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Here is a preference question. When fishing "banks" which do you prefer? Casting into the banks or parallel casting in an attempt to keep the bait in the water depth the fish are marking longer? I'm trying to figure out if the is a better approach I can take on my home lake.
Thanks
Skeeter
If I have a line of vegetation my first cast is typically parallel. Then I'll flip the rest
[QUOTE=skeeterjames;516478]Here is a preference question. When fishing "banks" which do you prefer? Casting into the banks or parallel casting in an attempt to keep the bait in the water depth the fish are marking longer? I'm trying to figure out if the is a better approach I can take on my home lake.
Thanks
Skeeter[/QUOTE]
I fish parallel with the weed lines and or depth contour to maintain the bait in the fish zone for as long as possible.
But I've caught a lot of fish fan catching towards the bank from a boat that's about 100 ft off the bank. So I guess it depends on the lake bottom along the edge of the bank. Some banks slowly drop off and other drop off quickly. Some have stumps scattered along the bank and other's may have a log laying into the water for a few yards.
The same fishing technique also applies to offshore structure such as creek channel drops and river channel drops or ledges. Using your sonar to figure out the lay of the land under the water and move your boat to the appropriate position above the structure and drop offs and cast to keep the bait in the fish zone as long as possible.
Remember if there is a current flowing though the reservoir the fish normally will face into the current and be behind a current break of some kind if the current is strong. Put your bait where the fish can ambush it from their position in cover.
If fish are holding tight to bottom structure, sometimes the most effective way to present a bait to them is actually holding your boat on the bank and casting out to the deeper water.
[QUOTE=skeeterjames;516478]Here is a preference question. When fishing "banks" which do you prefer? Casting into the banks or parallel casting in an attempt to keep the bait in the water depth the fish are marking longer? I'm trying to figure out if the is a better approach I can take on my home lake.
Thanks
Skeeter[/QUOTE]
I do both. The season, time of day, water level, weather pattern, type of lake and many other pieces of the puzzle have to be considered for me. The simple thing is I try shallow early (seasonal) and move around as the bite wears off or the sun comes up.
My home lake has shallow grass banks, shallow rocky banks and some banks that have a little deeper water next to either grass or rocks. Also, small pockets and larger coves and depending on the time of year...I will get an idea of what area to target first and move from there as the fishing dictates.:)