Bass fishing continues to grow in popularity partly because of the lack of entry barriers for fishermen. Grab a rod, reel, and a few key lures, and you’re on your way. No boat, no problem! Fishing for bass from shore can be one of the best ways to catch lunker bass.
Below, you’ll find ten tips for more success while fishing for bass without a boat. Follow these tips and tricks to increase your chances significantly of catching more bass.
1. Approach the Bank Quietly and Stealthily. 4 Tricks.
As mentioned above, your ability to approach the shoreline quietly and with stealth is paramount when trying to catch bass without a boat. Below, you’ll see a few key tips for staying “sneaky”:
1. Stop Short of the Shore
Approach the bank with a target in mind but stop short of the shore by at least 3-5 feet but much more if possible. Stay as far away from the edge as possible while maintaining your ability to cast effectively.
2. Back Away When Done
When moving from one spot to another, back away from the current position and loop around to your next position. Avoid walking from one spot to another by using the water’s edge. By steering clear of the edge, you’ll spook less bass.
3. Colors Do Matter
Bass can and do see anglers. Wearing darker colors and avoiding brighter ones can make you less visible to waiting bass.
4. Try This to Hide Your Shadow
INSIDER TIP Your shadow can alert a bass that you are nearby. To avoid alarming the bass of your presence, walk into the sun so your shadow is behind you, not in the front, so you don’t spook fish as you approach
Check out 49 Bass Fishing Tips That Always Seem to Work for a great tip on being stealthy in a boat.
2. How to Cast (or NOT) from the Bank
Bank fishing for bass can be rewarding yet challenging at times. One of the biggest obstacles for bank fishermen is the inability to effectively cast because of limited space. Often, bank fishing is done within the confines of trees, bushes, and other brush, making casting next to impossible.
Learning to flip or pitch effectively can be a great alternative to regular casting when fishing from the bank. An angler experienced at pitching can often pitch nearly as far as a regular cast with MORE accuracy. Practicing these techniques at home and on land by aiming for bottles or tin cans is a great way to improve to make more precise presentations.
3. Identify the Shady Areas of a Bank. Shade = Food.
Fish love the cover of shade. When looking for a bass hideout, check out spots that provide shade for bass. Overhanging bushes and trees provide shade. Those same trees and bushes hold bugs and other creatures that can fall into the water where fish are waiting to eat. Fish use trees and bushes’ shade (cover) to wait for their next meal.
4. Rod and Reel Secrets for Bank Fishing
I would recommend using a shorter-than-normal rod for bank fishing for several reasons. First, transporting rods through woods or other brush can be arduous. By downsizing your rod length, you can ease some of the burdens of getting to your shoreline spot. Second, casting in limited space areas (shoreline near overhanging trees and brush) can be a cumbersome ordeal. Finally, using a shorter rod can make casting, pitching, and flipping much easier.
5. Shoreline Bass Fishing Tackle: Not So Obvious
Carefully consider what tackle is essential to your trip. Think ahead about the cover that you’ll be fishing. Much like hiking, CARRY AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE. For example, instead of a box of hooks and weights, throw a couple each in a small container to take with you. Trudging around with too much gear can make things way more complicated than they need to be. Take a few key lures with you and extra terminal tackle, and you’re good to go!
6. Essential Gear When Bass Fishing without a Boat
It is best to travel lightly by not carrying too much with you for your fishing outing. However, be sure to take the right tools along so you’re not making trips back to your car to grab something you forgot. At a minimum, you should bring:
- Pliers and knife or multi-tool.
- Drinking water
- A small first-aid kit
- A phone, if possible
- Polarized sunglasses and hat
- Fishing license
- A Scale (In my opinion, this is THE BEST SCALE for bass fishing on Amazon – Rapala High Contrast Scale)
- Sunscreen and bug spray
- Waders (optional)
7. Untapped: Secret Spots to Catch Bass from Shore
Use google maps and satellite images. Look for lakes with access roads, no houses along the shore, and a place to park and little to no brush near parking so you can walk the bank.
You can download Google Earth Pro directly onto your desktop computer, which offers more features than regular google maps. For example, with a historical lookback feature, you may find unchartered territory perfect for a bank fishing outing.
