Bank Fishing For Bass
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Many people think it is impossible to fish for bass without a boat. This simply is not true. There are many places to fish for bass from the bank. Some are easily accessible and some are not. But they are there waiting for you.
The first place I learned to fish was a medium sized farm pond. My father took me there just about every other week during the summer and we pulled many bass out of there. Ponds can be found throughout the countryside but now a days most are on private property and you need to ask permission. Look for vegetation and structure to improve your chances.
Another good place very similar to the pond is a abandoned strip mine. These can be found throughout the Midwest and provide excellent bass fishing. Again look for vegetation and structure but with strip mines the water can be very deep making finding the structure a little more difficult.
Creeks and streams that have a steady flow of water are good for smallmouth bass. Look for trees in the water as they provide excellent cover for the bass. Also look for breaks in the flow of the water as often times bass will sit in the calmer water waiting on their prey to go by.
Rivers can also provide excellent bank fishing but the good spots are usually a little harder to get to. You look for the same things you would look for in the smaller creeks and streams but you may have to hike a ways through heavy growth to get there. I suggest you wear a fishing vest as it will make it a little easier to get through the growth. One more place on a river that I have found really produces is what I call an eddy pool. Find a place where the water is moving really fast and look for pockets of quite water either alongside the fast water or immediately after. These pools will contain all kinds of fish either resting for the next leg of their trip or waiting for the bait fish to arrive.
You can also fish lakes from the bank looking for the same structure you would look for in a pond or strip mine. Areas of growth or trees in the water make the best choices. This is probably my least favorite place to bank fish due to the difficulty of finding and getting to a good fishing location.
Knowing Right Bass Fishing Techniques Improves Catches
It really does not matter what type of lure a person uses, without the right bass fishing techniques it will simply end up as a practice session for casting. Jigs, spinners and crank baits have all be successful in pulling in trophy bass, but there are many times when two anglers, using the same bait and fishing in the same boat will have opposite success. The one who has no idea about the bass fishing techniques will usually go home empty handed.
The main problem with understanding the bass fishing techniques is that they can change from one day to the next and can even change throughout the day. They will definitely change as the angler moves position on the water as the contours of the lake bottom changes, giving the fish a different outlook on where they plan to eat. A difference of a few feet on the surface can determine if the bass fishing techniques being used will meet with success.
Many new anglers believe that all fish are basically stupid and when any species gets really hungry they may demonstrate a true lack of judgment. However, it is the older, wiser and much larger fish that can be caught by knowing the bass fishing techniques needed during a particular situation.
Know When To Pull And When To Drop
Observing the bass as they feed is the best way to determine the type of lure to use and how to use it. For example, if fishing in shallows, less than four-feet deep and there is a constant array of ripples indicating the bass are searching for insects on the surface, logical bass fishing techniques call for a popper or a floating lure. However, if the angler where to drop a slow-sinking artificial worm on the surface, they should not be surprised if they get a hard strike.
When using plastic worms, thread the hook further down through the plastic worm to eliminate the chance of a short-strike resulting in a damaged worm. Make sure the fish can find the hook if they only gobble two or three inches of the worm. Using the normal bass fishing techniques with the adjusted worm usually provide more catches with the strikes.
Early morning and late afternoon are good times to demonstrate bass fishing techniques near piers and docks as the fish like to remain in the shadows, especially during hot summer days. They will be deeper in the water during the day and rarely coaxed out, but as they head to their shallower feeding ground, they tend to be more aggressive,
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INDIANA SMALLMOUTH ALLIANCE accomplishments
Part of the reason for this blog is to record what happens each year. Fishing stuff can be so hard to remember. My memory is going a little south and I do get out to fish more than most, so it helps keep track.
Some of the things Indiana Smallmouth Alliance has done this year.
We launched our own forum as a means to promote smallmouth conservation in Indiana, helped out with the White River Cleanup in Muncie, IN, Completed a flood damage survey of Big Walnut Creek for Putnam county, placed special DNR regulation signs on Blue River and Sugar Creek, helped teach kids to fish at the DNR pond at the State Fair, increased our membership almost 100%, Cleaned up section of Deer Creek, ran a kayak rigging session as well as a buzzbait pour.
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