To catch fish, you have to go where the fish are. Sometimes this is easier said than done. Sure you can at least get to the water, but unless you are fishing a really small pond, you might find it pretty difficult to actually locate, much less catch any fish. You can fish from the shore (bank) or from a boat in most bodies of water. Sometimes there are docks as well, but I’m lumping that in the bank fishing category for this post. Some people think that if you can’t bass fish out of a boat, there is no point in going unless it is on a private stocked pond. I’ve found that this is not true at all. In fact, the majority of my fishing experience so far has been from the bank. My biggest fish have come from the bank too. Honestly, most of the time I go fishing from a boat, I’m usually throwing at or right next to the bank anyway. I’ve listed some advantages as well as disadvantages that I’ve discovered about bank fishing below.

Advantages:

• Cheaper
• Quicker, shorter sessions
• Comfortable and shouldn’t have to worry about drowning. Lol.
• Easier to take friends with you.
• Fewer distractions and constant angle control.
• People talk to you.

Disadvantages:

• Limited mobility (can only cast from where the shore reaches)
• Can’t carry as much gear with you (unless you bring friends)
• Can easily spook (scare) fish away
• Lose more baits
• People talk to you.

The biggest advantage of bank fishing for me starting out was that it is usually free. I fish a lot of parks or public fishing areas where all you must have is a fishing license to fish. With boats, the expense of having one is already way above just having a license. Guess what, you still have to have a license to fish from a boat anyway!

Sometimes you might only have an hour to even go fishing. In the winter, by the time I get home from work, I might only get 30 to 40 minutes of daylight left in the day. If I want to fish during the workweek, it will have to be shorter sessions. Loading a boat (have to pre-load), launching it(15 mins time is almost up already), getting to your spot (now it’s dark), and getting back (another 20 minutes). After all of that, you don’t have any time to actually fish, so…. what is the point?

If you have a small boat, canoe, or kayak then you probably aren’t going to be standing up much and seating isn’t the most comfortable. You can bring a chair with you or stand and fish on the bank. You also don’t have to worry as much about all of the water safety issues when you are on the shore. You definitely don’t have to worry about sinking or wearing a life vest, unless you are accident-prone. In that case, don’t forget your helmet.

Another good advantage of bank fishing is that you can bring family and friends along much easier. Only so many people will fit on the boat at a time. Lastly, you have more consistency in your casting position. Boats move, a lot. A light wind isn’t as annoying from the bank. Lastly, people walking by will usually strike up a conversation with you and ask you how the fishing is. If you are social, this could be a good way to meet some interesting new people.

Now for some disadvantages. I’m not going to lie. Sometimes bank fishing sucks. I have been fishing in my kayak and caught three fish about within about 15 minutes while a few bank fishermen were about 30 yards away. They had caught nothing all day and here I come in my little kayak yanking lips right in their faces. Fun for me, not so much for the guys on the bank, they left. Sometimes you have to be more stealth to catch the fish. It is harder to keep quiet on the bank. Every step you make on sticks or rocks causes sound and vibrations that the fish can feel in the water. One way I’ve found to combat this is to tread lightly and not get too close to the water. I have good success when I’m about 10 yards off the bank. Sometimes this is not possible though, so I feel your pain.

You can usually carry more gear on a boat than you can on your person. Even if you could carry all of your gear, it would be a pain to fish more than one small area constantly picking up and setting down what you aren’t using at the time. One of the most frustrating things that can ever happen to me while fishing is that I get hung up on a tree limb or something under the surface of the water and I can’t get loose. This usually results in my line breaking and losing the lure $$$. Especially if it was a good lure I had confidence in. The last disadvantage of bank fishing is that people talk to you. Yep, I listed this in both. Sometimes you just want your peace and quiet or space to relax. A lot of times, especially when you are in a new place, you just want to focus on your fishing and figure the location out. Interruptions can throw you off track and be annoying. Plus, if you can’t get them to leave or take a hint, then most of the time you will end up calling it a day early. There is also the rare occasion that some overly passionate animal rights activists come to pay you a visit…If this happens, I usually just leave rather than take a chance at visiting the local jail.

All in all, fishing is great from a boat or the shore. I would like to leave you with this piece of advice though. Don’t go fishing in a boat until you like fishing from the bank first. This will save you money and frustration. I believe starting out on the bank has made me a better fisherman because I could focus on the fishing, learning how to cast and use different techniques first and not worrying about boat position, wind, being uncomfortable sitting all day, etc… Going to boat fishing too early can end up being more work than you want to put into it. Fishing should be fun, not work.