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.
By: Douglas Burns
Posts Tagged ‘Prey’
Bank Fishing For Bass
April 20th, 2010Some Facts About Largemouth Bass Fishing
December 11th, 2009
To be a successful largemouth bass fisherman, you need to know a little about the type of fish that you are fishing for. You can tell a largemouth bass by the distinctive jagged edged stripes on either side of the fish created by a series of dark spots. The largemouth bass can also be all black in color. Another distinctive characteristic of the largemouth bass is that the upper jaw reaches past the back of the eye.
The diet of the largemouth bass changes throughout its lifespan. Filling up on plankton and insects as young juvenile fish, as it gets older it moves to smaller fish and then eventually birds and small mammals such as rats and mice in adulthood. Using sight, smell and hearing senses, they seize their prey under the cover of brush, grass or drop offs. The main sense that the largemouth bass uses is his sight.
Some of the best largemouth bass fishing can probably done in spawning beds. In shallow waters with average temperatures between 64 and 74 degrees such as small lakes and ponds are where the largemouth bass spawn. Inside the shallow depressions made by the male bass, up to one million eggs can be laid by the female during a single spawning season. Once the female lays the eggs, it is the male who turns unwanted predators away while guarding the eggs.
One of the most exciting things about fishing for the largemouth bass is the fight that is put up when it is hooked. The tug and pull of a largemouth will make anyone’s heart beat faster with the excitement. Some techniques used for largemouth bass fishing are doodling, flipping and pitching. When casting your line it is crucial that you are accurate. The different types of casting are overhand, underhand and sidearm. Some of the casting tips that you can use are as follows:
Before casting, lower the lure just below the tip of the rod. This allows for momentum. If possible try to land your lure on the water with as little noise as possible. Cast just beyond your target. When casting remember to use your wrist.
There are actually two types of artificial baits used for largemouth bass fishing, soft plastic baits and hard baits. The types of soft plastic baits include tube baits, plastic worms, grubs and soft jerk baits. The types of hard baits that are used are crank baits, swimming spoons, spinner baits, jigging spoons, jigs and vibrating lures.
It is common practice among anglers to release largemouth bass alive. Largemouth bass respond well to catch and release because of their hardiness, and the ability of their large mouth to withstand repeated hook injuries without compromising their ability to feed or causing damage to their gills. There are many methods and options in largemouth bass fishing. This is just a small insight into a much larger world. Thousands of people enjoy fishing for largemouth bass. It is a fun hobby that is perfect for the single fisherman or the whole family.
By: W Scott
