Who here fishes from the bank?

[Skunkmaster-k]

Eww .. bank fishing is for peasants. 

[N Florida Mike]

I reckon I’m a peasant then…

I bank fish as much as I boat fish. Caught my runner up pb while bank fishing. My area has hundreds of fishable ponds to choose from.

[Catt]

8 minutes ago, N Florida Mike said:

I reckon I’m a peasant then…

I bank fish as much as I boat fish. Caught my runner up pb while bank fishing.

 

11 lb 3 oz 😉

[MN Fisher]

[gimruis]

There's honestly not a whole lot of good bank fishing opportunities for me.  Most of the lakes are lined with private property minus the designated fishing piers, which see tons of people.

 

Being that I have a boat, I really have no reason to sit on the bank.  If I had a situation like @throttleplate does on some of those rivers near dams, then I could see myself doing it on occasion.

 

Part of the selling point for me when going fishing is using my boat.  I like throttling down and having the wind blow past me.

[fishhugger]

if you got a favorite place to bank fish - that's tops 4 me.  minimum of fuss, minimum of gear, beautiful scenery, you can chat with folks who inevitably ask "caught anything?", it can be just a quick little excursion.  bank fishing keeps everything as simple as possible.......  i've never had a boat, but i feel like with a boat, there'd be more pressure to catch some nice fish. 

bank fishing can be so pleasant and easy.

[lynxcat]

13 minutes ago, fishhugger said:

if you got a favorite place to bank fish - that's tops 4 me.  minimum of fuss, minimum of gear, beautiful scenery, you can chat with folks who inevitably ask "caught anything?", it can be just a quick little excursion.  bank fishing keeps everything as simple as possible.......  i've never had a boat, but i feel like with a boat, there'd be more pressure to catch some nice fish. 

bank fishing can be so pleasant and easy.

I bank fish year around. I have the means for a boat but no desire. My neighborhood ponds have big bass and plenty of fish. Each has a different vibe and I can use a variety of techniques. Fish are pretty spread out typically so a lot of walking to cover water. 
 

I’ve had some random experiences fishing these ponds…caught a smallmouth in a culvert (I’ve never seen a SM in this area), found a school of massive Crappie (in a different culvert) and was catching them every cast until dark, have caught double digit lb catfish in Jackhammers (seems to annoy them when spawning)…caught both my PBs…7-8lbs. 
 

Love pond fishing. 

[Justin Collier]

90 % kayak fish but I do bank fish on days I don’t have time to launch my yak or just want to catch a bass in 20 min and head back up to the house. I enjoy both. Another fun thing to do is wade creeks around my area.  

[Jar11591]

I fish from shore when there isn’t enough time to get the boat out. Sometimes my Dad and I will hit up a golf course pond. Walking the bank and fishing casually can be a nice reset. 

[Dogface]

I have 2 small boats but sometimes I enjoy grabbing a chair, some junk food, minnows and just sitting on the bank watching a bobber. 

[Mobasser]

I bank and boat fish. I bank fish a couple of evening trips per week, on the same lake I boat fish. I like it. Minimal gear, one rod, and keep things simple.                                 Bank fishing can be very productive and seems more challenging due to a lack of mobility on the water.

[greentrout]

Shoreline Bassin | The Ultimate Bass Fishing Resource Guide® LLC (bassresource.com)

[Bankc]

I like bank fishing, and do it more than boat fishing.  But they're completely different animals to me.  Bank fishing is all about simplicity.  I'll usually just bring one rod, one or two baits, and walk the bank and cast anywhere I can get to the water's edge.  Most of our lakes are surrounded in brush, so there's usually not much that's accessible from the bank.  So in essence, most of your decisions are made for you, and you're just there making lemonade.  

 

In a boat, and especially my kayak, there isn't hardly a spot I can't get to.  So it's all much more complicated.  Rods, lures, depths, locations, it's non-stop decisions.  Add to that the fancy electronics, and you're stripped naked, metaphorically speaking.  You can't blame a bad day on anything but yourself and the weather.  

 

And I like a healthy mix of the two.  If nothing else, it keeps me from feeling like I'm missing out on that proverbial greener grass.  They both offer something unique.  

[Gera]

I really enjoy bank fishing, I have a rod on the trunk of my car and when I'm out of work early (or when i want to be home late 😉) I stop by a small lake on the way home. Its really relaxing to walk around with only one combo and couple of lures. 

