BaSS tactIcs
Bank
F
By eddIe Bass
Photos by Jody Only
Bassin’
ishing from the bank can sometimes be a little discouraging when you watch all the guys launching their boats and disappear- ing down the main channel of the delta or out into the main lake. it also can be discouraging when you turn on the tV to watch your favor- ite fishing show and see the pro anglers smackin’ ‘em all day from their boat on their lake or pond or waterway. But, if you think about it - you just can’t beat bassin’, whether it is from the boat or the bank - it is a blast and with a few basic tips and tricks about bassin from the bank, you might just catch that trophy bass that everyone and their momma is hunting for! When i’m on the bank, i always hear people say, “Man! if i had a fish scanner, i would be able to catch a lot of bass too!” Well, if you want to start fishing tidal waters - like the Calif. delta - from the bank, year- around, like i do, i’m here to tell that you that you don’t need a fish finder to start catching bass from the bank.
This way when the tide rolls back in, i have a good idea of which locations are going to be holding the bass when they move back up towards the banks. low tide will also reveal what the heck you have been snagging some of your favorite cranks on too and maybe even offer you a chance to get one or two back. When i pull up on a bank in the spawning season, i get out of the truck and check for bedding bass with my polarized shades on. i take the time to walk the bank at different levels of tide, before i start to fish. While i’m walking the bank searching for bedding bass, i keep a good distance away from the water as much as possible.
SPAwN/POST SPAwN
When i see some bedding fatties, instead of running up and throwing just any ol’ bait at ‘em, i first try to calm myself down. after calming down, i will then remember the spot by lining it up with a specific marker - i may remember a certain tree limb that will pinpoint the bedding bass from a distance or a boulder or bush or shopping cart - you never know it is the delta. i’ll then move down the bank until i feel that i’m no longer in the bass’ visual scope and i’ll start by throwing a topwater bait like a small popper. if no luck, i will then change to a reaction bait and then move on to weightless stick worms. if none of those baits work, i will go to a drop shot rig or rage tail Craw with a pegged 1/4-ounce weight. i’ve found the trick with these two baits is to utilize the weight on either one of the two rigs to kick up as much dirt as possible in the same spot on the bed. it should trigger the male to strike at the bait. once i get the male out of there, i will release him away from the
OBSERVATIONS
let me explain. when bass fishing tidal waters from the bank, you can take advantage of the tide changes. i wait and stay when the tide is at its lowest point. While most people complain and leave because the water is low, i stay around and take advantage of the situation. Yep, i stay and study what it looks like on the bottom. i take notes, snap pictures or record with my phone. i look for humps, sunken logs or other objects, tires, boulders, beds, contours, submerged vegetation, stick ups and anything else i can find that a bass would like to call home, find shelter in or use as an ambush point.
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