Help fishing from shore

Group: rec.outdoors.fishing.bass Date: Wed, Mar 30, 2005, 8:46am (CST-2)
From: (Sportinus)
Took the kids out yesterday fishing with worm, bobber and small sinker.
We only got 2 small bites and 0 fish caught. What do people generally
use when fishing from the shore. We are fishing in a burb of Chicago. We
could see doem fishing jumping in the middle of the lake but cannot cast
that far.
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Fishing from shore can be tricky, especially if you can't try a lot of
locations. When I first started taking the kids fishing from the bank, I
liked to ue a "stick" bobber, that way I could tell the depth of the
water. Then I would set their lines up so the bait was just a few inches
off the bottom. Small bluegill hooks are a must, and using just a piece
of a worm is more effective most times. If you can find a tree, or brush
pile that is under the water near the bank, that area will usually
produce pan fish...you might have to put up with "snags", but that is
part of teaching kids to fish. Mostly it is trial and error in finding a
good pan fish site from the bank...just try different depths, and move
often if you havn't gotten a bite in a few minutes. If you can find a
pier, that may be the best bet. Plenty of pan fish hang around the
plings, and under the pier in the shade. Fishing straight down with no
bobber is usually the best method for pier fishing...slowly letting the
bait fall to the bottom, then raising it up a few inches at a time.
Without the bobber, the kids get the thrill of feeling the fish
bite...good fun!

Good luck!

JK