Bank fishing larger bodies of water
Unfortunately I do not own a boat so I have to walk around the lake and fish from the bank. Is there certain areas I should focus on without wasting all of my time walking instead of fishing? Also with limited space what gear would you recommend. I have searched google maps but the lakes I fish do not have underwater mapping. Can I follow the contour lines of the surrounding land from the bank into the water?I have been out scouting with recent drawdown but we have had a very wet year so I am still limited. Any tips to be more productive from the bank would help tons.
Hey Balsacranker. I love fishing from the bank. Seasonal patterns will always dictate the best places to fish from the bank. Certain times of year the fish are off shore in some lakes. Those time are usually summer and winter. But even during those times you can always find a few fish on the bank. The spring and fall are the best times to find a lot of fish on the bank. One of the things I like to do is select a body of water that I can fish the entire shore line in a day. This allows me to have access to all the habitat available on that body of water and give me the best chance to find fish. These are typically farm ponds and smaller lakes. Shallower banks are best in the spring and fall and the steeper banks are best in summer and winter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiuG2kupZtI. This is a product called Deeper. Its a device you can cast out and find the depth from the bank. I've never used this, but I think it would be very useful on an unknown body of water. You can countdown a jig or texas rig to also guess at the depth you are fishing. Generally speaking a 1/2ounce jig will fall 1 foot every second. This can help you with depth.
I recommend two rods. A spinning rod and baitcasting rod. Both are 7' medium/heavy action. With lure choices your also forced to keep things simple. I pick three colors of cranks, spinnerbaits and topwaters. I have a Shad pattern, Chartreuse pattern and craw pattern. With jigs and plastics i also try to keep it simple. Black, green pumpkin and Watermelon colors.
Thank you for all the great advice. Will be adding these tips to my fishing
I too also fish from the bank. I live close to lake bistineau in Louisiana it's hard to find some places from the bank as well. The baits that Pete is talking about are very good choices to use and to see what the fish will react to. That being said it's also good to have a few things like drop shot rigging, shakey head and using it for a wacky rig and a few others to show something different when lakes are heavily fished and tournaments all the time.
I agree Matt. Those three things; drop shot, shakey head, and seniko are definitely things you to have in your arsenal when fishing the bank or anywhere for that matter. Good luck guys.
