When I lived in West Virginia we had multiple options for river wading within two hours of my house and actually some of the best wade smallmouth fishing opportunities in the country. Rivers such as the Greenbrier River, but most notably the New River that runs from Virginia into West Virginia before connecting in the Kanawha River. In my experience of wading for smallmouth, I would say location is key, and finding the right stretch of river is invaluable.

What to look for?

Finding areas that have clear, shallow water with deeper holes around are key. What you will notice the more you fish shallow rivers is that the most productive spots will be a deeper hole that might be a foot or two deeper than the rest of the river. It gives the smallmouth the perfect area to rest from the current and ambush bait as it washes over the holes.

Keep your eye open for larger rocks and boulders in the river, large pieces of driftwood hung on shallow bars and rocks that are also excellent places to find smallmouth hiding.

Don’t be afraid to fish the bank. Sometimes the most productive areas can be right up against the bank in spots where the current has washed out the bank and created a deeper hole of water. Or there might a laydown that will be holding fish.

What to wear?

Keeping it pretty basic is key in wading for smallmouth. During a successful trip wade fishing, anglers need the ability to be maneuverable. Wading long distances and finding untouched fish can be the difference between a really bad day or a really good day. Pack light and wear material that is lightweight. My suggestions are old tennis shoes or old hiking boots, board shorts or lightweight pants, light sun shirts or thinner polyester shirts.

What to throw?

Keeping it simple for smallmouth river wading is the ticket to success. Most places you can get by with a small waterproof water tacklebox, a small assortment of hooks and two or three packages of plastics. Here is my line up I normally take.

• Small Plano Waterproof Stowaway Utility Box
• Strike King Bitsy Tube (Green Pumpkin)
• Bass Pro Shops Squirt Head with Gold Hook (1/16-ounce or 1/32-ounce)
• Z-Man Finesse TRD’s (Green Pumpkin)
• Z-Man Power Finesse Shroomz Jighead (1/10-ounce)

At least for myself, I have found that using the lightest weight I can get by with makes it way more efficient when fishing streams with a lot of rocks. It keeps you from hanging up so much, and in return you spend more time making casts to places where a smallmouth might roam.

It was stinking hot the other day while I was wading a stream west of Indianapolis. As I took a shade break beneath a bridge, a truck pulling a bass boat clattered overhead, and I wondered if that fisherman realized he’d just driven over some prime smallmouth water. Then I stepped back into the sunlight and continued wading downstream. I’d recently caught a 22-inch smallie weighing nearly 5 pounds from that little creek, and I was intent on hooking into an even bigger fish.

I’ve caught wall-hanger smallmouth from Lake Michigan, lunker Florida largemouth, big Tennessee stripers, even trophy peacock bass from the Amazon River. But to me, nothing tops wading for stream smallies. It’s a total escape from work pressure (I’m a real estate broker) and an incredible way to connect with nature — plus, it’s convenient (I can go from a business meeting to a nearby creek in minutes), and compared to “normal” bass fishing, it’s cheap (no boat, no gas-sucking tow vehicle and only minimal gear required). Most of all, it’s the challenge of stalking and battling big smallmouth on the fish’s level — both me and my quarry in the same water — that drives me to keep wading! 

Many bass anglers have never caught an 18-inch smallmouth, but fish this size and bigger are available in plenty of creeks nationwide. My longest stream smallie spanned 23 inches. On one recent wade, my five best fish totaled 81 inches. Even though a creek may look too narrow or too shallow, I’ve found quality smallmouth are usually there. It just takes determination, the right gear and some basic know-how to catch them.

Stream smallmouth targets

Like all bass everywhere, stream smallmouth hold around submerged objects and will gravitate to something different in their surroundings, especially a sudden depth change. Here’s a breakdown of my favorite creek casting targets.

• Isolated rock and wood cover slows or diverts current and provides perfect holding/ambush spots for stream smallies. Midstream logs are especially productive and often have a washout (hole) under them where smallmouth can hide. 
• Deep holes with a hard bottom (not sand or muck) and scattered, isolated cover are reliable fish holders, especially in fall and winter. Of course, “deep” is a relative term; some streams I wade have 3-foot holes; others have 10-footers. 
• Laydowns (fallen trees) extending over the water provide shade and cover. Smallies will suspend around the ends of submerged branches where they can dart out into the current to grab a meal.
• Bottom depressions of as little as 1 or 2 feet can hold big fish, even when there’s no cover present. 
• Points and flats with mixed gravel, chunk rock and scattered wood are money; smallies spawn on them in spring.
• Undercut banks with exposed tree roots have the ideal combination of depth, shade and gnarly cover to hold big smallmouth.
• Bridge pilings provide current deflection and shade; these usually have a washout as well. 
• Water willow and other semi-aquatic plants can hold quality smallmouth, which typically prowl the edges and pockets within the cover versus the thick stuff.
• Current seams, eddies and switchbacks concentrate forage species and thus attract bronzebacks. “Reading current” is a skill that comes only with experience and will help you intuit where big smallmouth are probably sitting.

