good luck with your new adventure.

Put the trolling motor on go, match rod , reel, line and lure size for maximum efficiency then cast at everything. The more accurate and quiet the cast , the more bites.

Thanks everyone. It’s a job boat with an electric motor. Not a ton different than my canoe with a trolling motor. And I’ve operated tons of boats. I guess I just need to not get in my head!

2 hours ago, Joedodge said:

once on a larger body of water. What is your go to tactic? To get started.

Once you're on the water, even in a john boat, it all starts and ends by prioritizing safety.

Always wear your Life Jacket.

Know your limits; be alert for rough, dangerous conditions. (boat wakes)

Utilize GPS mapping to help keep you safe.

Prepare for Emergencies: Have a float plan (let someone know where you are going) and ensure your boat has essential safety gear, including a fire extinguisher, horn, and charged battery.

Check the weather forecast and avoid severe weather.

Keep your boat deck clean and organized.

There you go -

I'll let the more experienced bassheads assist you on what to expect fishing-wise.

I'm still learning most all of that deal myself.

Have fun and take it slow.

A-Jay

2 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Once you're on the water, even in a john boat, it all starts and ends by prioritizing safety.

Always wear your Life Jacket.

Know your limits; be alert for rough, dangerous conditions. (boat wakes)

Utilize GPS mapping to help keep you safe.

Prepare for Emergencies: Have a float plan (let someone know where you are going) and ensure your boat has essential safety gear, including a fire extinguisher, horn, and charged battery.

Check the weather forecast and avoid severe weather.

Keep your boat deck clean and organized.

There you go -

I'll let the more experienced bassheads assist you on what to expect fishing-wise.

I'm still learning most all of that deal myself.

Have fun and take it slow.

A-Jay

Very well said sir. Thank you so much. And I feel like you are being a lil too humble there

2 hours ago, Joedodge said:

That’s great to hear. Because I do have that lingering thought of is this gonna be a huge waste of time lol

My biggest mistake was not getting my boat soon enough. I don’t think you will have any regrets.

Fishing from the bank is great but you are limited. Fishing from a boat is not limited. You can fish all the areas that you fished from the bank PLUS all the areas that you couldn't!

BTW, the bait monkey will be happy because you can carry so much more tackle (most of which you won't use).🤣

22 minutes ago, Lottabass said:

Fishing from the bank is great but you are limited. Fishing from a boat is not limited. You can fish all the areas that you fished from the bank PLUS all the areas that you couldn't!

BTW, the bait monkey will be happy because you can carry so much more tackle (most of which you won't use).🤣

This is so true!!!

And no no no keeping it simple lol. I’m a junk fisherman. I may need to get some different colors tho. The waters kinda pea green with lower visibility than the ponds I fish

When I boat fished from my friends boat or rentals on vacation we basically fished three ways. One, mostly casting to the bank, docks, laydowns, bluffs where the creek channel swung etc. Two, we fished structure (and cover). Things like points, humps, saddles, submerged trees, roadbeds, bridges etc. Three, we'd troll bays and near some of the structure. If the wind was blowing right we'd sometimes just let that blow us through a bay and "blind" cast.

Our approach depended on the type of water, time of year and quarry.

For me confidence didn't come until I had success.

13 hours ago, scaleface said:

The more accurate and quiet the cast , the more bites.

When you fish from the bank, you're standing on a guhzillion bluhblillion tons of soil and rock. So, even if you're Irish dancing in tap shoes, there's so much matter to absorb the energy of your footfalls. However, in a boat, there's thin sheet of aluminum, steel, fiberglass, or plastic between you and the water. You're also nested in the water, so if you bang the butt of a rod against your boat, your entire boat vibrates, sending sound in all directions and notifying the bass that you're there. My confidence increases when I haven't bumped my boat. My confidence further increases with long casts and as @scaleface observed, my lures alight in the water, not plop. I have caught so many bass at the very ends of my longest casts.

Also, troll. You will move your boat at various times to fish another area, so troll along the way. Trolling not only catches bass, but it finds structure for those of us without electronics.

I could take you fishing at my pond or my pal's pond and say, "This is a good spot. I don't know why, but there are bass here."

Yep, I found my good spots by trolling. When you find a good spot, if you don't have electronics, triangulate with landmarks.

Starting out boat fishing, especially on smaller bodies of water, I think you're best served to put the motor down and fish. Much of fishing is time on the water and learned through trial and error. I fish a lot of small lakes and even now that's how I fish a lot of the time.

When it comes to the little bit bigger lakes, I like to look at maps for what I consider high percentage areas, areas that I believe to have a high likelyhood to hold fish. With a small boat that you can't move quickly, it's similar to the approach that I take in my kayak. I look for those high percentage areas, and try to launch in a location where I will be able to access a few of them.

My biggest issue when I first got a boat was trying to cover to much water. More time moving and less time fishing. Do not be scared to pack up and moved but, don’t try to fish the whole lake. You’ll learn a lot more that way.

When fishing a new lake my first step is to consult the topo map and see what the bottom looks like contour wise. Then I find a creek that I think will hold fish and then I make an educated guess as to where they will be according to time of year and water temp and then I start one step back from that. If it's cold I start on the main lake ditches outside of the creek. Early prespawn I hit main lake points and the mouth of the drains running in. After that i move my way to the back of the creek paying attention to structure and contour trying to establish a pattern that will put me on fish. With you being in an electric boat you can apply the same approach just make it on a smaller scale. Pick your creek and plan on spending your day in that creek. Really work the areas you think will hold fish and stick to it. Sometimes coming back and making 2 or 3 passes at different times of the day over a spot will produce and give you a ton of info on what the fish are doing. I have a boat but i cut my teeth on a kayak so I am very familiar with your capabilities boat wise.

@Joedodge Buy a boat even if your wife has to get a second job to pay for it. 👩‍🏭

Okay, I'm ducking! 😅

1 hour ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Starting out boat fishing, especially on smaller bodies of water, I think you're best served to put the motor down and fish. Much of fishing is time on the water and learned through trial and error. I fish a lot of small lakes and even now that's how I fish a lot of the time.

When it comes to the little bit bigger lakes, I like to look at maps for what I consider high percentage areas, areas that I believe to have a high likelyhood to hold fish. With a small boat that you can't move quickly, it's similar to the approach that I take in my kayak. I look for those high percentage areas, and try to launch in a location where I will be able to access a few of them.

This is a 270 acre lake and I have found a topo map for it. Would you consider that a small

Or larger lake?

6 minutes ago, Joedodge said:

This is a 270 acre lake and I have found a topo map for it. Would you consider that a small

Or larger lake?

Anything that I can pretty easily cover most of it in a day with just a trolling motor would be a smaller lake. The larger lakes I fish are 2-7 thousand acres with a couple of them 11-16 thousand acres.

4 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Anything that I can pretty easily cover most of it in a day with just a trolling motor would be a smaller lake. The larger lakes I fish are 2-7 thousand acres with a couple of them 11-16 thousand acres.

Oh wow