Don't let anyone tell you that you need a boat to catch bass.
Apply these two bank fishing tips and you'll be on your way to catching more fish than the guys out on the boats.
#1 Keeping Your Distance
A LOT of anglers forget how easy it is to spook fish.
Simply keeping a distance from the shoreline is one of the most undervalued traits of a successful angler when it comes to bank fishing.
Whether walking from spot to spot or actually fishing an area, keeping some distance between you and the waters edge is crucial.
Remember, the shoreline is a natural attraction to bass.
It's the changing from shallow water to deeper water and is oftentimes where most of the bait (crawfish, forage fish) is located - both things that attract bass.
To limit disruption, do your best to keep a distance when identifying places to fish and once it's time to start making some casts be sure to approach your spot in a stealthy manner.
Once you’re done fishing a certain spot, instead of walking the waters edge, swing out and away from the bank again before approaching your next spot.
The below Google Earth image acts as an example.
RED STARS are active fishing spots and GREEN LINE is the path taken to get to each spot.
By swinging out away from the waters edge you limit the chances of spooking any aquatic life and in return will increase your chances of catching more bass.
When possible, try and space out your fishing spots based on your casting ability and how far you can cast.
If you can make a 30 yard cast, shoot for your next fishing spot to be roughly 60 yards away.
This is a great tactic when searching for fish on a new body of water.
A 30 yard cast to your left at the first spot combined with a similar cast to the right at your next spot equates to you covering the entire shoreline between both fishing spots.
Which brings up the next point...
#2 Fan Casting
It's so easy as anglers to make one or two casts to a target and move on.
This is fine and dandy if you know the bass are set up near common targets such as rocks, timber or aquatic vegetation but what if they aren't?
Yes, bass will typically remain close to the area they inhabit, but also know that bass are roaming creatures.
Secondly, most fisheries have a lot more to offer than what can be seen from the surface.
Submerged brush piles or structure-based holding areas like humps and ledges are just a few of the many subsurface bass magnets.
This is where fan casting can work to your advantage.
Fan casting is a shorter way of saying that you've spread your casts out in different directions - much like a fan that is set to blow air in multiple directions.
An easy way to picture fan casting is to think of a clock.
If you're on the bank and looking directly out into the water that would be considered 12 o'clock.
If you're fishing a laydown directly to your left along the shoreline that'd be the 9 o'clock position.
The shoreline to your right would be 3 o'clock.
Before leaving the spot make a few fan casts to cover all hours of your imaginary clock between 9 and 3 to get better acquainted with the area.
By fan casting the area you open yourself up to discovering a new piece of cover or structure that holds fish that you wouldn't have known about if you only sight-fished the area.
Now apply this technique to each of your fishing spots and you end up with something like the picture below.
Pretty neat, right?
By keeping your distance and using fan casting as a search technique, you avoid spooking fish, you effectively cover more water, and you end up learning more about the area you're fishing - all things that at the end of the day lead to catching more fish.
Time to go catch 'em!
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