Tag: bank fishing

Versatile Bank Fishing: 1 Bait 2 Ways for Largemouth Bass in Midwest Ponds

It’s early – but not too early – as you stand on the bank of the pond. To the novice, it looks empty. Calm. Still. Like nothing could possibly live beneath the dark surface… but you know better. The bright April days are slowly pushing the water past the chilly winter temps, and at 52°, things are waking up. The shoreline is riddled with the brittle brown stalks and faded reeds of last year’s growth. The chill in the air makes a jacket necessary, and as the wind picks up, it’s obvious why you’re the only one here. No matter – socializing isn’t on the agenda.

Even though the sun is up above the distant treeline, it’s fighting with the clouds, and your soggy fingers ache as you try to retie. A slight tug on a fresh Uni-Knot reassures you, confirming that the only connection between you and the fish is solid. It is – and so, the game resumes. Even though it’s early in the Midwest fishing season, it’s only a matter of time before your hard work pays off…

*tap*

The lightest tap. That’s all it takes to trigger years of vivid memories. In an instant, they all come flooding back – along with that familiar jolt of adrenaline that reminds you why we fish.

We’re off to the races…

My first largemouth bass of the season

Bank Fishing is a Special Thing

For many of us, this was where it all began.

For those of us in the Midwest, this is where each new season usually begins.

Small ponds start to warm a bit faster than lakes and canals here in Illinois (especially those with deep water) which means more bass activity, sooner. What’s a “small pond”? Anything 10 acres or less. If you have good shoreline access, these are also great places to knock the rust off. If your timing is right, you can get into a good mess of fish. Not to mention, fishing during the afternoon early in the season can be the most productive window – no need to get up before the sun – you’ll get icicles on your bits.

I tried several presentations this year: jerkbaits, chatterbaits, swimbaits, a bevy of ElaZtech plastics – but the Strike King Rage Craw turned out to be the most effective bait I threw, accounting for my first fish – along with the most fish – caught in April. Here’s a simple way to put it to work – and below, I’ll talk about pulling double duty with a single bait…

Midwest Bank Fishing Gear & Techniques

Lightning

Reaction

Bullet

Rage

President

Premier

Reaction

Alpha

Barometer

Temps

Scale

Pliers

The Setup is Simple

Minimalist. A Berkley Lightning Rod. Pflueger President XT. Reaction Tackle X8 Braid to a Seaguar Premier fluoro leader (abrasion resistant) to a 3/0 Gamakatsu Alpha Nano or Reaction Tackle EWG and a 1/4 oz bullet weight. With this, you can quickly cover ground and fish a single Rage Craw two ways:

1. The Rage Craw Vertical Approach

Cast it out. Let it sink without jiggles. Calm yourself. Watch the line. If you see it jump, reel down and set the hook! Bass will often snag it on the drop, and if they don’t, the flappies will get their attention. They will likely inspect your offering, and if they’re going to bite, it will usually be within a few “hops.” Slowly lift your rod tip, then drop it, allowing the bait to fall straight back down. Keep watching the line. Go ahead and jiggle it now, if you must – or go nuts and drag it along slowly for a few feet before you reel in to make another cast.

First Largemouth Bass of 2025 (1 week earlier) on the Vertical Approach

2. The Rage Craw Horizontal Approach

If you need to move faster and cover more water, or if you see positive signs and notice that the bass are a bit more active than you expected – there’s no need to switch baits – cast your craw, let it sink to the depth you think the fish are at, and begin a slow, steady retrieve. The flappies will paddle behind the swimming bait, and you’ll quickly realize that swimming is not only passable… but very effective.

Rage

Craw

Bass

I’m Sure You’re Asking…

“AJ… why in the world did you pair a $100 reel with a $40 rod?!”

