Not everyone has the flashy and expensive bass boat that take them all around huge lakes. Anglers like myself spend our bass fishing days on the land.
But just because you can’t drive your boat out to to middle of the lake, doesn’t mean you can’t catch lots of big bass. Keep reading to learn exactly how to bass fish from the shore.
The first step to any fishing scenario is locating where the fish are. Bass location will remain primarily the same when fishing from the shore. Bass are going to hold to structure.
Look for bridges, logs, weed lines, lily pads, rock ledges, or any other structural places that a bass can hold to. Now this doesn’t mean that bass will never be in open water.
If it is a windy day and the water is choppy, the bass will be condensed to the side of the pond that wind is blowing. This is because the wind blows baitfish and oxygen rich water to one side of the lake.
Bass often cruise open waters when relocating from one structure to another, or if they are in search of areas with more food.
Bass also hold to areas with rapid depth changes such as a drop off. When you are fishing from the bank, you obviously can’t see these drop offs, so how do you find them?
There are a couple ways to do this. First, tie on a lure or even just a weight that sink quickly. Start by casting it a few feet out and count how long it takes to hit the bottom. With each cast, cast a few feet farther out and count the sink time of each cast.
Second, tie a heavy jig or weight to your line and cast it out as far as you can. With your rod tip pointing straight up, slowly reel in and try to “feel” the bottom of the lake as much as you can. This takes a bit of practice, but you can actually get a fairly accurate picture of the lake’s bottom from doing this.
Third, there is a castable fish finder called the “IBobber”. Think of this as a miniature fish finder. You tie this bobber shaped device to your line and cast it out. While it is floating on the end of your line, it scans the water exactly the same as a fish finder does. The IBobber will also show you any kind of underwater structure.
Coves and points hold a lot of bass. Even small curves in the shoreline will create a very little cove or point that bass hold to.
These are usually the best place to catch bass from the shore because them will almost always have both structure such as rocks, logs, or rocks and will also have depth changes and drop offs.
Coves often lead into a small stream or outlet which adds an element of current, making fish activity even higher.
Also read: How to Fish in a River from Shore
Bank fishing lures are not going to change much from lures you would use anywhere else. There are a few characteristics that give some lures advantages when being used from the shore. These are:
Small lakes and ponds are usually a bit more muddy and murky so try to use gold blades and either a single Colorado blade or a Colorado/Willow leaf spinnerbait.
Hollow body frogs are really the only bait that you can throw into absolutely any cover. This is perfect for the shallow water weeds, lily pads, and brush that is found on most shorlines.
I personally don’t use jigs very much because I much prefer using a Texas rig. A Texas rig is more sleek, more weedless, and you can use any type of soft plastic yoy want.
The pulsing inchworm action of a wacky rig has caught me more bass from the shore than any other bait. I also love rigging these senko style baits weedless and fishing them like a fluke, but I have more confidence in the wacky rig.
I mostly use jerkbaits in the early spring and late fall when bass are a little less aggressive. Suspending jerkbaits allow you to fish very slowly while also keeping your lure in any water column you want.
During the spring time, bass stat biting a lot. When fishing from the shore, the weeds will not have come in much yet.
In the early spring, bass will be cruising the shallows eating as much as they can and looking for spawning areas.
The spawning season is one of the best times for shore anglers because the bass come to you. Not only do they come to you, but they show you exactly where they are with their beds.
This is when the frog and the Texas rig will shine. The weeds are taking over the whole pond, so you need to be able to fish through them. Flip Texas rigs around structure and drag frogs over and through the heavy weeds.
During the fall season, bass need to eat a lot of food and are more willing to leave their structure and actually hunt down their prey. Spinnerbaits are my favorite fall bait when bass fishing from the shore.
Winter is a very difficult time for shore anglers. Bass will go out into deeper water during these colder months, and since you are trapped on the shore, you can only fish as far as you can cast.
Your best be will be to identify pits, holes, or rapid drop offs that might be deep enough for bass to stay in throughout the winter.
Also, target rocky areas during winter warm fronts because the rocks warm up very quickly in the sun and bass seek them out during winter warm fronts.
Gear is very limited without a bass boat to hold all your rods, tackle, other fishing accessories. You need to keep things simple and carry as much as you can.
Get yourself a nice fishing backpack that can hold lots of fishing lures, pliers, a scale, clippers or a knife, excess fishing line, and whatever else you can fit into the backpack.
When it comes to rods, I suggest taking one finesse setup and one power setup. The finesse rod being a spinning rod with lighter line, ideally fluorocarbon.
For the power setup, get a baitcasting rod with higher pound test braid. Have some extra monofilament or fluorocarbon line so that you can tie a leader line if necessary.
In the world of bass fishing from the shore, these tips are your key to success. Make sure you fish the right habitats and seasons.
Armed with the right knowledge, gear, and techniques, you’re set to tackle the waters and land some impressive catches.
So go ahead, cast your line with confidence, enjoy the tranquility of the shore, and may your next bass fishing adventure be nothing short of amazing!
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