Dress for success

You’ve got to dress right to wade, regardless of the season. I fish streams from ice-out to ice-back-in. I’ve caught quality smallmouth in 37-degree water in January and when the air temp topped 100 in August. Trust me, if you’re too cold, too hot, too sweaty or if your feet or knees hurt, you can’t focus on fishing.

Unlike Bassmaster Elite Series pros, I don’t have sponsors supplying me with product. I buy my own fishing stuff, put it through the wringer and stay with what works. I’ve stomped around streams for four decades, and the best waders I’ve found are Simms G4Zs. They’re expensive (around $1,000) but worth it if you’re serious about creek fishing. Their big zipper makes them easy to get on and off quickly, and the fabric is breathable Gore-Tex, a godsend on strenuous wades. In cold water, I’ll wear insulated underwear and fleece wading pants under my waders. These layers keep me warm and negate the need for heavier and even costlier insulated waders.

Since your feet do most of the work when wading, you need the right boots. Mine are Simms Flyweights, which are super-light and durable. I also like Korkers DarkHorse boots, which have interchangeable soles — nice if you wade several creeks with different bottom conditions.

I’ll wear waders until the water temp climbs to around 65 degrees, then I’ll wet-wade with lightweight, quick-drying “guide pants” (not jeans — they soak up water like a sponge), a breathable fishing shirt with extra pockets and wading boots. Wading forces you to edit your equipment down to the necessities. Some creek anglers wear a backpack; I find these too bulky and constrictive, and I don’t need all that storage space because I travel light. Both my waders and my lightweight Simms wading vest have zippered pockets, which organize and secure my necessities: basic lures, pliers, clippers, rain jacket and cellphone (which I use only for photography). Of course, polarized sunglasses are mandatory, especially in clear streams where you’re often sight fishing for holding or cruising fish. My waders, fishing hat, shirt and vest are all a drab khaki color to avoid spooking these wary fish. 

Putting in and taking off

Most bridges offer decent stream access, but understand that any stretch of water close to the most convenient access spots invariably receives the most fishing pressure. For this reason, I use Google Maps to scope out creeks and locate less obvious places to enter the water. (Tip: Deep water shows up darker in satellite photos.) I’m also willing to approach property owners and ask permission to cross their land to gain stream access, stressing that I’m a catch-and-release angler. I’ve rarely been turned down by politely requesting access. 

Once you’re in the water, try to maintain a low profile and be as stealthy as possible. I can’t stress enough how wary stream smallmouth are. They’re highly susceptible to overhead predation by ospreys, herons and other birds of prey and are very aware of something moving above them (including you). Whenever you cast a shadow, raise your rod high or even pull a bait with a reflective finish out of your tacklebox so it glints in the sun, you risk spooking a fish. Once you understand that these fish are incredibly spooky, finding ways to keep a low profile becomes part of the fun and challenge of catching them. For example, when wading, I don’t shuffle my feet to avoid kicking up muck and debris, and I move slowly and deliberately across loose rocks to make a quiet approach. Then, when I’m within casting range of a target, I stand still, trying to blend into the background, and make long sidearm or loop casts. (The long, relatively stiff rods I use facilitate surer hook sets when I’ve got a lot of line between me and the fish.) When you’re in the fish zone, don’t move around too much. Try to be part of the landscape instead of an intrusive predator. I’ve had big smallmouth swim up to within a foot of me after I’ve stood stock-still for several minutes.

If you can access a casting target by getting out of the water, by all means go for it. Getting on the bank will reduce your chance of being spotted by the fish and will give you additional angles from which to cast. Just avoid stepping on snakes in warm weather!

Tackle and lures

I carry one spinning outfit when wading. My two favorite rods are a 7 1/2-foot St. Croix Legend Elite ES76MF and a 7-3 G.Loomis NRX+ 872; both are medium action with a fast tip. I pair these with either a Quantum Smoke S3 30 or a Lew’s HyperMag 300 reel. These are spooled with either 10-pound fluorocarbon or 8-pound mono. These combos work for every stream fishing scenario I’ve encountered.

