Bank Fishing Bank Fishing

Bank Fishing 101: Ultimate Guide For Beginners

Bank fishing is one of the activities you can do while enjoying yourself with your family on holidays. If you are fond of fishing and want to know about bank fishing, you have come to the right place. This article will give you all the essential information needed to fish from a bank.

There are a lot of people who love eating fish. Many of them like to eat it in a restaurant without effort, like catching it and cooking it. But some of the people want to catch and prepare the fish by themselves.

A lot of beginners don’t understand the essentials of fishing and go fishing. It leaves them in severe distress as they are not able to catch fish. 

Bank Fishing: Overview

Bank fishing is not difficult; all you need is to learn the basic techniques and concepts used while fishing. Once you understand all the fundamentals of fishing, catching a handsome amount of fish will become easier.

To catch fish on the bank, you don’t have to use boats to get around. It is because you can do it easily by standing by the river. You have to know about the equipment used in such fishing to have an effective fishing practice.

In this article, we will give you a detailed guide for fishing on the bank. Read this article to the end to get a thorough understanding of everything.

Tips For Successful Bank Fishing

You can also make your fishing experience splendid by taking help from the tips of expert fish catchers. Some of the bank fishing tips that are very effective are in the text below. Follow these tips to make your fishing practice enjoyable.

Review the Map

It is best to see a complete map of the area on google map or other sources where you are fishing.  Reviewing the map will give you a clear idea about that place before you leave your home. It will also help you find the perfect place for fishing before arriving at the location.

Work Sneakily

For bank fishing, it is essential to do all your activities silently, especially when the water is shallow at the bank. It is because fishes are more reactive to sounds. Any noise, like footsteps, will cause them to flee the area where you are trying to catch fish.

Keep Distance From the Coast

If you want to catch a massive amount of fish, it is best to keep your distance from the shore. It is because most of the fish’s habitat is near the shoreline. If you don’t maintain the specific distance from the bank, you have greater chances to miss your target.

Don’t hurry to throw while standing near the coast as it will alarm the fishes around the area. First, throw a few times from far back and then go for the new spot.

Pay Attention To the Edges

Edges of the shore give you a lot of clues about the existence of fishes in that area. While walking, pay attention and look for different signs like watercolor, water depth, seaweeds, etc. You may also find some small fishes that you can use as food for the targeted big fishes.

Observe Environmental Signs

It’s another great tip that can help you a lot while bank fishing. When fishing, look for the two signs, such as the direction of wind and shade. Wind will move fish in the direction it blows, so you will find fish if you follow the same path.

The same is the case with the shadow as it provides cold water for the fish and the fish feel secure under it. So, look at the entire area, look for wind direction, and a shady place to have a great fishing experience.

Bank Fishing Lures

Various bank fishing lures available at the market are very useful to fish from the bank. But for easy mobility, while fishing on the bank, it becomes a bit difficult to carry all of the lures you have.

You need not worry about which one you need to carry with you and which one to leave. Here, we will discuss some of the top lures that you can use in bank fishing.

These lures include soft worms, creature style, bladed jigs, floating minnow baits, lipless crankbaits, topwater baits, chatter bait, prop baits, etc.

Gadgets For Bank Fishing

Are you concerned about gadgets used in bank fishing? If so, you don’t need to worry. You only need rods and reels, which you can easily find at the market.

Rods and Reels

For bank fishing, we mostly go for a combination of three different-sized rods and reels. The details of each are as under:

  • Spinning rod from 7’ to 7’6” in combo with 6.X:1 retrieve spinning reel.
  • Casting rod from 7’ to 7’3” paired with 7.X:1 casting reel.
  • Casting rod of size 7 foot combined with 7.X:1 casting reel

Make sure to keep medium to medium light and heavy power rods and all with fast action. We focused on taking three rods because one can’t carry more weight on the trip.

Fish Hideouts

The best spot for fish hideouts in bank fishing is riprap rocks. These rocks run from the shore’s shallow water to deep water, serving as a perfect place for fishes to hide. Riprap rocks keep the water warm and also attract bait fish that serve as food for big ones.

You can easily find bass fish in these rocks along the bank because these fish come to shallow water for food and then go back to deep water.

Bank Fishing Seasons

You can go bank fishing in different seasons; among these, spring and fall are the best ones. In these seasons, bass travels to the shallow water. This migration mainly takes place for two purposes; to feed themselves or to spawn.

Do search for when the fishes spawn as it will give a clear idea about the spawning season. All these provide you with the opportunity to have productive bank fishing.

Pros and Cons of Bank Fishing

Bank fishing is pretty different from all other kinds of fishing. Its pros and cons vary for every individual based on the preferences and nature of the person. But overall, this fishing method also has some advantages and disadvantages. Let’s have a look at them.

Pros of Bank Fishing

  • Everyone can do bank fishing, irrespective of the experience level.
  • You don’t need to buy a boat and can do it at any place on the shore.
  • You fish shallow bass without alarming them as there is no noise.

Cons of Bank Fishing

  • You don’t enjoy water fishing as in other methods.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What can I use for bank fishing?

You can use jigs, spinnerbaits, medium-diving crankbaits, and topwater lures like a walker for bank fishing. You can also choose your lures according to your season. For instance, if you are fishing from the bank in summer, use deep-diving crankbaits and worms made of plastic.

How do you fish from a bank?

You can catch fish from the bank by following different tips and strategies. For a fruitful cast, it is essential to work silently, keep a distance from the coast, and pay attention to the edges and environmental cues.

You also have to search the area map on google maps where you are going fishing. All these will help you a lot in fishing from the bank.

What is the best bait for bank fishing?

The best bait for bank fishing depends on different seasons. These include medium-diving and deep-diving crankbaits, plastic lizards, jigs, stick worms, poppers, soft jerk baits, etc. All of them have their use in specific seasons.

Can you jig fish from shore?

Yes, you can jig from the shore, but you have to follow some protocols while jigging from the bank. It includes that you must throw the lure into the water body. After the casting, you have to jig back to the angler comparatively with more speed.

How do you catch big fish from the bank?

You have to follow some guidelines to catch big fish from the bank. These include a quick walk around the bank, staying silent, casting parallel to the bank, carrying a small load when bank fishing, etc. All of them will add to your successful fishing for large species. 

Final Comments: Bank Fishing

Well! That was all about bank fishing, tips to follow, different lures, gadgets required, specific seasons, tackles, etc. After reading this entire article, we hope you understand what you need when fishing from the bank. 

This fishing is not very tricky, even for beginners. All you need is to follow some protocols that experts suggest. You will have a wonderful experience once you learn all the basics of bank fishing.