How to bass fish from shore.
Bass are everywhere which is good for those of us that do not have a bass boat. You can catch a bass just about anywhere that you can find fresh water. That is why most of my bass have been caught from shore.
You can find them in ponds, canals, ditches, lakes, rivers and even your front yard if you live where it floods sometimes. I caught a bass in my driveway after the canal by my house overflowed because of a hurricane when I was a kid.
My buddy Robert caught his very first bass from shore using a piece of hot dog when we were catfish fishing in the pond behind my house. That's him smooching with his first bass.
I am a FISHING CHARTER CAPTAIN on the Treasure Coast of Florida and have been catching bass for over 40 years. Probably 90% of those bass were caught from shore. It is one of my favorite ways to catch bass because you have to be stealthy or you will spook the fish if it is a small area that you are fishing.
In the article below I will tell you all that I know about bass fishing from shore. Let's get started.
Watch the video below and catch more bass from shore.
Bass are everywhere which is good for those of us that do not have a bass boat. You can catch a bass just about anywhere that you can find fresh water. That is why most of my bass have been caught from shore.
You can find them in ponds, canals, ditches, lakes, rivers and even your front yard if you live where it floods sometimes. I caught a bass in my driveway after the canal by my house overflowed because of a hurricane when I was a kid.
My buddy Robert caught his very first bass from shore using a piece of hot dog when we were catfish fishing in the pond behind my house. That's him smooching with his first bass.
I am a FISHING CHARTER CAPTAIN on the Treasure Coast of Florida and have been catching bass for over 40 years. Probably 90% of those bass were caught from shore. It is one of my favorite ways to catch bass because you have to be stealthy or you will spook the fish if it is a small area that you are fishing.
In the article below I will tell you all that I know about bass fishing from shore. Let's get started.
Watch the video below and catch more bass from shore.
How to find bass honey holes from shore?
In my opinion, the best thing about bass fishing from shore is finding hidden honey holes that boats can't get into. Bass will figure out real quick what a fishing lure looks like if the body of water where they live gets a lot of fishing pressure.
We've all been to those "awesome bass fishing lakes" and all that we can see is huge bass sticking their middle fin in the air at us as they ignore every bait that we toss at them. Those fish have been caught too many times.
That is what is so great about finding some little pond or ditch that no one has fished in before. Those bass are usually very gullible and naive to whatever bass lure that you are using. This gives you a good shot at catching some monster bass.
I like to explore woods that have water loving trees live the Bald Cypress. Cypress trees can tell you where there is a small body of water. Down here in Florida our wet season creates seasonal bass catching ponds. The fish will move in with all of the rain and move out before the Winter dry season.
You also want to look for birds like egrets and herons. They like to roost near their food so if you can find a bunch of wading birds, then there is a good chance that there will be a pond somewhere near.
What are the best lures when you are shore fishing for bass?
I have a very simple tackle box that I use when I am shore fishing for bass. I like to use a spinner bait because it is such a great search bait. You can cover a ton of water to figure out where the fish are. I use 3 different colors of spinner bait. I like white and chartreuse for clear water with clear skies and blue or black for dirty water and cloudy skies.
I will also bring some purple worms, some green frogs and some pumpkin crawdads. Those I will set up with either a Texas Rig or a Carolina Rig depending upon what how thick the vegetation is. The Texas Rig will punch through the thick stuff if you need to fish it like a jig.
When you fish a crawdad for example like a jig you will pitch it to a hole in the vegetation and let it sink to the bottom. I like to twitch it up and down in that hole 5 or 6 times to see if there are any bass around before I move to another clump of weeds or lily pads.
Watch the video below for best tackle tips.
What is the best tackle for bass fishing from shore?
I like to keep it simple when I go bass fishing. I usually bring one rod and reel loaded with 8 to 12 pound mono filament line. That let's me catch decent sized bass in most scenarios.
BUT if I knew that I was going to be fishing in heavy cover then I would use a rod and reel combo with 50 lb. braid. Then I would be confident that I could get some of those bigger swamp donkeys out of the thick weeds.
You have to decide what tackle suits your style, location and experience level for bass fishing.
When is the best time of year to fish for bass from shore?
This one is easy. When the bass are bedding it is like shooting fish in a barrel. Bass get real hungry after not eating very much over the Winter.
The pre-spawn and spawn are the best times to catch bass regardless of what state you are in. The best bass catching months are March through May depending upon what part of the country your are in.
I wrote a few different articles on this website that cover in much more detail how to catch a bass during the different seasons. You can read those articles by clicking on them below.
Winter Bass Fishing Tips
Spring Bass Fishing Tips
Summer Bass Fishing Tips
Fall Bass Fishing Tips
I don't know where you live but you can find out when the are pre spawn or when the bass start to bed in your region and make sure to carve out some time to fish during those few of months.
Down here in Florida March through May is the best time. The male bass will protect their eggs by trying to kill anything that comes near them. They will hit just about anything that you throw at them when they are brooding. I love to use a buzz bait this time of year because you get the best top water bass strikes.
The females are usually sticking relatively close to the nest too but they are out in deeper water. Probably making sure that their husband is doing a good job at protecting their babies.
What time of day is the best for bass fishing from shore?
This depends upon the season and the water temperature. I am down here in Florida so our Winter is different from yours if you are further north but the same rules apply. In the Winter months, the bass will stay deeper where the water temperatures are more stable.
Pro Tip: Try and fish the Northern parts of the lakes and ponds if they are protected from wind in the Winter. What I mean by that is, if there is a bluff, hill, forest..... that will block the cold Northern winds on the body of water that you are fishing, that side will be warmer and have more fish.
As the sun's heat energy is transferred into the upper layers of the water column and the shallows the bass will move to those areas to warm up and feed. That is one of the great things about Winter fishing for bass or just about any fish for that matter. You can sleep in and let the water temperatures rise if it is a sunny day.
The reverse is true in the Summer months. The bass will be near shore early until the water gets too hot for them. Then they will retreat to deeper water to cool down.
Pro Tip: Fish the shady spots in the Summer months because the bass will stay shallow longer in those areas.
When it is not super hot or super cold then the best time of day to catch bass is early and late in the day. The first 2 hours of sunlight and the last 2 hours of sunlight are the best times to catch bass.
Watch the video below and catch more bass.
Conclusion:
My favorite way to fish for bass is from the shore. I like the idea of silently stalking up to a fishy looking pond, lake, river, canal, ditch...... That is just fun. It is especially fun when you can pull a 5 pound plus bass out of two feet of water in a drainage ditch.
Shore fishing for bass is a fishing style that anyone can get good at too. All that you need is a few different kinds of lures and a rod and reel combo. That's all you need to start catching bass like a pro.
Bass are the most popular game fish to catch in the United States for a reason. They are fun to catch. They are also available to just about everyone who is near some sort of fresh water. AND it is very cheap to get started bass fishing if you do it from shore.
I hope that this article helps you catch more bass.
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