Presentation tips

Many creek fishermen make a big effort to position themselves so they can cast upstream and retrieve their lure downstream with the current flow, believing this to be the direction in which stream forage invariably moves. This “rule” ignores the fact that stream smallmouth, like all bass everywhere, are opportunistic predators that will grab a meal when and where it becomes available and can be provoked into striking even when they’re not particularly hungry. Therefore I’ll make multiple presentations to a likely target from many different angles — downstream, upstream, crosscurrent — hammering away until I trigger a reaction strike from a fish. I once made 29 casts to a submerged rock where my gut told me a big smallmouth should be lurking, hitting it from every conceivable angle without success. On my 30th cast, I caught a 21-incher. Patience pays off.

I’ll spend considerable time probing a deep hole from every possible angle, keying especially hard on isolated cover. If the surface temp is around 55 degrees, I’ll start by twitching a Fluke or a jerkbait; if it’s 60 or above, I’ll begin with a surface bait. Then I’ll make a second pass with the Fluke or jerk. Finally, I’ll slow way down and bump bottom with a jig or Ned bait.

Even when I’m crossing a skinny shoal lacking in noticeable cover and thinking about how I’ll fish the hole or undercut bank that I’m heading for, I keep on casting. There might be a well-camouflaged lunker sitting in a subtle midstream bottom depression, or a big cruiser heading back to a current break after chasing a minnow into open water. In a stream environment, you really never know, so never stop fishing!

Lures to throw for stream smallies

Finesse jigs — I use 1/8- through 1/4-ounce jigs paired with craw trailers in realistic crawfish colors to probe deep holes and isolated midstream cover. 

Ned baits — These tiny artificials mimic worms, leeches and aquatic bugs. They’re my go-to baits for coaxing tough bites in deep holes. I fish them on homemade 1/16- through 1/4-ounce mushroom heads with stout No. 2 hooks.

Flukes — They resemble creek minnows and draw strikes when twitched across deep holes and around shoreline cover once the water temp reaches 55 degrees in spring.

Jerkbaits — I’ll work a 4-inch suspending jerkbait parallel to undercut banks and over submerged cover in deep holes.

Topwaters — Stream smallies will eat just about any critter swimming on the surface — I’ve seen ’em grab chipmunks, snakes, even small birds. This makes a buzzbait or a plopper-style surface plug an exciting option from spring through fall.

Six things you didn’t you know you needed when wading streams

Wading for stream smallmouth doesn’t require a lot of gear, but having the right stuff will allow you to fish these small waters more successfully. Here are some easily overlooked items that veteran Indiana creek angler George Verrusio wouldn’t wade without.

Boot insoles — “Wading is tough on your feet, knees, back and shoulders. I wear custom Upstep orthotic insoles (upstep.com) in my wading boots. These reduce aches and pains by promoting better posture and provide great cushioning in rocky streams.” 

Wool socks and liners — “I haven’t found anything that will keep my feet really toasty in frigid water, but thick, midcalf Alpacas of Montana socks (alpacasofmontana.com) and Smartwool sock liners (smartwool.com) sure help.” 

Wading staff — “A lightweight, folding wading staff ($50 to $150) improves your balance and helps you move more confidently in current, a real benefit when covering long, rocky stretches and when exploring places you haven’t waded before.”

Spare reel spool — “Load this with line that’s one step lighter or heavier than the line on your reel so you can adjust to varying water clarity conditions and lure weights.”

Landing net — “The reason we fish for smallmouth is [because] they’re badass. But trying to lip a hot smallie with a jerkbait in its mouth is asking for a hook in your finger. My handmade Wolf Moon C&R landing net (wolfmoonnetsusa.com) subdues feisty fish quickly and has a nice vintage look.”

Insect repellent — “Trout fishermen talk about insect hatches like they’re a good thing, but black flies, mosquitos and no-see-ems? They’ll eat you alive when wading. Repellent in moist towelette form is lighter and more compact than bulky spray cans.”

Bass hit the banks in high numbers throughout the spring to go through their annual spawning process, fanning beds and laying eggs in relatively shallow water depending on the species.

Here are a few things to look for and some tips on what to and what not to do to make the most of your bank fishing during the spawn.

What not to do

For starters, you don’t want to go barreling down the bank making lots of noise and dropping baits like bombs. Fishing from the bank this time of year requires a little finesse, as the fish (especially largemouth) will be super shallow and wary of threats from above.

And finesse here doesn’t refer as much to the bait selection as it does the presentation. Both wacky rigs and frogs can be very effective from the bank during the spawn, but the goal is to make accurate and stealthy casts with whatever bait you’re using.

And subtle, soft twitches with a walking frog will be far more effective than hard chugs with a popping frog for example. Whatever you do from the bank when fishing during the spawn, think stealth and finesse. Walk lightly and move slowly. The bass are on high alert and shallow, so you could easily spook them and they won’t need a lot of action to find your bait.