[fishhugger]

just went out bank fishing, my local pond/lake.  two other guys out there - we lamented how slow the fishing is.  the water was pretty muddy, but the weather was not bad.  we all had a pretty good time, even tho there was one small fish caught between us three.  all of us enjoy the little lake we fish at. - tho dammed, like many other lakes in our area, it has a lot of structure, cool places to fish, a middle that is reachable ---  very scenic and peaceful.  i think it's summer or fall..... when you get up on the rocks, you can see the bats at dusk. 

 

[Aaron_H]

I never bank fish when I'm in saltwater, but there's just something about the accessibility and ease of beating the banks of some local ponds after work.

 

Sometimes I get lucky, too.

[cyclops2]

I stopped fishing at the bank when all the young tellers were gone.

[CDMTJager]

I fish about 90% from the bank.

You will be at a HUGE disadvantage VS boat fisherman as you do not have the advantage of fish locating electronics. So you will have to use what ever information you can learn or get in advance to give you as much help as such info can.

 

If you can, formulate at least a basic plan of where on the shore you plan on fishing and what your going to fish with in respect to what luers. To do this you need before hand to have at least some idea of what the bass in that lake are likely to be doing given the time of year it is, and if you know what structure if any and or vegetation if any you can access from shore how the bass might be relating to it and how both the water temp and atmospheric conditions will impact the bass. 

 

Any lake I fish from shore I look for any changes in the shore line no matter how settle and concentrate my fishing at these. If such shore line has quite a few changes like points, humps or coves, I start with ones I either can see have structure or vegetation that will attract and hold bass or from previous experience know they do but can not be seen.

I also key in on areas of shore that have no changes in geography but have isolated patches of vegetation on a stretch of shore that is otherwise free of visible vegetation

 

If at all possible invest in a topo map of the lake, and if you have a home printer, seperate the map into smaller parts by scanning and photocopying it, keep it with you and make notes on it or on a small pad of paper what structure you encountered or vegetation and fished where you caught fish and didn't and you will start to see patterns appear of where the bass are as it relates to the time of year, weather conditions structure and vegetation. Often times if its is a lake managed by the state DNR you can download a topo map free online at the DNR WS.

 

If you can not obtain a topo map see if you can obtain any type of planimetric map of the lake keep it with you along with a pen and note on it what type of vegetation you encountered and where you caught fish. One of my favorite lakes is a little less than 600 acres in size and save for a few points on them has long stretches of more or  straight featureless shore line but A LOT of isolated patches of vegetation or pads only about half of which hold bass at any time of the year. BIG time saver to know which ones in the past didn't and which did, and they are a big deal because the few points on this long shore line get beat to death but I don't see to many guy hitting the weed patches close to shore so I am often fishing for lowered pressured fish when I fish these isolated weed patches and by far they are where I enjoy my most success. 

 

Also pay very close attention to all atmospheric conditions and what time of year it is and where exactly on the lake you're fishing when you get skunked but absolutely when you have a killer good day. And if need be take notes as the weakest ink lasts longer than the strongest memory. I discovered two medium long but very predominate points that run dead east from shore in one of my favorite lakes that have very heavy shore vegetation that goes into the water with decent but not huge sections of Lilly pads that parallels the the shore line. It is a frog fisherman's paradise and it took several bouts of fishing them to figure out yes they hold a bass or two 90% of the time but my best time to fish them is on a more sunny than cloudy day but NOT until  AFTER the sun dips below the tree tops (it's literally like flipping on a light switch the bass turn on so fast after the sun goes down behind the tree tops) AND a mild wind is coming out of the south/SW/SE  blowing into the lilly pads.

 

On such days I can expect to catch from 4-8 largemouth from EACH spot (no more than 200yrds long and 75 yards wide) fishing a frog over the pads and a popper along the edges of the pads. I tried both these same areas at first light and during all times of the day. Yes first light both areas were also good but never as good as during the conditions I described above. And the average size bass I catch from this spot are over 2x larger than what is the average sized bass is for this lake.  Last year in September I lost an absolute dinosaur of a bass that hit my frog and I was using 50lb Power Pro and zero drag and this Loch Ness of a bass went airborne got some slack got in the pads and the hooks on my frog bent and she got off. 

 

Also do not be afraid to stay mobile. I cover a a lot of shore and give no area more than a 15 minute of solid high quality try before I move. I also bring a minimum of three rods with rigged with with luers I feel best fit the conditions and lake areas I am going to fish.

 

It can be tough but try to limit the amount of gear you bring as to much gear will hinder your willingness and ability to move a lot and be mobile. Also if you know you will encounter areas of shore landing a big bass will be difficult invest in an compact collapsible landing net BEFORE you loose a PB bass because you didn't.

