Bank Fishing: A time-honored tradition for Missouri anglers

Veteran Missouri-angler Les Jarman with a pair of 5-pound walleye snagged from Lake Stockton. Go to www.nevadadailymail to view these pictures in color

Ken White/Special to the Daily Mail

Nearly every angler gets their start at fishing by casting their line from the bank.

The simplicity of fishing from the bank is offset by the limitations of finding good fishing locations. Sometimes, the locations are restricted to places where the angler may not be able to reach, even with long casts to the structure that hold fish.

It might be tough for a bank angler to fish the places they would like to because of rocks, heavy brush or downed trees. Casting in these spots might cause an angler to lose a big fish. Even in the face of these obstacles, bank fishing continues to enjoy a special part in the life of beginners to the most seasoned and experienced angler.

A good-sized walleye in the net.

Ken White/Special to the Daily Mail

The outings find the angler ready to tangle with whatever bites. One good way to target a fish is with a jig. By selecting jigs of different sizes and color, you may find a wide variety of both artificial and live baits. A light jig may be tied below a bobber and retrieved close to the surface while a heaver jig may be used for mid-range or bounced on the bottom.

One way to make bank fishing easier is to travel light. Often mobility is a key to success. The less stuff you carry (can prove beneficial if moving from various locations).

Anglers like Jim Moore, enjoy fishing from a bank where they catch fish. Moore, a 66 year old fisherman from Warrensburg, started out his fishing from the bank at a local farm pond.

“I was 6-years-old when my father took me to a pond and showed me how to cast an ultralight rod and reel,” recalled Moore. “It took awhile, but after mastering it, I started catching fish. Even today, I still spend a lot of my fishing time casting from the bank and I still catch fish.”

Many anglers got their start in the sport by fishing from the bank around a pond, stream, lake or boat dock.

Recently, I observed a family who was camping near Stockton Lake who were fishing from the bank. I saw them pull in some crappie, bluegill and several bass. They were having as much fun as any anglers I‘ve ever seen. They were having success without using a boat.

Watching some of the televised fishing shows, many would have you believe that you catch fish by using a $25,000 bass boat with lots of electronic gear aboard. Bank anglers experience success like the boat anglers, but with a different approach.

Many youngsters have a good time catching crawdads from a creek. Crawdads furnish a lot of fun for kids and they make excellent bait for a lot of different species of fish including bass and catfish.

When I was a youngster, I used to catch crawdads and sell some to fishermen. It worked two ways: My having fun catching them and making money at the same time.

Not only are farm ponds a good place to catch fish while fishing from the bank –– although the thousands of ponds dotted across the state produce some good fishing for catfish, bass and panfish.

There are also a lot of streams and big impoundments that may be fished from the bank. Below dams of many of the big impoundments anglers line the bank pulling everything from bass to carp. At the trout streams anglers catch fish while wading or walking the banks of the streams.

Moore said, “Some of my best catches came while fishing from the bank, including a six-pound bass, two-pound crappie and some big channel cats. There are several record fish in Missouri that were caught in farm ponds.”

Joplin-native Tom Hopkin spends a lot more time fishing from the bank than he does from a boat. He

“Fishing from the bank has several advantages including the fact that your bank account won’t suffer when contemplating buying a new boat,” said Hopkins.

“So don’t sell your fishing gear at a garage sale yet.”

Hopkins offers some tips to the bank angler. He said, “Fish from the bank early in the morning and late in the afternoon for the best results. However, starting at this time of the year many game fish may be feeding on insects that are active during the day, so act accordingly.”

Hopkins continued: “Fish areas where streams enter or exit ponds or lakes. Get permission to fish private property. Look for natural habitat like overhanging branches, fallen trees, submerged rocks, stumps and flooded brush.”

Hopkins started from the bank as a 7-year-old, and now at 72 stills finds it the best way for him to bring home fish.

“My first fish was a bluegill from a creek near home, and that got me started,” he said. “Now, some 65 years later, I still catch a lot of fish from the bank. I never did own a boat and I guess I never will. I get a kick from watching some of those fishing shows whenever the host catches a fish (and it’s) a good one.”

Anglers like Harry Roberts, of Nixa, had a hard time fishing from a boat so he had a dock built on a nearby big pond where he catches channel catfish and bass.

The Nixa-native wasn’t about to quit fishing so he built a place where he could fish anytime he wants. It has worked out great. He says he often catches more fish and sometimes larger ones than his son-in-law who has a big bass boat.

Fishing from the bank is a great way to reconnect your angling roots and to introduce a youngster to the sport.”