How Many Baits

[FlatsNBay]

When bank fishing, how many baits or techniques will you generally try in an outing?

For me, I like to travel light so I carry a minimal amount of tackle. I will normally concentrate on only one or 2 techniques that can be fished on the same rod. I will occasionally carry 2 different rods to increase my options. I sometimes focus on a bait or technique that I want to work on so then, I will bring nothing else.

[J.W.]

I don't bank fish a whole lot, but occasionally I'll find a pond or something I want to fish. When I do, I usually only carry one rod and one of those small tackleboxes, like the size they make for kids, with a few different hard baits, some hooks, and maybe a few different soft plastics to throw. It's pretty minimal. Especially if I have to walk a long way to get there.

[Smallie_Stalker]

I try and carry as little as I can, hopefully one rod and a small tackle bag. If I know the place I'm fishing that's pretty easy to do.

If it's unfamiliar water I'll have 2 or even 3 rods and a mid-size bag with a bit wider variety of baits, but even then I keep it to a minimum of 5 bait types and a just a few colors each that should cover the various water colors/sky conditions.

Like you Steve, if I'm learning something new (or need brush up on something I haven't done for a while) I will bring only that gear.



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[topdsm0138]

My tackle "crate" stays in my Jeep, and I have a tote bag that fits (2) 3700 boxes and a few bags of plastics. I get to a location, look at the conditions and that determines what 3700 tray comes outta the crate and goes in the tote with me.

Tiller Mafia

[big g]

I fish six days a week from the bank.  I always travel light, so everything is in a fanny bag around my waist, with plyers, and cutters in the bag.  I never use hard baits with treble hooks because there are too many weeds surrounding the banks.  I takes an assortment of plastics, with senkos, flukes, u-vibes, centipedes, and Horney Toads.  Finally hooks, and a old med. bottle with assorted weights. 
Only one rod, so I never have to lay anything down.  Traveling light is a key factor to a successful day.  Keep it simple!

[Capt. BassinLou]

I carry very light bank fishing these days. One rod, a pack of hooks, along with 1 to 2 baits tops.

[bigjim5589]

It depends for me, what I want to be doing. Sometimes, I'll walk over to the lake, just to test out new lures that I've made, so not as much interested in the catching as how the lures act. I always hope to catch something, but that's not a priority all the time.

Otherwise, I'll often carry 3 rods, and 3 different lure types, and alternate fishing each of them. Usually a spinnerbait/and or bladed jig, a surface lure, which may be a frog, buzzbait or popper,  and maybe a jig. Water temps play a role in what I might try, and I go to the Santee Cooper website & check what the average temps may be as well as the water levels.

There's several stumps where I fish most often, but I can't count on there being any fish around them, but I still always cast towards them since they're the most likely spots to hold fish.

I'm fishing in a small cove, and never know what moves in & out of there. Not that I want to catch them, but I've seen Bowfin, gar, and carp in there, and have caught bass & panfish at various times. The bottom is mostly sand, so they spawn in there.

IMO, for that spot, and spending enough time with each type of lure, 3 different types of lures is about all I want to have, but I may carry a few different sizes & colors of each.

Now, I will change things, deciding ahead of time what I want to try. I know that may go against the idea of use what the water & situation might dictate, but that's how I often fish, since it is only a short walk to the lake. Last year, I spend a few days tossing big poppers, sizes more for Stripers, and only to see how they acted.

So, a lot of my fishing from the shore is "practice", as I try out various lures. I have not spent a lot of time fishing plastics, or crankbaits, so that's probably something I'll do more of this year.