Gotta feel sorry for shoreline anglers that are restricted from moving around

[Spoonminnow]

As a strictly boat-based angler, I watch shore anglers watch me catch fish after fish way out from where their baits are. I don't know if they have any idea what the bottom is as far as depth and bottom type I'm fishing, but even then they're limited to a fan-shape casting area directly in front of them. Some use floats and live bait which is more restrictive due to the time-in-place a bait stays put regardless of zero bites. I'd much rather go to the fish rather than expecting them coming to me.

I need to at least find baitfish on my sonar or catch fish in or near specific areas not seen on my screen using lures as my fish finders. I cover thousands of feet (via my casts) in comparison to less than 100' the shoreline angler restricts himself and have a far greater chance of finding and catching fish, or best yet - school fish. I fished from 11am - 4:30pm last week and was able to find fish in many area types and depths: depths 3-6'; under shady tree branch overhangs; to seasonal post spawn areas where fish hang this time of year; shallow flats that coming out from shore in the middle of nowhere; and adjacent to shallow humps parallel to shore that I'm sure few know about. 80 fish - not bad for the time on the water under a bright sun and in a 15 mph wind. 241 fish in two days last week on a different lake.

Nice thing about fishing shallow lakes less than 10' deep is being able to find fish relating to structure areas. Predicting possible fish locations and catching fish on various lures makes it all worth it - at least to me. Being a lure crafter and modifier, even more so such that I can see how well fish strike those creations which allows me to keep a photographic record for future reference. I can also make sure some of those lures are in my tackle box. Here's an example that some might smile at but it changed my mind regarding shape and color. My mini-sticks have always been on the thin side and lighter in color such as this one:


But recently I cut of the thick, knobby black bodies of two Joker lures and fused them together:

Black has never been a favorite color regardless of lure design or type, but this 1.5" knobby stick caught everything and with gusto - and in different areas of the lake no less!!!:


Another surprise: the water is and will stay a murky green until fall but fish easily found and clobbered these clear-plastic creations - also in differen high potential areas:


Note: the lure on the right has a thickened body which may be detected better by the lateral line in murky water. I don't have a photo, but imagine the lure on the right in black. I caught fish galore on it that day in that same areas as other lures. Contrast via thickened body and the black color was a success.

Now, if I was stuck fishing from shore limited to many other areas due to trees, fences, large rocks, laziness, etc., there's no way I could have made the above discoveries on top of finding many specific area types to fish. Of course a boat is no guarantee of catching fish if anchored in place for long periods of time, with live bait hanging under a float. Covering water is key if fish numbers and size are important, otherwise I may as well take a nap under a tree hoping the bait under my float goes down and the fish hooking itself.

[BuckeyeCrappie]

Sweet!

[DockShootinJack]

Making good use of that boat and mobility

[BobC]

Your creations are always interesting, spoon. Nice mods!
Bob

[Spoonminnow]

Thanks Bob. Always glad to share with my fish'n brothers alternate ways to catch fish and trust me, any of you can do the same. The only thing fish care about is tasting the vittles before knowing what they are. The more fish exposed to what we cast, the greater the odds of catching more and better fish.

Frank

[Fishfood123]

I on occasion have asked a shore angler to fish with me in my boat They always enjoy it and are able to share in the catching.


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com

[shipahoy41]

Thank you for this interesting post.

Mike

[Ketchn]

I often watch boats when I am on the bank , they are often watching me as well ...
the way to high numbers of fish in hand is to take the path of least resistance and this might be on dry land , said might be .....