Great question – it has a lot to do with where I fish these days. Between the canals and the shallow lakes that have to be paddled, knocking around in the brush, hauling my plastic kayak into the thick of it just to get a crack at unbothered bass… I beat my gear up a lot and feel much better about accidentally snapping a $40 rod than a $200 rod. These things are workhorses; good enough for this kind of fishing.

1 Bait 2 Ways = Faster Fishing, More Casts and More Bites

So get out there and get your flappies goin’. Remember that largemouth key in on vibration & noise, while smallmouth bass key in on sight & scent. Keep these things in mind as you start your season – and you’ll be off to a great start.

Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.

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May 24, 2025
Bank Fishing

Good morning brothers.

Are you tired of the cold yet?

Tired of the wind? The chapped lips? The dark dinners? Heart-attack shoveling? Split fingers? The icicles of death? (See Die Hard 2 for reference.) The SUCK?

Golly man. I understand some of you masochists like to set up little tents and dangle the ‘ol worm deep down below the frozen ice. If that’s you, God bless ya, but I am absolutely clawing at the walls, waiting to get out and start the season off the same way I always do: Bank Fishing. I can’t wait for the dew to soak my shoes, the sun to cook my goose (I’m not sure what that means) and the bass to gnaw on my thumb.

“My goose is cooked!”

But as I worked through some footage from last April, I almost felt like I was doing something wrong…

Is Bank Fishing OK?

I’m a Midwest Fisherman, and in April we typically see water temps anywhere from the 50’s to the low 70’s. These temps fluctuate based on depth, wind and weather, but the bass are going to spawn. You can see them clear as day from the bank. They’ll be on beds. Or around beds. They won’t all spawn at the same time, and this can be confusing to anglers. Myself included. What triggers that spawn? Is it the temperature? The length of the day? Something else? A combination? The “why” is a discussion for another time, but the “what are you two doing in there?!” is pretty obvious…

Some beds will have “fry guarders” hanging around, some will have big, fat, beautiful females. Because of this, bank fishing (or specifically “sight fishing”) can be extremely productive… but there is a conversation to be had about a big problem with bank fishing for bass on beds…

I saw you… but you saw me, too…

These bass are up shallow, doing the hibbidy-dibbidy or guarding the results of said dibbidy. Giggity. But you know they have to be getting pestered all day. They’re just too close to the bank, especially in areas with lots of foot traffic.

You can see them. They can see you. The tension builds. Slowly, carefully, you pitch a half ounce Texas Rig with some outer-space-looking plastic thing that breaks the surface of the water with the subtlety of a cannonball. On ANY OTHER DAY, that bass is going to bolt – especially in such shallow water! But not today… today that bass looks up, annoyed, rolls her eyes and slowly does what she knows she has to do… she saunters over and slurps up your ridiculous offering (not having thumbs means in the mouth it goes, like a toddler) and tries to remove it from the clearing… SNAP!!… “I DONE GOT HER GEWD!!“, you bellow. She rolls her eyes a second time, allowing yet another goober to hoist her onto the bank, snap a picture, and (hopefully) put her right back.

Yes, I am the goober in this story. Yes, it is an exaggeration, but do you see the problem? On any other day that fish is going to run (swim) or at the very least, develop an immediate case of lockjaw as soon as they become aware of your presence. Could be your shadow. Your footsteps. Your B.O. (hopefully not that). I’m really struggling with the ethical side of this equation.

But… (there’s always a “but”) they are SO HARD to ignore. I mean look at this fish – how am I supposed to quit you!?

Everyone needs a few more heifers in their life…

Are bank fishermen “better” than tournament anglers? Are tournament anglers “worse” because they target bedding bass, throw ’em in the livewell, take them miles and miles back to to ramp for an official weigh in… only to release them there, instead of taking them back home?

(Pro-Tip: always plan a trip to go fish around the ramp a week after any local tournament wraps up. You can thank me later.)

Surely us bank fishermen aren’t that bad… at least not as bad as them… after all, we put ’em right back and that’s better… right? Hard to say. I don’t think it’s a question of “better or worse,” those are just shades of gray.