What to do

Knowing the bass are on high alert, wary of the threat of birds and other animals from above, it’s a good idea to blend in with your surroundings as much as possible. These fish will often spawn so shallow that their backs may well touch the surface of the water. And this shallow, even in stained water, they can definitely see you. In addition to not making a lot of sudden movements, it’s a good idea to wear camouflage.

Now I’m not talking sitting in a deer stand wearing pictures of oak bark and leaves camouflage. You want to blend into your background when fishing from the bank is all. And so, quite often, that will actually require a light blue shirt that a fish won’t be able to see clearly against the sky. This isn’t talked about a lot in bass fishing, but it’s why a large number of the shirts made for saltwater fishing are light blue, white and grey.

AFTCO and others offer a lot of long sleeve shirts like this that are designed to help the angler blend into the blank background seen from a fish’s perspective. These work really well when fishing around many ponds and other stretches of shoreline where trees aren’t present.

A few more tips

There are a few visual indicators of bedding activity that you can look for when fishing for bedding bass from the bank. Bass prefer to spawn on hard bottoms. Once the bass find a suitable area to spawn, they’ll fan a bed with their tails, removing any loose debris from the bed to reveal a nice clean hard bottom.

Often times throughout much of the bass fishing world, a sandy bottom will be revealed when the bed is made. So you’ll be able to see a glaringly obvious white spot amongst the otherwise dark bottom. Other times there will be cleaner spots, on rocky bottoms for instance, that aren’t as easy to see from far off, but still become apparent the more you look for them.

Bass also like to spawn alongside cover, isolated cover in particular. So look for reed clumps, stumps, dock posts and other objects in the water and cast to them carefully, assuming there is a bass spawning nearby.

Fish your baits slowly through these areas, making repetitive casts, before even trying to see if a fish is actually on a bed. If you can see a bass on bed, it can most likely see you. And they’re usually a little easier to catch before they get a glimpse of you. Stealth is one of the biggest keys to being successful when fishing the spawn from shore. Wear clothes that blend in with the background, moving quietly and slowly, making subtle casts and visualize fish on the bed as best you can without actually having to see them first to fish for them. If you can implement these simple tips, you should find better success from the bank in no time.

Where to start

As you weigh your options, you’ll find that the majority of tackle storage solutions designed specifically for bank anglers can be lumped into two main categories: a tacklebox or a tackle bag. Tackle bags, backpacks, fanny packs and totes all essentially consist of some sort of soft fabric bag with multiple compartments that use VELCRO, straps or zippers to wrangle all the tackle within them.

Then there are tackleboxes, which are typically made of some sort of hard and durable copolymer like plastic. The best tackle bags and tackleboxes designed for bank fishing will usually have smaller tackleboxes inside them for loose baits and terminal tackle, as well as compartments or pouches to store larger items like spools of line, reels, packs of soft plastics and tools.

Some waterproof component

It’s not necessary for your whole tackle storage system to be waterproof, but there should be some waterproof component. Bank fishing exposes your gear to the elements as much or more than any other type of fishing. There’s always the chance that you get caught in a storm when you’re walking the bank or drop your tacklebox or bag into the water.

Treble-hooked baits like crankbaits, skirted baits like spinnerbaits and terminal tackle like hooks and jigheads are all prone to rusting, if their metal parts are exposed to water. Keeping items like these in a waterproof box within your tackle system ensures this tackle will be fit for use the next time you reach for it. So look for boxes or compartments that have a waterproof seal and strong latches.

Portable and durable

If you’re planning to fish from the bank, you’re going to need a tackle system that is portable as well as durable. The nature of bank fishing keeps the angler on the move, and no matter how particular you are with your tackle, you’re going to end up tossing it around a bit. Hopping in and out of vehicles, trekking along shorelines and needing to drop and pickup your tackle often, and sometimes in a hurry, makes portable and durable two must haves.

Backpacks are some of the more portable options, though they’re typically less durable. Where hard tackleboxes are more durable, but not as easy to carry. If you’re going to mainly be fishing from one location on a bank, like below a dam or from a friend’s yard, you’re likely better off with a good tacklebox. But if you’re going to be walking miles of creek or lake shore, being able to throw a backpack on and carry your tackle hands-free is hard to beat.

Don’t let all the options stress you out. Look for a tackle bag or a tacklebox that has waterproof storage solutions for your tackle with metal components. But make sure there are some larger compartments for the bigger items you might need. And decide as best you can if durability or portability is most important for your specific needs. If you take all of this into consideration, you’ll make the right choice.

Sure, you’re limited to surface presentations, so a “down bait” — I like a Texas-rigged Senko — makes a helpful complement. But when space or budget limits you to a single rod, or if you’re on a lunch break or sundown stroll, you’ll be hard pressed to find a more entertaining bait.

