29/03/2022
Getting Maximum Results From Your Bank Fishing Efforts
By: Dr. Ronald E. Milliman (Dr. Catfish)
Author of the Ebook: The Giant Collection of Catfish Baits and Rigs
Available from Amazon Kindle Books: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08ZDW6R37?ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_5oA3ybBRJ0T7Y&tag=kpembed-20&linkCode=kpe
For years, I fished the shorelines because I didn't own a boat. Yeah, when I was a kid, my parents had a boat; in fact, it was a boat my dad built. My Dad could build or fix about anything. However, he wouldn't let my buddy and me take it out on a lake. He said he was afraid, as kids, we would get to messing around in the boat and someone would fall out, or we would do something else stupid and get hurt. I suppose that was a lot of his reasoning for not letting us take the boat out by ourselves, but I always felt he was also concerned that we might bang-up his boat. If the truth be known, as I think about it now that I am much older, well, a hell of a lot older; I'm 78 at the time of this writing, I suspect he was afraid of both, our getting hurt and damaging his boat! Consequently, my fishing buddy and I were forced to learned the best ways of fishing from the shoreline and and getting the maximum results for our efforts.
That was a long, long time ago, and since those early fishing adventures, I've fished many shorelines, many lakes in several states, and even a few oceans; I'm including the Caribbean as one of the oceans I fished. I've caught nearly every kind of fish I could catch on a rod & reel, both freshwater and saltwater. While that doesn't make me an expert fisher, it certainly makes me an experienced one.
From my observations and experiences, here is something I have found rather ironic: on most of the freshwater lakes where I fish, the fishers out in their boats are trolling and fishing the shorelines, casting up toward the shore, the logs, the weeds, the rocks, Rip Rap, and gravel; the kinds of areas that are known to attract bait fish, and in turn, the bait fish bring in the bigger fish looking for dinner. But here is the irony: the people fishing from the shoreline are quite commonly casting out as far as they can away from the shore, thinking the fish must be way out there in the deeper water, and they wish they had a boat where they could get out there into the depths of the lake, like the anglers in the boats can. The shoreline fishers are often completely overlooking the best possible places to fish, right there in front of them , close to the shore!
So, in this article, I am going to zero down specifically on fishing without a boat, fishing from the shoreline. I'm going to tell you how you can substantially increase the number of fish you catch without a boat, and in most situations, not having to cast way out into the lake as far as you can, risking throwing your shoulder out of place or giving yourself some kind of hernia!
To begin with, you must decide if you are looking for an easy-to-reach spot with your vehicle where the family can have a nice fun picnic and the kids can run around without much risk of getting hurt, or are you really , sincerely looking for the best fishing spot where you can max out the number of fish you catch. These are going to be very different kinds of spots. If it is the former, then, go to a park where there is a small fishing pond, playground, picnic area, etc. You won't catch many fish, maybe none, but you and the family will have a really fun time. However, if you are really interested in catching fish, you need to seek out an entirely different spot; probably not one that will be lots of fun for the whole family. This article is devoted to this latter kind of situation, where you are interested in catching a lot of fish.
First, select a fishing spot that is off the beaten path, away from where it is extremely easy to get to. The easy-to-reach spots are most likely overfished, and while you might hook one, you won't hook very many. So, look for places along the shore that are in proximity to the kinds of structure that is likely to hold fish. Look for fallen trees, logs, tree stumps, weeds or other vegetation, Rip Rap, gravel, overhanging trees, etc. Admittedly, these are also places where you can get tangled up, snagged, and lose tackle, but that is a part of catching fish. Oh, yeah, I hate getting snagged and end up breaking my line and losing my good hooks, sinkers, swivels, and sometimes an expensive artificial lure. Again, that is all a part of fishing for and catching fish.
Second, do not stay in one spot too long. I have good friends that stay on one fishing spot for hours, thinking that the fish are moving into their area just any minute. It is better to scope out several spots, and fish one for 20, 30 minutes, absolutely no more than an hour, and if you are not catching fish, then, move to your second spot, and so forth. I'll admit that I am guilty of staying on one spot too long many times. This is especially true for spots where I have caught lots of fish before, and just know they will start biting any second. You can always move to your second and third spots, and then, come back to your first one.
