Bank fishing

[Ketchn]

the bank is your friend for sure .....its only a matter of mindset .....
I just want to ketch crappie and sometimes bream ...rarely much else these days .
and to be sure somewhere fairly close to my house there are crappie I can get to off the bank

[BobC]

some of the best crappie guru's I know fish only from the banks and use their boats mostly to drop off brush accessable from the bank. it's easy peasey to stroll down to the rocks or docks with your 5 gallon bucket in hand and get to ketchn. I was raised on stalking the banks for bass and bluegill primarily on ponds and small lakes so it feels like home for me to do it. I have no problem tho with going out on one of my buddies boats to hit the piers or coves in bigger lakes.

Use my pontoon to get to docks I can walk on at my home lake or then go out and hit the deeper water ones which arn't accessable any other way. Will do what works at which time of year but my fav? wading the edges during spawning time when the boats and cars drive right by me just a few feet and can't get back to shallow arm of lake and I am killing them with my long pole and tight line in a foot or two of water! Reminds me of my roots finding that favorite bluegill bedding area!

Those times are pure magic. I have found beds in shallow water that bank fishers have just walked by because of heavy weeds along the bank. My advantage during some of those finds was that I was wading 15 ft from the bank and could see all. Good times!
Bob

[shipahoy41]

the bank is your friend for sure .....its only a matter of mindset .....
I just want to ketch crappie and sometimes bream ...rarely much else these days .
and to be sure somewhere fairly close to my house there are crappie I can get to off the bank

Ain't that the truth Mark!

Mike

[S10CHEVY]

Yes bank fishing can be fun. But, in a lot of places, at my local lake, resides a lot of poison ivy, and poison sumac. Not fun to get. And we also have way too many ticks around these parts. So boating is better for me.

[BobC]

Yes bank fishing can be fun. But, in a lot of places, at my local lake, resides a lot of poison ivy, and poison sumac. Not fun to get. And we also have way too many ticks around these parts. So boating is better for me.

Real good points you made that apply here in SE PA as well. That is why I usually go with waders. Sometimes while I’m wading I’ll spot a tick climbing up the wader that I picked up before getting in the water! You can’t be too careful and the poison ivy is everywhere.
Bob

[Bobberbob]

there are a lot of county and city ponds near me i have several boats but i've gotten lazy and grab a couple rods my tackle box and chair and go fish at the bank. i also enjoy watching and talking to people as most have walking paths , i love catching fish but just getting outside and relaxing is what i enjoy. this year though i do plan to use my canoe and my pond boat more .

[Grainraiser]

I have been a bank fisherman for along time. Blew the engine in my boat a few years ago and have been fishing out of a little 10ft Pelican ever since. Been wanting to get another full size boat but the little Pelican keeps me on fish so I am in no rush. Bank fishing here for crappie is great during the spring. You can find some fish in the fall but summer and winter pretty much requires a boat. Can't chase white bass blasting top waters from the bank. I still have my waders and use then alot during the spring. Bank fishing just requires you to do a little more research to get on the fish. Heck I know a guy who was a fulltime bank guide and did not own a boat for years.

[Eagle 1]

to many places a mile off the road to bank fish . Might find ole no-shoulders also .

[Ketchn]

Yes bank fishing can be fun. But, in a lot of places, at my local lake, resides a lot of poison ivy, and poison sumac. Not fun to get. And we also have way too many ticks around these parts. So boating is better for me.

i never will understand why some folks dont see the entertainment in the other wildlife , it aint just about ketchn fish you know ,,,,
that almost wet my britches when a python size looking water snake blows up right beside you in the tall grass is priceless

[Micanopy]

Bank fishing aint for sissies round here. We gots creatures what eat people. And little itty bitty ticks that leave a welt that itches for a year. Chiggers everywhere and I hate chiggers. Skeeters and spiders. Then there are the skunk apes that roam the banks. I know of a few places that are survivable, but never catch much there.

A boat to me is like a car at 16. Freedom to hit the open road and go exploring.

Now if I lived near the Shenandoah River.......well wading for smallmouth is about as good as fishing gets.