8. Casting Tactics to Catch More Bass from Shore
When fishing from the shore for bass, your most likely targets will include cover in shallow water. Casting parallel to the bank is usually the most productive because you can efficiently cover the best areas of the lake or pond.
When pitching or flipping slower-moving baits, look for shoreline structure that bass like to frequent. Your best bets include the following:
- Laydowns (logs and sticks that have fallen into the water and extend out from the shoreline).
- Grass points that stick out from the bank.
- Old (or new) dock pilings.
- Lily pads.
- Reeds — especially sparse reeds so you can effectively fish them without getting stuck. Check out this great article about how to fish for bass in the reeds.
- Bushes that you can skip a bait under.
- Rocks.
- Any ledge or dropoff from the bank.
- Submerged vegetation.
9. Start Slow, Finish Strong: Bait Selection
Upon first approaching a lake or pond that you intend to fish from the shore, grabbing what you perceive to be your best big bass-catching lure is tempting. That lure is often a water-popping, lip-smacking, good topwater lure.
When I’m not out on my bass boat, I fish a ton of smaller ponds with my kids, who are avid tournament anglers. We’ve noticed that it’s often best to employ a different strategy for bank fishing for bass.
Starting with a bigger, louder topwater lure may prove to be effective but with short-lasting results. We call it “tearing up the water” when you use a topwater lure too soon during a shoreline outing. Topwaters can churn the water and disturb a valuable fishing space rather quickly. You will likely catch a couple of fish, but you may be doing more damage than good.
Instead, we like to save our bigger baits for later in the game. We like to start with lures and baits that cover water a little more slowly and with more finesse … ESPECIALLY in smaller bodies of water.
Insider Tip By starting with a quieter presentation, you’ll be able to fish your area for longer and “milk” the water for all it’s worth.
After you have fished with slower, quieter baits, bring out the bigger guns like rattle traps, walking baits, prop baits, and more. Fish high-percentage areas with those baits to bring out the big boys and girls and invite them to your fishing party.
10. Top 4 Magic Baits for Bass Fishing Without a Boat
Fishing from the shore can present unique challenges while being very rewarding at the same time. Choosing the right bait for catching bass without a boat is key to your fishing success. Although there are many options, below, you’ll find a few key baits that work in various shoreline settings.
- Topwater Frog Frogs are a great tool because they can be fished in a wide range of cover, including grass, stick-ups, and lily pads, with little to no risk of getting stuck because the hooks are tucked into the bait’s body. As a result, you can feel freer to cast away with worries allowing more time to fish and using less time to get your lures unstuck. Frog fishing is an exciting and versatile way to fish from the bank for bass. Click here to check out the Booyah Frog on Amazon.
- Stick Worms Stick worms are the perfect way to fish from the bank, especially when a stealthy approach is in order. Stick worms are virtually weedless and can be thrown into fairly thick cover without the risk of being stuck because the hook is embedded directly into the bait’s body. Stick worms (many people call them by the name brand, “Senko.” Check out Senkos on Amazon by clicking here.) are an excellent finesse fishing tactic but are heavy enough to be fished with a pitching technique that allows you to present the bait quietly to a smaller target area.
- Texas Rigged Worm Texas Rigged Worms are a tried and true method for fishing any body of water. This all-around bait can be worked ultra-slow by lifting the bait and then letting it sink, or you can cover water a little faster by slow-rolling a speed worm (Zoom or other brands) through underwater grass or over underwater cover. I’m in Florida and ALWAYS have one with me.
- Topwater Lures In my experience, topwater lures are the best big bass bait for fishing from the bank if you have the right access. I have seen more good fish caught on topwater than any other bait, particularly in smaller bodies of water. Fish don’t seem able to resist a good topwater presentation. Most of the time, I see bigger bites on topwater fished relatively slowly and methodically, as that seems to tempt and pull bass from their holding spots. There are times, however, when bass are very active and in hunt mode, meaning that working a topwater lure faster is a better option. Check out the Yo-Zuri Popper Floating Lure on Amazon. It’s AMAZING and very life-like.
Final Word
Bass fishing without a boat can be a great way to get out for a quick trip with less effort AND cost than a normal boat trip. By following a few key concepts, you’ll enjoy a great day of bass fishing AND CATCHING!