Catch MORE Fish from the Bank - Here's How
With so many different types of vessels folks can use to get out on the water (boats, kayaks, canoes, tubes, rafts, etc.) there is one style of fishing that gets heavily overlooked anymore. I’m referring to fishing from the bank of a body of water. All of us have been there, whether it has been when we were little making memories with our families, to just not wanting to load up the trailer for the boat. Bank fishing can be done anywhere. There are public river access areas around the county to enable anglers to do just that. This topic is near and dear to my heart because growing up, I, myself, did not have the means of fishing from any form of vessel mentioned above. I bank fished everything from ponds, rivers, lakes, spillways, and even some tiny creeks that held fish. Some of my best memories were made from fishing banks as a little kid. Today I want to go over some of the best tactics I have learned for any type of fishery you may encounter that will help you become a better bank fisherman and land some bass this Summer!
LAKES
Bank fishing a lake can seem so over-whelming if you have never done it before. Truthfully, it is the most difficult form of bank fishing you can do. Lakes contain such a vast amount of water, and miles of shoreline it can be hard to determine where to start. I like to use the Navionics app on my phone to determine the best area to fish. I look for shallow pockets off the main lake. Specifically pockets adjacent to points, with deep water access nearby. Finding an area like this will allow you to fish a variety of depths, and an area of the lake bass will set up on in order to ambush bait fish. Bank fishing is especially hard during the summer months in a lake. Fish have ventured deeper in search of cooler water temperatures, and to a lot of the off-shore structures lakes have to offer. Luckily there are bass that stay shallow year-round and there is an awesome tool to search for those deeper schools of bass. ReelSonar makes a castable transducer that connects to your devices (Phone, or tablet) via Bluetooth. Once paired, download the easy to use ReelSonar iBobber app and you are set! The iBobber shows accurate sonar readings from depths of 4’’ down to 135’ and has a battery life at full charge up to 10+ hours! If you are bank fishing a lake, this little tool is a MUST HAVE!
RIVERS
One good thing about fishing rivers is there are a few different ways to go about doing it. Bank fishing and wade fishing go hand in hand when talking about river fishing. It is my favorite form of river fishing (especially in the summer months, because that water feels good!) Where do you start? I like to find those hard-to-reach sections of the river that no one else would make the venture to. Once you’ve made the hike to one of those areas, break it down and see what you have to work with. What is the bottom composed of (sand, rock)? What type of structures are along the bank (grass beds, boulders, laydowns)? Is there a fast-flowing current, or if it dead still water? These are all things you must consider when you are bank fishing the river. The act of fishing the river is fairly simple. I like to cast my lure up-river and bring it back down, most of the time at a 45-degree angle, but occasionally fan casting as well. Fish the structures along the bank, and any you may see in the water. The fish that reside in those sections likely have never seen a lure in their life and it can be lights out catching fish nearly every cast!
There is no better time than now to get out and enjoy a day by the water. Bank fishing can be some of the most fun, and stress free types of fishing you can do, but like anything else, it can be as hard as you make it out to be. I am hopeful that you have learned something you may have not already known by reading this article. As mentioned above, bank fishing has a special place in my heart because of all the memories I have doing it as a kid. If you are a mother, or father, get those kids out and introduce them to bank fishing! You would be surprised how long that memory will truly stick with them, and you! Don’t forget to check out ReelSonar’s iBobber while here on the site! It is one fishing purchase you will not regret as a bank fisherman!
Tight Lines! – Greg Marshall Youtube – Marshall Fishing.