For anglers of all ages, the highly visual nature of frog fishing perpetuates the fascination. You’re constantly learning to advance your casting and retrieving skills simply by watching the bait’s motion in various scenarios and noting what combination of details drew that strike.

The overall action level may be less frequent than you might experience with subsurface baits, but a frog bite is pure adrenaline. Suffice it to say, the majority of fish that commit to a topside bite bring the heat.

There’s no fooling around: no nudging, nibbling, pondering. Once second, your frog is traipsing across the surface, and then KABLOOSH! — it disappears in a violent explosion known to drive experienced fishermen into temporary, knee-lifting, fetal positioning stasis.

Don’t worry, you’ll survive, and don’t sweat the nearly inevitable overreaction. Most anglers will miss a few each trip until the nerves settle and you dial in your measured response.

Jumping ahead a little bit, Bassmaster Elite Series angler Drew Cook offers this hook set advice: “My rule of thumb is ‘know that the fish has got your frog before setting the hook.’ Either you can see that your frog is not there, or the fish is pulling your rod down.

“When you see the blow up, you don’t want to immediately respond, because hesitating might give you maybe two seconds to see if he missed it. If you leave the frog where it is, the fish might come back and try to get it again.”

Where to throw it

Peppering laydowns and cypress knees or skipping under docks is worth a shot, but frogs are ideal for shallow vegetation. Aquatic plant mix varies by fishery, but whatever your pond offers, look for the reachable areas with enough water to sustain a fish population and enough holes, gaps and spacing for a fish to reach a surface meal.

Ask any seasoned angler and they’ll tell you that the duckweed often growing right near the bank offers the absolute best frogging habitat. That’s because the tiny, semi-round leaves form a tight carpet that offers bass complete coverage. However, busting through the thin and easily separated leaves is like sticking your finger through a bowl of whipped cream — no resistance.

For any shoreline habitat, mind your angles and realize that casting from shore means a deep-to-shallow retrieve. Depending on seasonality, this can increase or decrease opportunities.

Spring finds big fish moving shallow for the spawning cycle, while summer and winter extremes often find them in deeper, cooler water.

Look for sweet spots

Lacking a boater’s range and mobility, the bank angler’s time efficiency starts with prudent targeting. Any field of reachable vegetation is fair game, but focus on fish-friendly features like cuts, holes, points, secondary structure — stumps, laydowns — and shoreline features that direct bait flow and maintain leeward protection.

Canal or creek mouths are great transition points where current dynamics create good shoreline opportunities. Elsewhere, publicly accessible retention ponds with year-round depth and weedy areas can be overlooked and underutilized gems.

In those stormwater management bodies, as well as natural lakes and ponds, drain pipes skirted by vegetation present the closest thing to a slam dunk as the shore-bound frogger will find. Current always attracts bass, but the rush of stormwater brings a sudden food bounty, while disorienting local forage.

Personal account: A small neighborhood drain pipe dumps into the lake behind my property, and when big summer rains crank up the volume, an insane frog bite ensues. Every year, usually around mid-July, the deal gets right, and I’ll take goofy selfies with a handful of thick ones.

From a boat, or kayak, I’d want to position downcurrent, cast toward the pipe and mimic something flowing naturally, but my access is nearly parallel to the pipe, so I try to hit the slack water ambush spots along the water’s course. A dock piling, points in the adjacent pads, a duckweed mat the size of a backpack pushed into a grass line divot — all money spots.

And don’t hesitate to lob a frog into blind spots — gaps and likely ambush points obscured by docks, vegetation, etc. Case in point, one year, the vegetation grew thick around my local drain pipe, but I could tell there was a little pocket of open water right next to the outfall.

Facing the flowing pipe, I made a short lob cast that dropped my frog into the opening behind the grass. I immediately heard the telltale “smack” that told me to reel down and lay the wood to him. An honest 7-pounder waiting for an easy meal got her picture taken.

Further exemplifying bank-friendly opportunities, Cook’s keen on skipping his frog under overhanging willow trees, especially when a mayfly hatch brings concentrated focus. Often, it’s bream eating the flies, but when opportunistic bass slide in to pick off distracted bream, a popping frog gets a lot of love.

Frog selection

Choose your frog based on habitat density. Generally, a popping frog excels in sparse grass and open water adjacent to cover, while a traditional narrow-nose frog serves you best in thicker habitat like lily pads, spatterdock, reeds and anything that impedes the forward motion.

Remember, from a boat, the higher rod position allows anglers more upward influence to navigate a frog through the thick stuff. From the bank, it’s more of a straight line pull, so narrow noses traverse obstructions better than a concave popper.