Third, and this is a technique that is somewhat controversial among die hard fishers, but I recommend it. You can greatly improve your odds by chumming your shoreline fishing spots. Pick out your one, two, three, or four spots, and then, chum each one. By the time you are finished chumming the last spot, you can go back to your first chummed fishing hole, and you may very well have bait fish and larger fish moving in.
You might ask: what is chumming? Chumming is a technique for attracting fish into your fishing area. It simply involves disseminating or distributing a relatively small amount of food into the water that draws the fish. The trick is to introduce just enough chum to bring in the fish, but not too much chum or food that they get filled up on your chum and not on your bait! Your chum will attract minnows of all kinds, and Shad or other forms of small bait fish. These small bait fish will, inturn, attract the larger fish seeking an easy dinner. It is these bigger fish that you are really targeting. Remember: the objective is to just entice the larger fish into your area; it is not to feed the fish! In addition, you want to use a method that will keep your chum in the desired fishing area and not spread out over a very wide range; you need to keep it fairly confined to your targeted fishing spot. In general, chumming works better in more shallow areas than in deeper areas, but I have used chum in as little as two or three feet to as deep as 25 or so feet. The technique you use greatly depends on the water depth. In shallow areas, you can scatter the chum over the top, providing the water is fairly calm, but in deeper areas, you will use one of the techniques that allows you to get the chum deeper, even on the bottom if desired.
When using the chumming technique, look for spots that are likely to be hideouts for fish and chum these areas. If the fish are not there, the chum will attract them to that area. Here’s another tip: if you maintain a schedule for chumming on a regular basis the fish will frequent your spot for food. Even if you are chumming on a regular basis, it is still a good idea to dump some of your chum 15 or so minutes before you start fishing for those big fish.
It usually takes several minutes, and even as much as an hour or so to bring the fish into the chummed area. I have even put out chum one day with the idea of coming out the next day to fish. I have also started out in the morning by chumming a few of my specially chosen fishing spots, and then, going back to the first chummed spot to fish, then, to the second spot, the third, etc., as suggested above.
Important note: check your state’s laws and regulations pertaining to the use of chum and acceptable types of chums and chumming methods. Chumming is allowed in most states, but heavily regulated in others, and it is completely prohibited in a few others such as Arkansas, California, Idaho, North Dakota, Oregon, and Washington.
Here are a few chumming methods you can use that will produce results:
The Coffee Can Method: As the name implies, this simply involves using a coffee can, or similar container, to distribute your chum. You fill your container with your chum and just shake it out over a restricted area in which you plan to fish. This approach works well around a shore or dock when the water is relatively calm. If the water is very choppy or rough, it does not work well because the chum quickly disperses over a much larger area than desired; thus, it defeats the objective of enticing the fish into your precise targeted fishing spot.
The Chum Bag Method: Again, as the name implies, this employs some type of bag that is quite porous, allowing your chum to slowly leak out into the immediate fishing area. You just fill the chum bag up with some weight on the bottom to keep it from simply floating on the top, and then, fill the rest up with your favorite chum, attach a tether rope to it that you can use to toss it out into your fishing spot or tie off to a cleat on your dock. You can purchase chum bags, or you can fashion your own quite easily. Mesh bags work quite well such as, for example, some laundry bags, or you can make your own out of nylon stockings or pantyhose
The Punctured Bottle Method: Here you can use any kind of plastic bottle or container with a fairly wide mouth and screw-on cap or lid, e.g. an empty Pretzel Nugget container that has a large mouth and screw-on lid. You handle it just like the chum bags discussed above. That is, you need to place some weight in the bottom to hold it down. You can use about anything, like sand or gravel, or a few small rocks. Then, you will also need to drill a hole in the cap or lid through which you will thread the tether rope. You can simply tie a knot in the end of the rope to keep it from pulling through. You want a container with a wide mouth to facilitate pouring the chum into it. You also will need to puncture the container in several places with something that will make lots of holes in it. The holes need to be large enough to allow the chum to seep or ooze out, but not too large. A 3/8” or ½” drill works extremely well for this purpose.
