How important is it to work the bottom? I just recently thought about this. I think I'll catch more fish when beating the banks if I hop a jig a long bottom, or employ a carolina rig and use deeper diving cranks to bounce bottom. Any Thoughts? I think my main problem will be working up confidence in these new techniques. I am familiar with cranks and use them a lot more often than I do plastics and jigs. Will it be as obvious to me when I fish strikes my lure on bottom as when it does on a crank or spinner? Or will I need to pay a lot more attention. I have always heard of spitting a lure, which a fish can;t really do to a spinnerbait or crankbait sicne most of the time then smash the thing and they can;t help but me hooked before they could even think about spitting the lure.

If the water you plan to fish is <10' deep, try a Fat Ika and 5" Senko, weightless and weedless to get started. I think you'll catch a few fish on the bottom.

8-)

How important is it to work the bottom?

Very.

the bank refers to the shoreline.  The bottom is, well underneath all the water even the shoreline water.   There's is no reason not to fish the bottom  when casting to the shoreline.

More tournaments are won using jigs and plastic worms than all other baits combined.

These are "bottom" baits.

The wise basser works all levels of the water column, especially the bottom.