On the flipside: bass eat bass. Are we protecting the newly hatched fry that can’t protect themselves? When you consider both males and females eat baby bass by the mouthful… maybe we’re actually filling the role of a bassy savior?!

Hmmm… check this out and let me know what you think. Then I have one final question for you…

Bank Fishing the Worst Possible Way

Senko

StickZ

Ocho

Dinger

Pro-V

Magworm

Grip-Pin

Reaction

Quick Sidenote: the best bank fishing equipment is pretty simple. Stickbaits, first & foremost. Getcha some Senkos or Ochos if you want to fish weightless. Go with Dingers if you need to save a few bucks, but plan to use weight to add some movement to the lifeless plastic. Bang StickZ are a good option if you want a stickbait that will last all day and float, but again, they are lifeless on their own.

Hooks? The Trokar Pro-V is a NASTY little bugger. You hook ’em on these and they stay hooked – plus you can use up to a 4/0 and still stay relatively low profile with the baits mentioned above. The Magworm and the Grip-Pin are great options for stretchy morsels you want to lock in place (a la Bang StickZ), but they will tear “regular” plastics, especially those loaded with salt. Reaction Tackle makes a nice little bread ‘n butter EWG that is a good combination of strength and thickness. It’s not super-chunky, but you probably won’t straighten it out. I discovered Reaction Tackle years ago ordering on Amazon and assumed they were a foreign company, but they’re actually headquartered just 2 hours away from me – right in Big Bend Wisconsin, USA. If you want to reload the tackle box they have some quantity discounts worth considering, plus you can get 15% off of your first order. I plan to get up there for a visit later this year (and hopefully a video) to talk more with Cody Dobberstein & Chad Hoover. Good dudes!

Load Up: Take 15% Off and Buy in Bulk. You’ll be set on hooks (pun intended) for a LONG time…

The Ethics of Bank Fishing

So GEAR is always fun to talk about… but back to the matter at hand. Is bank fishing for bedding bass ethical? Is it OK? We all know it’s fun… but are we doing something wrong, or are we just enjoying a natural (renewable) resource?

I’m curious to hear what you think.

Hey buddy…

See you soon?

Warmer weather will be here before we know it. I’ve moved from sharpening hooks to loading the backpack and planning with great excitement in anticipation of some big, fat, springtime bass. Bank fishing is without a doubt one of the greatest ways to spend the morning…

Question is… do we bother them in bed?

Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.

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February 26, 2025
Catch MORE BASS with The 80/20 Rule (not what you think…)

Good morning brothers.

It’s raining here in the Midwest. Rained yesterday, too… and the day before that. Honestly, it doesn’t seem like it’s stopped raining this spring. At night the steady drip-drip-drip of droplets cascading off the gutters is calming. Peaceful. In the morning there’s splattering and pattering on the outer sill of the windows as the sun tries so hard to poke her head out from behind the clouds sitting right above the trees across the way. Bright orange colors sit just behind, as the thunder slowly rolls in and sporadic flashes of lightning remind me – you’re not fishing today.

Hmmm…

Frustrating, but we live in a world where turbulence seems to be the norm… so small breaks (even breaks that Mother Nature forces us to take) are a blessing.

Soggy mornings like these are the perfect time to discuss simple improvements that anyone can make. Improvements that will help you catch more fish. I’m talking about The 80/20 Rule. No doubt you’ve heard about this ratio in some sense before –

“20% of the water holds 80% of the fish.”
“20% of the fishermen catch 80% of the fish.”
“20% of my tackle gets used 80% of the time.”

Some will even bump these numbers up to 90/10. You can pick whatever ratio you prefer, but today we’re going to apply this rule in a slightly different way…

Putting the 80/20 Rule to work In The Field

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Apply The 80/20 Rule to Every Base Box

Base-wha?

Base Box.