Note: You will want to place your chum bags or punctured bottles in a bucket or pale to keep them from leaking out and making a mess in your vehicle or on your dock, or some other place where your significant other won’t have cause to turn you into fish bait!
If you want to do it the easy way, you can just purchase commercial chum. Commercial Products and Chum You Can Purchase include:
Purina Fish Food: Purina markets a variety of fish food that makes a good chum to attract all kinds of bait fish. It can be purchased in 50 lb. bags from most farm supply stores; some bait/tackle stores sell it too
BaitCloud Fish Attractant: These bait balls are flavored to bring the fish to you! Simply toss the ready-to-use sphere into your fishing hole or over the side of your dock. This biodegradable sinking ball is made from amino acids and proven attractants, and as it hits the water, it immediately begins to "fizz" and release a visible cloud of scent-rich bubbles, creating a surface-to-bottom commotion that quickly pulls fish into the area. Plus, the scent-cloud lingers long after the fizzing has ended, keeping fish close by.
Aquatic Nutrition Chum Cloud: From Aquatic Nutrition, is a blended menhaden oil designed to sink in the water column and disperse, creating a cloud of baitfish scent. Drip Chum Cloud into your fishing hole or over the side of your dock. You can soak trolling baits to increase bites and mix with your favorite ingredients to make a custom chum recipe. Excellent for a variety of both saltwater and freshwater species of fish. It is so concentrated that only 1/8th of a teaspoon, dispersed, yields a cloud over 2' long containing billions of tiny scent droplets. Aquatic is a brand of fish chums and attractants of which there are several varieties and flavors. I am not going to cover them all. They are readily available from several bait and tackle suppliers that can be found online, e.g., Bass Pro.
Canned dog food: Canned dog food such as liver flavor dog food or fish flavored Cat food works well; drill or simply poke several holes in the can and tether it with some heavy test fish line or light rope/cord. Toss it into your desired fishing area, and wait for an hour or two, and the catfish will start gathering around your chummed spot. The cheapest dog or cat food works best! It is important that you do something to mark where the can is, such as with a heavy fishline as a tether that is tied off somewhere or used with a bobber, etc. Definitely do not just leave it there as trash and for someone else to get hung up on.
Dry Dog Food: Dry dog food is relatively cheap and can make an excellent chum. For example, Gravy Train beefy classic dry dog food has a beefy flavor fish love. It can be purchased in large bags, making it very cost effective. When it mixes in with the water it creates a rich savory gravy that draws the baitfish, and hence, the big ones right into your fishing area! Purina is another readily available brand of dry dog food, Dog Chow High Protein Wet Dog Food with Chicken in Gravy, that works well as fish chum. If you go to your local farm supply store, like Tractor Supply, you will find other selections that are even more cost effective that will work just fine.
Range cubes: These cubes are also referred to as Cattle Cubes, and they can also be used as chum. They are readily available from any farm supply store in 50lbs bags for around $10 or so. If you are fishing for catfish, make sure that you get the high protein cubes because they tend to go to the bottom where the catfish are more likely to be rather than just floating out of the desired fishing area. Alternatively, poultry protein blocks and Purina sinking fish food pellets and rabbit food pellets also work well. I purchase my cubes, poultry protein blocks, fish and rabbit food pellets from the Tractor Supply Co.
Homebrew Chum: Okay, now, here are some of my very most favorite homebrew, chum recipes that you can make yourself for very little cost and not too much effort.
