BE MORE SUCCESSFUL BANK FISHING (Photos and story)

[shipahoy41]

I found this two page article on line Wired2Fish - Fishing How-To Guides, Tips, Videos, Tackle Reviews and More - SCOUT Front Page by Josh Gowan. It is packed with great information for the bank fisherman and a lot of photos. I enjoyed reading it and I hope you will too.

[Smoltz]

Thanks for posting that!

[Tn Johnboy]

Good read, Thanks Ship

[Fatman]

Excellent!! Being a shore bound guy, I use a good backpack with everything sorted out and in Ziplock freezer bags (well it starts out that way!!LOL) and 2-3 outfits. If they're hitting good I stay in the area, if not I start walking the trails to the next spots.

If it ever warms up we might be able to get out to the fishin hole, but if the water gets real high from the snow melt you can't get back into part of the pond.

[MontanaBoy]

thanks for sharing. Nice read

[bowhunter012463]

I agree with everything Josh wrote about. I have fished most of the ways. Only thing I might add is don't stick to just one method. There have been days I have tried 3 or 4 different methods until I found what the fish wanted.

[DockShootinJack]

I use a backpack to hold my gear when I am bank fishing.

[wannabe fisherman]

I use a backpack to hold my gear when I am bank fishing.

similar for me only I use a hunting belt that has several pouches on it each pouch has it's own list of contents

[SpeckMaster]

Thanks. That's a good article.

I use 7 1/2' and 8' rods to reach out from shore for panfish. For long-distance casting live bait/slip bobber rigs I prefer medium to slow action fiberglass rods. They don't give the casting distance you get from a faster action but you're a lot less likely to rip your bait off on the cast.

Longer rods and slower actions also have a couple of other advantages. If you're floating a bobber way out there it's hard to avoid having slack in your line. The longer the rod, the more line you can pick up on the up-sweep. I try to keep my rod tip pointed at the bobber and as little slack in the line as possible. When the bobber goes down I sweep straight up. The slow action of the rod prevents jerking the hook right out and helps keep tension on the line. (It helps to keep your hooks sharp, you're not going to get the same hookset you do with only 20 feet of line out.)

If you're using slip bobbers at longer ranges remember the line weight will be greater and it will take a heavier weight to pull the weight of the line through the bobber. If you're using mono this effect will become greater over time as the line absorbs water. (If you're not using mono you may have a different problem, i.e., your line sinking.) You may wind up using a bigger bobber. If you want to use a smaller jig, add split shot a few inches above the jig until you get enough weight on the bobber. I usually use at least one split shot anyway to keep the bobber off the jig while casting. I use a Trilene knot tightened hard at 90 degrees from the vertical on the hook side of the eye to keep my curly tail/gulp minnow etc horizontal. If I let the bobber ride up against the jig on the cast it can move the knot, making the jig hang off the horizontal. Sometimes that's the difference between catching fish and not. (Other times they seem to prefer it dangling down or even tail up, so go figure.)

I usually use 1/32 oz jigs and find 1/16 often fall too fast. You can cast very effectively with a 1/32 oz jig with 2 or 4lb XL, and a split shot a few inches above the jig adds casting weight without increasing the speed of the bait's fall. Personally I prefer underspin reels for this presentation. You don't need high speed retrieve and not having to open and close the bail on every cast is a great convenience. You do need a good quality reel. With a 6 1/2' ultralight rod and 2-4lb line on a good quality underspin, I put on a stop knot and a bead, tie on a jig and add a split shot a few inches above it. Dressed with a minnow, curly, tube, gulp minnow, etc. I can cast or fish vertically (for example, from a dock or breakwall.) I can add a clip-on slip bobber and bobber fish. This is my go-to close range setup.

Make sure your drag is set right with these light lines. Regularly check for nicks in the line and re-tie as necessary. I've caught wipers up to 4 lbs on my crappie rod rigged with 2 lb XL, and a 5 lb wiper on 4 lb XL. In fact, now that I think about it, I caught an 11 lb carp on 4 lb XL while crappie fishing a few years ago. Everything needs to go right if you're going to land a big one on your crappie rig, and it all starts with setting the drag right.

A big fish may well ruin really light line by stretching it too far for it to recover. But if that's the case, changing out the line is a small price to pay, isn't it?