Simple And Effective Shore Fishing Tactics
Every fisherman has been shore bound at one time. After all it is the oldest and most common method. You don’t have a boat, the body of water you’re fishing doesn’t support them, or it’s just not feasible to get your boat in or to the water. Many people think that you cant land big fish from shore, let alone a lot of them. But by using these tactics you will find the best structure and locations quickly getting you one step closer to hooking the big one.
The tactics discussed here are most important when fishing new water and there is only one rule: “cover everything”. You must be very thorough and meticulous in your approach the first few days. Think of it as a reconnaissance mission, you may not be catching fish your first day, but you’re gathering information that will lead to lots of fish later.
I cannot stress how important it is to keep notes, especially during the first few days. I keep a pocket size notebook and pen in my tackle box at all times, it’s a requirement, just like my fishing license. Keep an active log of temperature, wind direction, flow direction, water color, and any changes that occur while you’re fishing. Changes in any of these variables can affect fish behavior. These notes will be an invaluable resource later. When you review them later you should start noticing patterns. These patterns are your key to consistant catching.
Preparation
If possible try to research the area you’re going to be fishing before you get there. Searching the internet for forums and communities, quite often these will provide you with information from fisherman who are very familiar with the waters and can give you some hot tips. Talk to other fisherman you see while you’re out they can give you more insight in to lure choices, methods, and if they’ve caught anything.
As a fisherman you should always have a pair of polarized glasses. These allow you to cut through the glare on top of the water and see structure and fish you wouldn’t otherwise be able to. You won’t need to spend very much money for a decent pair that also has UV-A and UV-B protection.
Lure Selection
Before reaching the shore for that first cast I already have my rod prepared and lure tied on. In the beginning I don\’t concern myself so much with lure colors or types. Instead I use a tried and true lure, one that I have the utmost confidence in. Confidence plays a very important role in fishing. If you\’re unsure of your approach it will affect your performance. Call it fisherman superstition, but I believe it to be very true.
Here at Fishing Fury we’ve all come love the Mepps spinners, thanks to Clive of course. My personal choices for covering water are the Mepps Black Fury, a white spinner bait, or a Rapala minnow bait. These are the lures I use most so I know their running depth and effective retrieve speeds on my rod and reel. It also helps that they are fairly generic baits in the respect that you can catch multipule species of fish with them.
It’s very important to understand the mechanics of each lure. Ask yourself what it is about a particular lure that draws strikes. I tend to use lures that create vibrations in the water as they can draw fish from a distance and are often irritating enough that fish just have to attack.
Coverage Methods
It’s not often that I fish alone so these tactics have been developed fishing with a partner, though are still helpful to the lone fisherman. Together we can cover a kilometer of shore in about an hour. Remember to be aggressive in your approach, cover an area and move on unless it is otherwise appealing.
There are many things that can greatly increase a spots appeal, these are places where you should concentrate your efforts. Some common features you will want to look for are bait fish, weed beds, docks, inlets and outlets to other bodies of water, fallen trees, sunken rocks, points, and bays.
The method I use most can best be described by the diagram (Figure 1), I call it “leaping”. I perfer this method as opposed to simply walking down the shore because both fisherman are fishing new water. Keep anywhere from 10 to 15 meters apart depending on the length of our casts. For smaller rivers and streams you may want to increase this distance and adjust for the current and distance to the opposite shore.
Make quick work of open areas that contain little structure, and spend a few extra casts on areas where structure is abundant. Chances are that if its an appealling area for fish it won’t stay empty for long.
Figure 1: Leaping
Change it up
By no means should you follow these instructions word for word, repeating the same casting patterns over and over. You want to be consistent in diversity. Change your presentation by increasing or decreasing your retrieve speed, this may be all it takes to draw a strike. Depending on conditions like water color and flow you may want to change the size or color of your lure. Remember that you’re gathering information and by repeating the same cast and retrieve over and over you’re only testing one method.
* All pictures shown were taken shore fishing on Toronto Island, where we put these tactics to the test for a 9 day in a row after work fishing on Toronto Islands. We were able to cover about 10km of shore and found over 2km of shore with plentiful weed beds producing many pike.
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