Bare banks exist in virtually all reservoirs and lakes in the country. They are empty sections of clay, sand, mud or gravel or compounds of these materials. Bare banks may skirt stream embankments, main river channels, or islands. Some run short distances; others stretch for hundreds of meters. Still, the thread that unites all Naked Banks is their lack of obvious features. The degree to which largemouth bass use bare shorelines varies from lake to lake and even shoreline to shoreline. Bare banks in deeper and/or older lakes tend to attract more fish than similar banks in newer, shallower lakes. These latter waters usually have another higher quality structure to attract fish. Bare banks are not as important on lakes that have wood or grass or a lot of bottom structure up and down. Even in lakes with lots of other structures, some bare banks still have bass, and these can be honey holes because they are rarely fished. The only way to know which banks are good is to try them out. This takes a lot of time, and that’s why bare shore fishing is more practical for anglers on their home lakes than for professionals, who move from one lake to another.
Largemouth bass are more likely to stay along open shorelines during seasonal migrations. The best times to fish on these banks are spring and fall. In spring, largemouth bass move to streams to spawn, often following the banks into shallow water. And in the fall, the tarpon swim in the creeks and the bass come after them. Much of the feeding activity during September and October takes place close to shore. Bass also sometimes feed along bare shores in summer and winter, usually in the main areas of the lake where wind or currents push tarpon shallow. Bare banks have the potential to produce fish throughout the year. The wind is one of the main keys. Fishing along a bare shore is 100 times better if it’s windy, especially on a clear lake. The waves ‘blow’ at the baitfish. They stir up the bottom and expose the crabs. They break the penetration of sunlight. In general, wind blowing off a bare bank creates optimal feeding conditions and makes bass shallower and more active. One more note about bare banks: they have an added attraction for smallmouth and spotted bass. If a lake only has largemouth, flat banks will be good sometimes. But it’s spotted and the loudmouths are around, they can be cool pretty much anytime.
Bass Locations Along Banks:
In reality, the term “bare benches” contradicts the actual composition of these empty-looking structures. A bench may seem empty if you are running across the lake at 50 miles per hour. But if you stop and really study and fish, there is almost always something that will attract the bass. It’s just a matter of knowing what to look for and how to find it. You can find bass near subtle changes or isolated features along bare banks. Examples include where a bank’s composition changes (i.e., gravel gives way to clay), where a stream channel sways near the bank, where a bank becomes flatter or steeper, or where a bank becomes steeper or flatter. a slow turn. Also, underwater features along a bank are like beacons that attract bass. A stump, log, or large rock can have a magnetic effect on fish swimming along the shoreline. Also, many people sink piles of weeds along the exposed banks. A pile of brush along a bank that has no other features is almost a sure bet for attracting some fish, plus other anglers aren’t as likely to find it due to the lack of fishing pressure.
Knowing what to look for along the uncovered shores and being able to find these places are two different matters. A visual check is quite simple. An angler may see changes in the composition of the school, turns in the shoreline, or dark shadows of stumps or logs underwater. (Polarized sunglasses are vital for seeing below the surface.) You can also study a topographic map to find the angle of the channels near the shore. However, most of the fish-attracting features along the bare banks are hidden from view and not shown on maps. Anglers have two methods of finding them: electronic inspection with a depth finder; and trial fishing. Start by checking out a bank by moving along it and watching your depth finder. Zigzag in and out to scan different depths. Primarily look for cover on the side of the school and also watch for contour changes and bait returns. If a bank is 200 yards long, cover it all. Then if you see something that looks promising, turn around and fish for it. It’s common to stand idle in the middle of a school and see nothing, then start spotting features or fish. Another approach is to start at one end and fish it all out. This way you can really cover the entire bank effectively. Invest time in lowering it and checking different areas and depths. That way you can do a thorough job of eliminating thoughts and developing a reliable pattern. As you fish, constantly monitor your depth sounder for objects or changes in the school’s contour. Look for small shelves or places where the first break occurs closer to the edge. Again, these are the small subtle changes where the bass is most likely to be. Sometimes the only way to find these spots is by fishing the entire bank.
Naked Bank Baits:
For bare school fishing, you can rely on a small selection of reliable lures: crankbaits, spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, topwaters, grubs, jigs, and plastic worms. Diving crankbaits are the best choices for prospecting along bare banks from early spring through fall. Also, because you can quickly cover the water with them. Also, you can launch them directly to the waterline and then push them down the bank’s subfloor slope. This makes it easy to check depths ranging from a few inches to more than 10 feet. Another good bait to look for on bare banks in early spring is a jerkbait. Fishing for a jerkbait is a good way to catch suspended bass. It is especially effective when the water first starts to get hot (low to mid 40’s). When fishing this bait move along the shore while casting 45 degrees towards the shore. Cast it directly to the water’s edge, and spin the bait four or five times so it starts to go down, then start a “pull, pause, jerk, jerk” recovery. Repeat this all the way back to the ship. The colder the water, the slower you want to work the bait. A spinnerbait is a third option for prospecting along bare banks in the pre-spawning and spawning periods. A spinnerbait should be cast shallow and then thrown downhill with a medium depth retrieve. Often times, if bass are actively feeding, they will be attracted by the flash and vibration, and will strike from below or to the side of the bait. Switch between crankbaits, jerkbaits and spinnerbaits to see which one the bass prefer on any given day. This is just a matter of trial and error. One day the fish will hug the bottom and the diving crankbait works best. The next day they can be suspended, and the best is the jerkbait. And by the third day they could be roaming around and feeding, and the spinnerbait does the trick. You just have to analyze the weather and water conditions and try to figure out how active the basses are and if they are shallow, deep or suspended. Then choose the bait that will work best in those conditions. But if that bait doesn’t work, try the other two types. Sometimes the bass is hard to guess. Jigs, grubs, and worms (so-called slow baits) are deadly along bare shorelines. These baits are good in three different circumstances.
If you’re working shoreline with a crankbait and you hit a piece of deck without biting it, pick up your jig or fishing rod and work the deck a little slower and deeper. If the bass aren’t too active, it’s not uncommon for them to miss the crankbait or spinnerbait and hit a jig or worm. The second case for using a slow bait is when a school has yielded some fish to one of the faster baits, and the angler wants to make another pass through the school and offer a different option to the remaining bass. And the third case for the use of grubs, hooks and worms is when a pass through a school with faster baits produces no action, but the angler thinks the bass are present and just aren’t in a chasing frame of mind. Topwaters are excellent baits for fishing bare banks after the water temperature reaches 70 degrees. This is just another alternative. Topwater baits caught along open shores early and late in the day are a good pattern for fishing in the heat of summer. This may not be the most consistent pattern in the world, but it will produce some big fish at times.