 

Lastly you will learn the most by fishing the lakes near you as often as you can.

 

 

[CDMTJager]

On 1/23/2024 at 1:26 PM, Bankc said:

I like bank fishing, and do it more than boat fishing.  But they're completely different animals to me.  Bank fishing is all about simplicity.  I'll usually just bring one rod, one or two baits, and walk the bank and cast anywhere I can get to the water's edge.  Most of our lakes are surrounded in brush, so there's usually not much that's accessible from the bank.  So in essence, most of your decisions are made for you, and you're just there making lemonade.  

 

In a boat, and especially my kayak, there isn't hardly a spot I can't get to.  So it's all much more complicated.  Rods, lures, depths, locations, it's non-stop decisions.  Add to that the fancy electronics, and you're stripped naked, metaphorically speaking.  You can't blame a bad day on anything but yourself and the weather.  

 

And I like a healthy mix of the two.  If nothing else, it keeps me from feeling like I'm missing out on that proverbial greener grass.  They both offer something unique.  

I have two VG small shore access only bass lakes by my house that on both one side has year round 80% access, the other side in early spring about 80% of the shore is accessible but by June/July the weeds and tics are so thick it's down to about 50%. I complained LIKE ALL **** to the DNR that manage the two lakes because there was for YEARS past a well groomed trail (including a foot bridge over a small creek that empties into the lake that gets completely swallowed by weeds) that went around both the now inaccessible shore lines  and they literally told me as far as shore weed elimination goes what gets cut we don't see getting cut we don't care about, especially at night. So I have a killer killer BA gas powered STIHL weed wacker I go there on week nights have my son drop me off at about 2am tell him I'll call once done to come pick me up.

Thankfully though they are now allowing kayaks or canoes at both so Ill be using a kayak I bought over winter. It will be a LOOOOONG az haul of over 350-400 yards with a kayak from the parking lot to either lake.

[PhishLI]

3 hours ago, CDMTJager said:

So I have a killer killer BA gas powered STIHL weed wacker I go there on week nights have my son drop me off at about 2am tell him I'll call once done to come pick me up.

I was at a no boats lake today and spent half my time with pruning shears opening up overgrown cuts and trimming branches behind me to protect from getting snagged on the backswing. Gotta do what ya gotta do. Sawzall next trip. I'm ready.

 

I've needed to cut my way in to wade or else I'd have to fish from the shore with the rest of the suckas.

 

 

[TnRiver46]

I took you more for a machete kind of guy @PhishLI

[PhishLI]

1 minute ago, TnRiver46 said:

I took you more for a machete kind of guy @PhishLI

Nah. Pickaxe.

[Zcoker]

On 2/10/2024 at 8:13 PM, CDMTJager said:

You will be at a HUGE disadvantage VS boat fisherman as you do not have the advantage of fish locating electronics.

 

In an attempt to not discourage our bank guys, this leading statement of yours is simply not accurate, or, more should I say, no electronics needed nor boats needed to do just as well. I once fished a national tournament against over 100 anglers from Florida, Texas, and California...the big three. Most all of those guys were boats or kayaks...with electronics. My choice was the bank. At first I thought that I was completely crazy, putting myself in a no win situation like that. But I was already committed to it and so very determined. So I put on my boots and held my head high and hit the road. Well, I pulled off a win on two feet with no boat, no electronics, fishing local lakes, ponds, and levee roads out in the everglades. I've also caught fish pushing 12lbs off the bank, lotta 10, 8's, and many 7's. Bank fishing has proved over and over to me its outstanding capabilities, not only to win tournaments (if that's what ya into) but also to catch just as many trophy fish. 

 

Gearing up for a bank day. Nice to have comfy A/C a few steps away!

 

 

Few regular bank fish lol 

 

 

 

 

[cyclops2]

As a fish gets ...FATTER...  He loses several benefits  that he had when he was in good shape.

 

Speed, acceleration, ability to swim with a school of similar sized fish.   SOOO  He becomes a AMBUSHER.

 

Put the boots on.      👍

 

 

[iiTzChunky]

I soley bank fish. Don't have access to a boat or kayak so it's always on foot. I run with 3 rods and a back pack with 5 boxes full of lures, a punch of soft plastics and another box of hooks. I usually decide what 3 lures I'm starting with, and will throw them all in the same spot for 10-20 min and if I don't get bit, I'll tie somthing else on 1 or 2 of the poles and move.