Ferment several types of grains or mixtures of grains such as Milo, soybeans, corn, wheat, oats, barley, rice, or hen scratch, which is actually a mixture of grains and cracked corn. Which one you use usually comes down to which one is the cheapest because they all work. I have used these fermented grains quite effectively. Note: soybeans ripen much faster than the other options. My personal preference tends to be soured Milo. All of these will work, and you make your chum essentially the same way regardless of what you use. So, I will use soured Milo for my example here to illustrate my favorite “keep it simple” chum concoction:
Milo is usually available in 50-lb. bags from any farm supply store, like Tractor Farm Supply. A 50 lb. bag of Milo will make several five-gallon buckets of chum, and it is relatively inexpensive. Here is what you need to make your chum: a 50 lb. Bag of Milo, two or three Five Gallon Buckets with Lids that fit tightly, a can of the cheapest beer you can buy, brewer’s yeast cakes, sugar, and Water. Then, fill each of your 5-gallon buckets about half full with Milo. Once you have added the Milo to the bucket, you need to fill it with water about 2 inches above the Milo. You can speed up the fermenting process by adding the can of beer and the brewer’s yeast and about ½ of a cup of sugar. However, in the extreme heat of the summer, you really don't necessarily need to add the brewer’s yeast and sugar because the heat will cause quite rapid fermenting of the mixture. Once the concoction is in the buckets, you should locate the buckets somewhere out of the way and place the lids on top, BUT CAUTION: DO NOT SNAP the lids on tight. Within a day or so, you will notice the water in the Milo beginning to bubble. This is the fermenting process. Watch over your concoction because you will need to add water to the buckets every day or two until the grain finishes absorbing water. Keep the water level about an inch over the top of the grain. After several days, like a week or so, the buckets will stop bubbling and you can safely snap the lids on tight.
Caution: This stuff gets smelling pretty rank! It smells bad! I mean really bad, but then, that is why it attracts fish, especially catfish!
Another caution: use rubber gloves when working with this stuff! it may just be milo, but it's still almost impossible to get the smell off your hands.
If you can, it is good to let your concoction sit for three or four weeks or so before you use it; however, you can use it sooner than that, but I would recommend letting it sit at least two weeks at a minimum. It has to smell really bad for it to be effective. If you try and use it too soon it will not sink, and it won't work. You want it to sink to the bottom.
I like to keep a few buckets of my fermented Milo concoction going all of the time, so I always have some ready for fishing action! Another suggestion is when you get to the bottom of a bucket, leave three inches or so of your soured formula in the bottom and add your new grain and water to the old stuff. This will help the fermenting process along.
Another important caution is when transporting your Milo to the lake, MAKE SURE IT IS tightly SEALED. If the buckets turn over and spill all over your vehicle, this is not likely a mistake you will make more than once!
Here is another one of my best chum concoctions: in a large trash can, combine twenty-five pounds of wheat and twenty-five pounds of barley (or any one or a combination of the grains listed above); Add two packages of dry yeast to the concoction; then, pour in a gallon of milk (butter milk can also be used, and I have even poured in a can of cheap beer); Add just enough water to cover your mixture. You may want to add a little more water from time to time as the grains absorb the moisture and expand. Do not seal it too tightly; if you do, the lid may blow off your container. Allow for escaping gasses! Leave it in the sun for a while, like a month or so. Caution: this stuff has an ... shall I say, an interesting smell, and you want to wear "throw away" gloves when working with it, and you definitely do not want to get it on your clothes!
As another effective chumming method, various kinds of fish can be cut up into chunks and tossed into your fishing hole too. Alternatively, I have taken fish, like Shad, Skipjack, Bluegill, Yellow and White Bass, and even Asian Carp, and smushed them up with my blender (my blender, not our nice kitchen blender!), making a fish sludge out of them to use as chum. Fish food can be purchased from your farm supply store and added to your sledge as a binder and enhancer.
Keep in mind, you are attracting bait fish into your fishing area, which, in turn, brings the larger fish in to feast on the bait fish. However, in the case of catfish, specifically, the chum will actually attract the larger fish too. Good luck and happy fishing!
About the Author
The Author, Dr. Ron Milliman, learned to fish about as soon as he could hold a cane pole. His Mom started teaching him how to fish on the lakes in Michigan; first for perch and various sunfish, and later for Northern Pike and other varieties, including Bullhead caught out of his Uncle's farm pond. He has fished the depths of the oceans for saltwater varieties and in the lakes of several states for many species of fish. He is totally blind and a retired professor from Western Kentucky University. He and his wife of 43 years own a nice home on Lake Barkley in south-west Kentucky where he enjoys fishing in his senior years.
