Fishing for bass from the bank, or shoreline, has its own unique set of challenges. The most frustrating situation of course is avoiding snags and losing lures.
Excellent bass lures for bank fishing include hollow-body frogs, stick baits, shallow running jerkbaits and crankbaits, Texas-rigged soft plastics and topwaters.
Bass fishing can get expensive real quick. No shore angler wants to drop $15 on a lure and then have it get stuck with no way of reaching it.
These lures not only are great at locating and catching bass, but they are less apt to get stuck.
The Hollow-Body Frog and Shore Fishing
This bass catching machine is one of the best lures a shore angler can use. Especially when there is an abundance of vegetation or other thick cover.
On some waters, bank anglers are faced with a vast expanse of weeds before open water can be reached. Tie on a hollow-body frog and anticipate some topwater explosions.
Not only does the hollow-body frog float, it is also best fished with heavy braided line. This combination will keep the lure up and out of potential snags, but even if a cast buries this lure deep into a brush pile, the hook points resting in the back of the lure will often be enough to avoid a hangup. And if not, the heavy braid will give you some winching power to attempt to get that lure back.
Hollow-body frogs also excel in more open water. Big bass will attack this lure when it is floating against a dock post, sea wall, rip rap, or anyplace else our favorite predators like to rest.
Stick Baits and Shore Fishing for Bass
The stick bait, or Senko, is a favorite among bass anglers, but especially with those walking the bank.
Weedless wacky rig hooks can be used, but the real plus is the slow sink rate.
When the lure is falling through the water column, it is not going to shoot downwards and dart into a crevice or other narrow place shore anglers despise.
It will even lay horizontally across the top of thick submerged vegetation making for easy retrieval.
The stick bait can also be rigged Texas style and offer the bass an entirely different presentation. The slender profile lets the rig slip through vegetation and wood.
(Here is an article on 6 unique ways to rig a stickbait.)
Shallow Running Jerkbaits and Crankbaits for Shore Fishing
Hard baits can be expensive. A lure meant for dredging the depths is a lure soon to be lost for most shore-angling situations.
Savvy bank anglers utilize floating jerkbaits and shallow running crankbaits to maximize shore fishing opportunities.
Both lures are adept at searching and finding bass. These offerings draw reaction strikes even from bass not actively feeding.
A balsa floating minnow lure not only works well with a traditional jerkbait retrieve, but it can be fished in a more “finesse” style by pulling it – let it rest, and then pull it again. Think of it almost as topwater fishing.
Some of my favorite shallow running crankbaits are the KVD 1.0 squarebill and the Model 1S crankbait. Both of these are made by Strike King.
Texas-Rigged Soft Plastics for Shore Anglers
This inherently weedless and snagless presentation has endless possibilities for shore anglers.
Creature baits, craws, stickbaits, worms, and tubes are all lures bank anglers can rely on.
When fishing around vegetation, I prefer the more slender offerings like worms, tubes, and stickbaits.
When dropping lures around wood and brush, then I will select craws and creature baits. Soft plastic craws are also a favorite of mine when fishing around rock and riprap.
The key to successfully fishing with Texas rigs from the bank is to downsize the weights.
Heavy weights are more apt to lodge into places where retrieving them is near impossible. I rarely will use anything heavier than a ¼ oz from the shoreline. The Texas-rigged lures need to slide over the bottom cover and structure without wedging into cracks and crevices.
If you feel your lure getting wedged repeatedly, try using a smaller weight. I think you will be impressed by what a difference that can make. My shore angling worm weights are often ⅛ oz in size.
(Here is an article covering everything you need to know for Texas-rigs.)
Topwaters are a Bank Anglers Best Friend
About any topwater can be used from the shore with great success.
Depending on the situation though, there are some I like better than others.
For fishing slowly and deliberately around cover, it is hard to beat a popper. The lure can be twitched a couple of times and then sit next to a high-percentage target. Think of resting a popper alongside a laydown, a dock, or even right over some submerged vegetation.
If there is a lot of debris on the water, like leaves and pine needles, then I prefer to use a buzzbait.
The hook on a buzzbait faces upwards and does not drag through the water column like treble hooks.
There are enough challenges for shore anglers. Picking debris off of your topwater hooks is not something you want to do on every cast. A buzzbait solves that problem. Just be sure to start winding as soon as the lure hits the water because it will sink.
In open water, the choice for topwaters is endless. This is an especially attractive lure for bank anglers during lowlight periods. The bass are more apt to be shallow and roaming looking for a quality meal.
Keep Two Rods Handy with Two Lures When Bank Fishing
It can be more challenging for shore anglers to determine what part of the water column bass are using at any given time.
Carrying two rods with two very different presentations can make quick work of this task.
For example, I might have a hollow-body frog tied on and also a Texas-rigged worm. One lure will cover water quickly and stay on the surface while the other can be used to fish isolated targets from top-to-bottom.
Good luck and make sure to encourage someone today. You never know how you may change their life forever.
Isaiah 6:8