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Over the years I’ve made many adjustments that help keep my on-hand tackle lightweight, compact and versatile. Minimalist. A Base Box is a single Plano container, pre-loaded with presentations that I have confidence in for a specific kind of fishing. Things I absolutely need to have for certain conditions. They’re always ready to go, so when ‘ol Billy Bob calls and says “BROTHER, LET’S FISH!,” I grab the appropriate Base Box, the Terminal Tackle Base Box, throw ’em in my backpack and head out.

Fishing from the bank?
Just take that backpack.
Fishing from a friend’s boat?
Just take that backpack.
Fishing from your own boat?
Just take that backpack!

This helps me keep the clutter away. It keeps my mind clear so the focus is on catching fish, not organizing tackle. We’ve covered the Heavy Muck Base Box for targeting largemouth bass in thick cover, as well as the Wisconsin Bass Base Box for targeting smallmouth bass and other gamefish near Minocqua.

Learn More

Learn More

This year I’m working on a Muck Kayak Base Box, a Clear / Creek Kayak Base Box, and some others, but today we’re talking about how applying The 80/20 Rule to my Clear Water Base Box helped me turn a slow day into a great one!

First largemouth bass of the 2024 season.

Spring Bass Fishing in the Midwest

Here’s how the day went…

I decided to start small. Small, shallow ponds and lakes can warm up faster than large, deep bodies of water. This can translate into more activity, and more bites. One such puddle nearby, affectionately dubbed Snapping Turtle Pond, is home to some big bass… and big snappers.

Watch your toes!

Not all bass spawn at the same time. Smaller, warmer lakes might be the earliest to see spawning activity. I don’t target spawners, but paying attention to the local calendar period will help you find active biters. For example, if a very small lake gets the postspawn blues, head to a larger lake and see if you can find prespawn fish looking to chow.

The afternoon bite can be best in the spring. Midday, when the water is warmest and the sun is high in the sky, it’s not uncommon to experience the fish “turning on,” which means you don’t have to be up and out before dawn.

Moving baits can work in cold water. I decided to start with a 3″ swimbait, and follow that up with a 4″ stickbait in a natural green pumpkin color. Here were some key items in my Clear Water Base Box:

Deeper

J-Braid

Fluoro

Wildeye

Ocho

Grip-Pin

Bullet

Hula

I fished for 2 hours without a bite. Tossed the swimbait, then the stickbait (again both in natural colors). These are confidence techniques for me… and they came up blank.

The water was chocolate milk. Probably from all the recent rain and runoff. I even had a 12 pound fluorocarbon leader tied to my braid because I thought they were going to be able to see my line. Not the case… and actually, I don’t think they could see much of anything.

Fortunately I had already applied The 80/20 Rule to my gear. 80% of my equipment was focused on clear water techniques. Natural colors, natural patterns, natural movement, small or invisible line, and exposed hooks. (Think crankbaits, topwater poppers, lipless cranks and natural plastics on jigs.) However, 20% of my equipment was focused on the exact opposite… and thankfully, I had the high-vis low-snag option you see here:

“Here I come to save the daaaaaaaaaaaay…”

A Coppertreuse Hula Stick (soaked in Dr. Juice attractant to mask human scent) on a Texas Rig with a Mustad Light Wire Grip-Pin hook and a 1/16 ounce tungsten Nako bullet weight. This saved the day, because the conditions were not what I expected!

#2

#3

#4

On my very first cast with the high-vis presentation, I caught a fish. Same thing happened on the second cast! We ended up catching five fish (and missing one) this afternoon, with four of them being right at or over the 2 pound mark. All bites came within a 40 minute window on the wind-blown side of the pond.

I had almost given up. Even took a 30 minute break to map with my Deeper Pro+ Sonar to try to “salvage the awful day.” But it wasn’t awful. The answer wasn’t to quit – the answer was to adapt.