A standard size frog like the iconic SPRO Bronzeye 65 or Bronzeye Pop 60 will cover the majority of your bank fishing duties, but keep a few tiny frogs, like the 1 1/2-inch, 1/5-ounce SPRO Pop 40 handy for tempting the tougher bites.

Elite pro Kyle Welcher notes, while plenty of juvenile frogs end up in bass bellies, these apex predators also eat a lot of bugs. Moreover, from Minnesota to Texas, anglers often find bass gulping tiny inch-long baitfish and ignoring full-sized baits.

Standing closer to the water, bank anglers are often quick to spot this tiny forage. Add shallow shad spawns and postspawn fry guarders to the mix, and the downsized frog might be your day-maker.

Strategic adjustments

Most modern frogs work pretty good right out of the package, but Cook suggests trimming the legs to minimize drag and facilitate rod tip response. As he notes, trimming one side about an inch shorter creates an exaggerated saunter that boosts the appeal.

Note: If the fish are consistently short striking, further shorten the legs, or remove them entirely. Bass are often watching for shadows and broken shapes crossing overhead cover, so their aim lacks precision. Those frog legs are mostly for show, so bringing the bite closer to the hook points always helps.

“I also like to add BBs (or shotgun pellets) to my frog through the leg holes,” Cook said. “This makes a rattling noise that helps the fish locate my bait in thicker cover.

“Also, the rattles make the frog heavier, so it sits lower in the vegetation. This makes a deeper impression over thick cover and helps the bass find it.”

Welcher offers this advice: “A full-size frog has so much flotation that when you trim the legs it doesn’t really affect the action too much. A small frog doesn’t have that much flotation, so you really want to leave it close to the original form.”

Tackle tips

Cook recommends a 7-foot-3 medium-heavy rod with a moderate fast tip. Some like heavy-power frog rods, but Cook believes a little “give” affords him just enough buffer to let the fish get the bait, while minimizing the risk of him pulling it away.

Higher reel speeds are a must for quickly gathering line and firing off another cast — especially when you miss a fish or you see one blow up where your frog is not.

Considering the cover around which most of your frogging will occur, baitcasting gear and 50- to 65-pound braid is the way to go. A hooked fish will do its best to bury into the cover, but braided line will cut through a lot of the gunk.

The obvious exception here is that tiny frog option. Given the bait’s featherweight form, you’re not going to get much distance with stout baitcasting gear. Welcher throws his SPRO Pop 40 on a 7-3 medium-heavy spinning rod with 20-pound braid

Wherever and however you fish a frog, this is unquestionably one of the most addictive ways to engage largemouth bass. Choose your spot wisely and expect a thrill.

Something small

Though bass fishing is our main gig here, getting bit is our ultimate goal. Keeping a small bait in your tacklebox to guarantee a bite from a wide range of species may be the best bet you have to keep your interest on a tough day, and especially to hold the attention of any young one you may have fishing along side you. 

Small rooster tails and beetle spins are perfectly capable of luring in a pretty big bass. But they’ll also catch crappie, bream, bluegill, perch and almost anything else with a mouth that’s big enough to suck in a kernel of corn. So it’s a good idea to always have something small in the box, but that you can still cast a considerable distance. 

Spinnerbait

Keeping with the bladed bait theme but stepping up a little in size, a spinnerbait is one of the best bank fishing baits of all time. You can cast a spinnerbait a fairly long way, bass will eat it in any season, spinnerbaits work in clear, stained and muddy water, and they get big bites. 

Erring towards the smaller side will typically get you more bites when fishing from the bank, so it’s a good idea to have a 1/4-ounce to maybe a 3/8-ounce spinnerbait in your box. 

Buzzbait

A buzzbait is again one of the all time best bass fishing baits in general, and it makes for a great bank fishing bait as well. Typically suited more for shallow water, this is a great bait to walk down the bank while making parallel casts along the shore. 

Black and white are two do-all basic colors to keep in your box, as one of these two can mimic nearly any type of prey that would be swimming along the surface. And again, if a 1/2-ounce will get bit, a 1/4-ounce will get bit even more, especially in fishing ponds and creeks loaded with smaller fish. 

Lipless

The best crankbait for bank fishing is one without a bill. One of the best casting baits available, a lipless crankbait, can be fished all the way across a small pond or creek. And with the ability to vary the depth of its retrieve, a lipless crankbait is likely the most versatile bait to fish from the bank in this whole list.

Basic colors like silver with a blue back and fire tiger are some of the best to keep on hand. And staying in the same vein as the rest of this piece, a 1/4-ounce lipless crankbait is probably the best bet to get the most bites. Though keeping a 1/2-ounce in the box for the added casting distance is a great idea. 

