LaSalle County Fishing: 1 Critical Tip to Catch MORE Fish!

LaSalle County Fishing in Illinois

LaSalle County fishing can yield some impressive results. Whether you are looking for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, panfish like green sunfish and bluegill, crappie or even sauger – chances are you can catch ’em in the Land of Lincoln!

AJ Hauser Saugeye Sauger Slim SwimZ
Beautiful little sauger on a Z-Man Slim SwimZ

As many of you know I spend a LOT of time working the shorelines here in Illinois. In fact, some of the most enjoyable days have come as a result of fishing a LaSalle County shoreline with super-simple techniques.

largemouth bass rod and gun club Sheridan mule jig donkey tail
From creeks to borrow pits – this tip will put more fish in the boat… er… on the shore.

We talk about a lot of these tips and techniques on the ‘ol YouTube channel (and you can check out several helpful videos by click on the link below). Today however, we’re going to talk about one critical mistake that many shoreline anglers make when they are fishing the banks of Illinois.

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Always SLOW DOWN and Fish YOUR Bank FIRST

Always – and I mean always – slow down, tread lightly, and fish your bank first.

Too often we make the mistake of clomping around, hurrying to our next spot or simply trying to beat some other shoreline angler to the next stretch of cover we’d like to fish. However, when we rush around we make two major mistakes:

  1. We make noise. We make vibrations with our footsteps. We cast a shadow into the shallows. All of these spook nearby fish.
  2. When we can reach the opposite shoreline we tend to focus on that – making long casts, and actually cutting productive fish-filled water in half.

Some of my best fish have come from super-shallow water near the bank I am standing on.

AJ Hauser 4lb Largemouth Bass
4lb LaSalle County largemouth bass taken in inches of water on a Strike King Lightning Shad

So the next time you’re headed to the lake – take a second to slow down. Think about how you can slowly (and I mean slowly) creep up to the bank near where you intend to fish. Before you even peer over the edge, softly drop a few casts right in the shallows while standing back 10 feet or so to see if you can catch some fish without spooking them off.

If you apply this technique on your next trip – whether you are fishing in LaSalle County or not – I guarantee you will catch more fish!

Tight lines.

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