If you apply The 80/20 Rule to your tackle, you’ll be more prepared for anything that comes at you, without needing to carry around the entire tackle shop. Take a minute to review what you have on hand, and maybe make a few changes.

This can be the difference between a complete bust… or a great day of fishing!

Want to go even deeper with 80/20 fishing? Check this video out:

The Base Box Concept + The Best Way to Use The 80/20 Principle

Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.

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May 14, 2024
2024: The Return… and Writing for Midwest Outdoors
Good morning brothers.

I hope that all of you are having a great 2024! I’ve been quiet lately and wanted explain why…

Last year, one of my big goals was to get a few articles published on different websites. Believe it or not… this was actually way more difficult than I anticipated. There are many websites that focus on fishing… but most are completely inactive – or worse – filled to the absolute brim with crappy, spammy content and ads out the wazoo.

If you search the Googles, you’ll find yourself bouncing back and forth between sites with (sometimes really good) bass fishing tips from 2003, then the next will have “The All-Time Worldwide Best Baits for Largemouth Bass – You Won’t Believe #7!!!” – and the article will quite literally list every single bass fishing technique in existence, surrounded by so many affiliate ads it’s completely unreadable.

Frustrating.

I couldn’t find other sites worth contacting… so, I decided to start contacting some of the bigger names we all know around these parts (even though I didn’t think they would be interested in what I could contribute… see Dunning-Kruger Effect). In December, a little before Christmas, as I was sulking about feeling sorry for myself, being depressed (as is my norm during the winter months) I decided to reach out to a writer over at Midwest Outdoors named Dan Brozowski. He penned an article on Fall’s In-Between Fish, and we struck up a conversation about possibly using some Yamamoto Hula Grubs in my beloved clear water pits this coming season.

Well, one thing led to another and I managed to land an email in Dave Csanda’s inbox, and if that name sounds familiar it’s probably because you recognize him from The Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. I sent him a few articles that have been published here, and he responded: “I read your stuff and would welcome your submissions. We need another article for January but the deadline is less than a week away…“

There it was.

An opening.

An opportunity.

Time to make hay.

A few days later I sent over an article with several pictures from the end of the season, along with tips for finding and catching bigger bass. I was pleasantly surprised when I heard that they had accepted the article. I was even more surprised when I received the January issue in the mail, and saw they had decided to use my picture for the cover of the Illinois section!

Midwest Outdoors: January 2024 Article by AJ Hauser: Winter Investments for Bigger Bass

Shortly after that, the article ended up in their monthly Midwest Outdoors Insider Newsletter. Sweet! I emailed Dan and Dave, along with Ann, Tina and Dena over at the MWO office to say thank you for the opportunity and for using some of my stuff – and with it, sent another article that got picked up and used for the March issue, along with the Iowa / Missouri cover:

Midwest Outdoors: March 2024 Article by AJ Hauser: Jerkin’ Cold-Water Bass

Jerkin’ Cold-Water Bass ended up on their website, then an article titled “Go Small or Go Home: The Advantages of Fishing Small Water” was printed in the April issue, and my 4th article is currently on deck for May.

Midwest Outdoors: April 2024 Article by AJ Hauser: Go Small or Go Home: The Advantages of Fishing Small Water

So, my friends, this is what I have been focusing on since December of last year. Holding a physical, printed article is something I have hoped for and worked towards since I started The Minimalist Fisherman in 2019. To see my picture alongside well known heavy-hitters and local hammers is just… it’s surreal.

When I was just a wee lad, my Dad had a box of In-Fisherman books that would come out at the beginning of every Manitowish fishing trip. They’d be sprawled across the bed, and I would hop up and flip through the pages written by Al, Ron and Jim Lindner, Dan Sura, Doug Stange, Steve Quinn, Larry Dahlberg, Ralph Manns and Dave Csanda. Dad and I didn’t didn’t talk much. We didn’t have to. He would tie spoons and jigs and plugs onto his many fishing poles while I looked at those books, and we both dreamed about catching big fish.