Something soft and slow

A lot of ponds have mucky bottoms covered with slime and moss, but you should still keep something slow in your tackle box to fish like a jig or Texas rig. The key here is keeping your presentation light. The heavier your bottom hopping bait is, the more it will get bogged down in the muck. Opt for a lighter jig in the 1/4- to 3/8-ounce range with a decent size trailer, like a Zoom Super Chunk Jr. The large claws on the trailer will slow the fall of the bait and prevent it from plunging down into the silt and slime. 

Keeping the components necessary to rig a light Texas rig in your tacklebox is a good idea too, along with a pack of worms or lizards. A 1/4-ounce bullet weight, 4/0 worm hook and a lizard have pulled many a fish up onto the bank. 

In conclusion

This is obviously not a comprehensive list. We didn’t even get to mention hollow-body frogs, toads or Whopper Plopper style baits, all of which could elicit an awesome topwater explosion from the shore. Basically, there aren’t a whole lot of baits that you can get bit on from a boat that won’t draw a strike from the shore. The key is upping your odds as much as possible. If you pack your bank fishing tacklebox with the items on this list, you’re almost certain to get a bite no matter what stretch of bank you’re fishing from. 

A good old Zebco is hard to beat if you’re just getting started. But if you’ve been fishing for a while and are looking to step things up, these two options are great all-around combos to have. 

Spinning combo

If you’re looking to graduate from a closed face reel like a Zebco, the next natural step is a spinning reel. Spinning reels are a great deal easier to use than baitcasters, which we’ll talk about next, but they are also able to cast farther than most closed-face reels. And, they typically have better drag systems. These are characteristics that you’ll need in a reel as you start to target more and bigger fish on a regular basis. 

You can spend as much as you want on a spinning reel, but there are plenty of good options out there for under $100 if this is your first one. The 3000 size reels are the most versatile for bass fishing, and they are typically identifiable by some designation like 3.0, 30 or 3000 in the model number.

Pairing a decent spinning reel with a medium action spinning rod at or below the 7-foot mark will give you the best all-around spinning combo to use with a wide variety of applications. In addition, the line that you put on your reel will also determine what you can do with it. 

The best bet is to spool your reel with braided line, which will help combat the adverse effects of line twists. Line twists develop and cause all sorts of problems on spinning reels spooled with fluorocarbon or monofilament line. Braided line will also allow you to make longer casts. By adding a short fluorocarbon leader in the 4- to 6-foot range to the end of your line, you can make a presentation a little stealthier if needed. 

Baitcast combo

There’s nothing wrong with sticking to a spinning rod combo, but if you’re up for the challenge, adding a baitcasting setup to your arsenal will greatly increase your capabilities. Larger lures and baits that need to stay on the move, like spinnerbaits, buzzbaits and lipless crankbaits, will typically be a little easier to fish on a baitcaster. Most spinning reels have a fairly slow gear ratio, meaning that each turn of the handle generates only a few rotations of the spool. 

Baitcasting reels typically have a wider range of gear ratios. A 7:1 gear ratio is the best for doing the most. With this one reel, you can drag a Texas rig and also burn a spinnerbait. Pairing a reel like this with a 7-0 medium-heavy rod really completes a versatile combination. With this one setup, you can do 90% of what all bass anglers do.

As is the case with spinning reels, line selection is again a big part of completing your baitcasting combo. There are advantages and disadvantages to using fluorocarbon, monofilament and braided lines. Again, w looking for the most versatile option, you’ll likely land around 15-pound fluorocarbon. 

Fluorocarbon has less stretch than monofilament, and it’s much less noticeable in the water compared to braided line. So it’s the best option for the most presentations. One thing to note however, is that fluorocarbon sinks. So if you’re going to be fishing a lot of topwater baits, you may want to go with monofilament or braided line, both of which float. 

If you’re fishing from the bank, these two combos can open up a whole new world of possibilities to you. Spinning combos are a little easier to get the hang of, while baitcasters offer more strength and capability. Undoubtedly, adding one of these two combos if not both to your rotation will help you become a better angler. 

While this angler was dropping into a slack water pocket between the spillway wall and the roiling outflow stream, several other folks had scattered along the pedestrian-friendly structure to cast swimbaits, flukes and topwaters for the bass chasing bait in and around the tailrace. (This was one of those times when multiple user groups shared a resource with respectful casting distances.)

The lesson was clear: You can walk the bank and often pick off a couple of bass here and there, but a few factors will accelerate your opportunity like an area of concentrated current. From land-accessible spillways, to drain pipes, or small feeder creeks, the influx of food, oxygen and a different water color can yield slam dunk potential.

