The boatless angler, advice?

[Smoltz]

I'm a bank fisherman.... for now.
Trying to get into the gills
We are having terrible weather. Cool and rain. Most nights are around 48-55.
Day time high topping 65-75 degrees and cloudy. Lost of rain we have had this same weather for about a month now with no change. Crappie spawn got screwed up for us here too.
Water temps keep bouncing around from low 60's to 68. Other day I talked to guy on boat fishing for green carp(bass) n he said it was back down to 66.
I'm not having very good luck. Maybe I need a boat, or maybe I'm not fishing the right areas from the shore. The weather is not helping.
I'm finding very few fish in near shore and no spawning yet. Pennsylvania

Just having trouble getting on fish.
Any advice for me?

[carl hendrix]

GLAD YOUR FINDING FISH !

[carl hendrix]

HERE;S EXACTLY WHERE I WAS FISHING AT LAST SATURDAY;; ( AND TODAY )  STARTING AT ;; THE SHADOWS OF THE TREES;; UP AGAINST THE BANK;; LETTING THE BAIT;; TRICKLE DOWN THE ROCKS;;;; IT WASNT LONG;; TILL I HAD BITES !

[Smoltz]

Thanks for the pic carl.
After you told me about that I ran some places over in my mind that I knew has stuff like that. Now I have a mental list of some areas I'm going to be hitting over next several days.

Those type of areas have also produced some green sunfish and rock bass for me. Fish really do like these rocks and idk why I have not been targeting them.
I assume it's like woody structure for crappie. The rocks hold the warmth and attracts fish.

I need to learn how to post pics

[Slip Sinker]

The thing about “us” fishermen when fishing from shore we want to cast far out into the depths… but once out in the boat we want to cast in tight to shore. Don’t’ get trapped into that thinking.

Spend time casting parallel to the banks in close. Cast into the weed pockets and get that bait dirty. Find the dirtiest water within your reach and cast the edges. Work the edges of the docks before you approach or walk onto. Look for changes in shoreline features such as seawall to natural shorelines. Fish like edges and the most defined edge on any BOW is the shoreline.

Bridges are major fish attractors… lay down a drop shot next to the pillars. Much of the substrate to build a bridge and raise a roadbed is taken from the adjacent BOW. Find those holes. I was nicely rewarded the other day with a nice C.Cat by dropping a pink waxie right in front of his nose in one of those holes.

If your intention is to fish only from shore arm yourself with a device such as a “Deeper Sonar” and use it to familiarize yourself with the areas underwater features. These things create contour maps, identify the structure and also spot fish.

As for methods… I bring a few set-ups with drop-shot, slip/float and long-casting tiny jigs.

Fishing the local docks gets you in touch with fishermen going out and coming in…. strike up friendly conversations… find out how they are biting. A wealth of information is found from the locals.

Hope this helps … good luck!

[Smoltz]

Thanks for great reply slip sinker.
Appreciate you taking the time to put it into words. That sonar looks really neat.
I think the poor weather we was having had been really frustrating me lately.

Today we got good weather and there more to come. I'll be out today with all the tactics
you guys shared with me.

I'm still looking for my first 9" gill.

[John McKean]

Well, I'm a PA fisherman, too (Pittsburgh), facing this same gloomy weather, and also mostly shoreline based!But I've come up with a solution that's gotten me a LOT of bluegills, sunfish, and crappies over the past few weeks. Merely take a small jig (i use a 1/64oz propeller model that my son makes thru surefirejigs.com) and swim it slow & steadily behind a half filled "water bubble". It helps to tip with a small maggot, but cast this "way out" over humps & emerging weed beds. Easy to cover a lot of water with this "cast-trolling", so move around until you find the concentrations!

[Smoltz]

Thanks john. And I'll check them jigs out. You say your son makes them?

[Smoltz]

I crushed them tonight!
I did more exploring. And we had nice weather.

Caught most at first on my own tungsten fly jigs and my hair jigs with 1/64 n tipped with worm. Both casting and under a float.
But.. about an hour before dark I found a nice spot to try dragging a drop shot across bottom. I use owner mosquito hooks and tipped them at first with worm hunk. I got fish way out on ever cast. But small stuff all small.

Then I broke out the gulp 1" minnows threaded one on the hook. "Pow" 8" gill. Every cast as fast as I could through as far as I could throw 1/8th drop shot set up. Them bigger gills loved those gulp 1" minnows. Nice to get bigger fish compared to the smaller ones on worms. Water temps seemed to come up a bit also. Thanks guys.

[carl hendrix]

YOUR MOST WELCOME !!  HERE;; ON BBG;; WE HAVE A COLLECTIVE OF GRESAT INFORMATION;; TIPS;; AND MOST GUYS; MORE THAN WILLING;;TO HELP !

[John Sheehan]

Smoltz-I posted this 'Bank Spots' blog here a few years back.Maybe you can glean something useful from it .Tight Lines ! -John

http://www.bigbluegill.com/forum/topics/bank-spots?groupUrl=bank-bu...

[Smoltz]

Thanks John. Illy heck it out. Been doing much better since we got rid of all the fronts. I have not been finding many bed though but been catching some pregnant females.
Have not broke the 8" mark yet.

[John Sheehan]

 Sure thing Smoltz.I hope you find the read useful .

 Are you looking for steep banks with water entry ? Come mid- late summer I suspect that will be a good thing to look for as the nicer sizes seem to like being near deeper water sanctuaries.Of course Fly rod on the beds and releasing produces bigger Gills too. In my area and experience  8-8.5"is the size of the majority of the bigger Gills with 9-9.5" an occasion to celebrate and a 10" a rarity.