Fast forward 30 years.

To have a brief email discussion with one of these guys. To hold a printed article in my hands. To place something I wrote with pictures of my fish on the dining room table so my parents, wife and kids can see…

It means a lot.

I thank God for the opportunity, and I hope to continue sending articles and pictures that get put to use. Being in a position to help other anglers after so many have helped me is extremely rewarding!

But now… now, it’s time to get ready to get out into the field. My 2024 fishing season is only days away from starting. It will be cold. It will be wet. It will be rough… but it will feed my soul.

I’ll log all of it and share with you the changes I make, the techniques that work, and the fish I catch.

So brothers… here’s to 2024… let’s get bit!

Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.

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April 2, 2024
Fishing Sure Beats Showering

You can spend your time showering… like a girl… or you can stink and fish… LIKE A MAN!

On this day in history… I chose to stink… and it was worth it.

Catching Fat Illinois Bass on Swim Jigs & Stickbaits!

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After the weather warmed up a bit it was time to get back out and fish the ‘ol swim jig again… but not without taking the Strike King 4″ Ocho, which had also recently started to produce. Even with all of the wind today, this provided a really nice one-two punch and allowed me to fish fast and slow without stopping in my limited window of time.

This might work for you, too.

Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.

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May 23, 2020
Quarantine Fishing (3 Nice Bass)

Got out to do some quarantine bass fishing – and it wasn’t easy… when I arrived at the regular lake I noticed a large NO FISHING sign, and honestly… I couldn’t believe it.

But cooler heads prevailed and with a bit of exploring I found a few other spots to fish… and it was definitely worth it!

Have you been able to get out during Covid? Let me know!

Bass Fishing During Covid

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Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.

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April 28, 2020
The Legend of Dinkasaurus Bass

A long time ago… in a land much like ours… there lived a mighty dink…

For days, the dink was pursued in late October, only to be captured after 6 hours and failure after failure… which we will talk about soon…

Does the Dinkasaurus really exist?

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Sometimes even a dink is better than a skunk…

Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.

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April 26, 2020
Wear Boots When You’re Bank Fishing!

I WAS ATTACKED!

Upon returning from a recent fishing trip spent throwing topwater baits from shore on a windy day, I noticed there was something on my boot… assuming it was goose crap (nice right?) the boot was removed for cleaning… but upon further inspection… one could see it was harboring a stowaway!

I ALMOST DIED!

Ok… not really… but it is probably not an awful idea to wear boots if you are going to be walking around ponds and lakes where there is a decent amount of fishing pressure:

Protect your dogs!

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So I’m joking about the “attack”… but only slightly. It’s a good idea to be careful when you are fishing pressured ponds and lakes. Opt for some protective footwear unless you are really watching where you are stepping. Had I been wearing light flippy floppys… this would have been embedded in my foot.

That could have sucked…

Now with that said – here’s a funny little tidbit:

All of my kids fell in love with this little frog. My oldest wants to use it to catch his first frog fish this summer, and that is our mission (we think this is a Lunkerhunt Pocket Frog if you are wondering). My youngest likes to look at my fishing stuff and when he gets to this little frog, he has to “give it a kiss”. My middle guy thinks this frog is super cute, too.

Checking out the stowaway frog.

So the stowaway that almost killed me has more road to travel… he’s not done… his legacy is still being written!

After pulling him out of my boot with pliers, I straightened out the crooked hooks and sharpened them so he’s currently ready for action… if it ever stops snowing.

We’ll keep you posted… 😀

So watch your back and your footing – but make sure to keep getting out! I would trade 2 awesome topwater strikes like these for a hook in my foot any day…

Largemouth Bass Strikes on Topwater

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Let me know if you have a favorite pair of fishing boots, I need some new ones (plus a new fishing backpack now that I think about it) and take care of yourself out there!

Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.

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April 17, 2020