Over the top

Having spent a couple days on the Mississippi River following the season finale 2022 Bassmaster Elite in La Crosse, Wisc., Cook and I were fishing the Onalaska Spillway, where Lake Onalaska — a large body off the main river — dumps into the Black River, which links with the Mississippi. While we enjoyed the mobility advantage, this spot provided a front-row look at how easily land-bound anglers can access quality bass fishing opportunities.

A short walk from the spillway, a woman sat on an overturned 5-gallon bucket positioned on a gravel point as she drifted live bait along the opposite current seam. While most of the flurries occurred within a few boat lengths of the spillway, several bass busted bait 50 yards downstream. I’m sure a fluke, lipless bait or a topwater walker would work there too.

Earlier in the year, I fished the tailrace of a small dam in Madrid, N.Y., a charming hamlet near the St. Lawrence River. A pedestrian overlook provided a safe casting platform, from which I used a drop shot to entice several smallmouth, along with rock bass from current seams.

My biggest bite came when I bomb casted a 3-inch pearl swimbait right into the frothy tailrace and let it drift downstream until an opportunistic smallie blasted the bait behind a current breaking rock.

Lesson: Use the water’s natural force to carry your bait to the kill zone.

Drain on the brain

The network of stormwater pipes that manage rainfall accumulation often brings manmade choke points well within pedestrian reach. From personal experience, I can say a small neighborhood drain, culvert or a simple pipe can be pure gold for anglers on foot.

A bare pipe spewing water into a pond or lake brings plenty of drawing power, but your best spots will have cover or structure to keep fish in the same area year-round. Think riprap, docks and vegetation.

The latter proves particularly important, as it offers shelter, as well as food-rich habitat. Blow some water past a grass line or pad field and it’s showtime.

Generally, it takes a day or so for fish to predictably set up on the current edges. Right after a big rain, the water often blasts so heavily, they can’t effectively feed close to the outflow. Rather, they’ll sit 10 to 15 yards downstream, where the current softens and work their way progressively upstream as the flow moderates.

The main stormwater pipes are larger than the ones linking neighborhood ponds and catch basins, so it often takes a week to work a large volume of water through the system. You’ll start to see patterns develop as fish stake out key spots relevant to current speed.

Options are many, but I carry a hollow body frog and an unweighted Texas-rigged Senko. That one-two punch always delivers.

Even between rain events, the deeper current-carved furrows in front of these drains often hold fish that simply appreciate the subtle depth change. If your angle allows you to whip a bait into the pipe and then work it over the hole — money!

So how do you maximize your chances of catching every bass in that stretch? Let’s talk about making the most of your water when bank fishing, using a recent trip I made fishing along a canal in Florida as an example. I was fishing from a friend’s yard and only had about 200 feet to work with, but I could cast all the way across the canal. 

The cover across the canal looked extremely enticing, but starting there would have been a bad idea. Instead, it’s best to start with the water and cover closest to you when bank fishing. 

It’s always been kind of funny how I, and many others that I’ve observed, approach fishing from the bank versus fishing from a boat. When I was in a boat growing up, I almost always threw right up on the bank. But when I was on the bank, I usually threw as far out as possible. 

And this makes some sense when you think about the length of a cast covering a very large strike zone. But when really trying to maximize your water, you’re better off fishing the water and cover closest to you first. 

If you take the first approach of casting as far as possible, you may very well throw past a patch of grass right next to where you’re standing, only to get a bite at the end of your cast and then drag that fish right through the cover closest to you. If this happens, you’ve most likely eliminated any chance of catching a fish in that nearest patch of grass. So start close, and then work your way out farther and farther. 

There’s another added benefit to this approach — protecting your lure supply. Again, we’re typically operating with a very limited supply of tackle when fishing from the bank. So throwing into the furthest and thickest cover right off the bat could cost you your only lure and end your trip before it can even get started.

And it’s also a good idea to start with a finesse approach, as compared to power fishing. This rotation is contrary to what we usually do when fishing from a boat. Most anglers start with an aggressive bait like a spinnerbait, and then only back off to a worm when they don’t get bit for a while. But starting with a worm gives you the best chance to catch the most fish out of the area. 

You can pick several off starting out this way, and then throw a buzzbait, for example, before leaving. If you started off with the buzzbait, you may have drawn a fish to the surface that didn’t quite want to commit to the buzzbait, and then the fish could get spooked and not bite anything. 

If you prioritize cover and practice patience, you can certainly catch more fish from the bank than you would going right for the jugular. Patience is a big part of fishing, and it will be rewarded in time. And prioritizing the cover closest to you ensures that you get a fresh shot at every fish in the area.

If you implement these two tips on your next bank fishing trip, you’ll be sure to catch more fish.