You do not need a boat to catch bass. Shore anglers catch big fish every day, because bass live in shallow water, and the bank gives you access to the exact cover they hold on — docks, laydowns, grass edges, and points that are all within casting range of dry land. A boat helps you reach more water, but it does not help you catch the bass that are already within reach of the bank.
The bank is not a disadvantage
The bank forces you to fish the water that matters. Bass spend most of their lives in water less than 15 feet deep, and much of that water is within a cast of the shore. The grass line, the dock, the fallen tree, the point — the highest-percentage bass cover on most lakes is all bank-accessible, and a shore angler who fishes it thoroughly will catch as many bass as a boater who races past it.
The bank also makes you a better angler. You cannot run to a new spot every ten minutes, so you learn to read the water in front of you, to fish a piece of cover properly, and to vary your retrieve instead of your location. That discipline is worth more than a trolling motor.
How to read the bank
Start by looking for cover that touches the water. A laydown — a fallen tree with its branches in the water — is the single best bank-fishing target on most lakes, because it gives bass shade, ambush cover, and a place to hide, all in one spot. Fish it from every angle you can reach: cast past it, along it, and into the pockets between the branches.
Docks are the second-best target. Bass hold under docks for shade, and the posts give them ambush points. Skip a weightless stick bait or a Texas rig under the dock, as far back as you can get it, and let it fall on a slack line. The bite usually comes on the fall, so watch the line. A dock over a drop-off is better than a dock over a flat bottom, because the depth change gives the bass a travel route.
Grass edges are the third target. Bass cruise the edge where grass meets open water, especially in the morning and evening. Cast parallel to the grass line — not across it — so your lure stays in the strike zone for the whole retrieve instead of crossing it in two seconds. A spinnerbait or a chatterbait fished along a grass edge is one of the highest-percentage bank presentations there is.
Points are the fourth target. A point is a finger of land that sticks out into the lake, and bass use it as a travel route between deep and shallow water. Fish the point from the side, casting across it, so your lure works down the drop-off on both sides. A crankbait or a Carolina rig is the right call on a point, because both cover the depth change efficiently.
The right lures for the bank
A Texas rig is the best all-around bank lure. It is weedless, so it fishes the grass, wood, and docks that hold bass, and it can be fished slowly and thoroughly from one spot. A 1/4 oz bullet weight with a 6-inch worm in green pumpkin will catch bass from the bank on almost any lake.
A weightless stick bait is the second-best bank lure. It casts well on spinning gear, it falls slowly beside cover, and it catches bass that will not eat anything else. Rig it on a wide-gap hook with no weight, cast it past the cover, and let it fall on a slack line.
A spinnerbait is the bank angler’s search bait. It covers water fast, it comes through grass and wood, and it finds active fish. A 3/8 oz spinnerbait in white and chartreuse, fished along grass edges and points, will find the bass on a new lake faster than any other lure.
A topwater frog is the bank angler’s weapon for matted vegetation. From the bank, you can reach the edge of a grass mat and walk a frog across it — and the bass that live in the mat will explode on it. Use 40 to 65 lb braid, because you are dragging a fish out of thick vegetation.
How to work a spot properly
Fish a spot from more than one angle. A laydown that you cast at from straight on has a dead side — the side facing away from you, where the bass actually hold. Walk ten yards down the bank and cast at it from the side, and you will reach fish that the straight-on cast never touched. One spot fished from three angles catches more fish than three spots fished from one angle each.
Fish the spot thoroughly before you move. A beginner’s most common bank mistake is making three casts and walking on. Bass in a laydown or under a dock do not always bite the first cast — sometimes they need to see the bait a few times, or the bait needs to fall into a different pocket. Make ten casts into a good piece of cover, varying the retrieve and the angle, before you decide it is empty.
Vary the retrieve before you vary the lure. A Texas rig fished fast, then slow, then with long pauses, is three different presentations. Most of the time, the fish are there — they just want the bait presented differently. Change the retrieve first, and only change the lure when you have tried every retrieve.
Ponds: the best bank fishing there is
A farm pond or a neighborhood pond is the best bank fishing a beginner can find. Ponds are small, the bass are concentrated, and the entire pond is within casting range of the bank. A pond with grass, a few laydowns, and a dock will hold bass in every part of it, and you can learn the whole pond in a single afternoon.
Fish a pond by walking the bank and hitting every piece of cover. Cast a Texas rig or a weightless stick bait to each laydown, each dock post, and each grass edge. Ponds warm up faster than lakes in spring, so the bass move shallow earlier — a pond can be fishing well in March when the nearby lake is still cold. And because ponds are small, the bass in them see fewer lures, which makes them easier to catch.
What to bring
Bank fishing rewards traveling light. A single rod, a small tackle box with five lures, a pair of pliers, and a spool of line are enough. A 7-foot medium-heavy rod with 12 lb fluorocarbon will fish a Texas rig, a jig, and a spinnerbait from the bank. Bring water, sunscreen, and polarized sunglasses — polarized lenses let you see into the water, which is the single biggest advantage a bank angler has, because you can see the grass, the rocks, and sometimes the bass themselves.
Wear shoes you can walk in, and be ready to walk. The best bank spot is usually not the one next to the parking lot. Walk the bank, find the cover, and fish it properly. The walk is part of the fishing.