looking for the best place to catch bass from the shore

[Mike Lautensack]

I am getting back into bass fishing after a couple years off and am looking for new spots to fish.  I have no boat so I am stuck to the banks.  In previous years I have had luck from the pier on Hopewell lake but never caught anything bigger than a 1lb largemouth. I have gotten skunked pretty much everywhere else I went.

I have tried marsh creek from the bank many times and once from a boat and I have never even had a single bite on this lake.  Yet I here that there are tons of big bass here in the 3 to 4 lb range and considering that a 1lb bass on Hopewell is a good catch for me, I am hoping somebody can give me some advice for this lake from the banks.

I also tried green lane from the shore once and from a boat once and caught nothing both times

I would love to have a place to go and fish and have a decent expectation to catch maybe some 1 or 2 pound bass if anybody had a advice please share it!

[redman]

Marsh Creek receives enormous fishing pressure so don't think you're the only one that has difficulty landing fish. To increase your chances of catching fish my suggestions are:
1) use live bait -- worms or minnows preferably. You can purchase at Gordon's.
2) fish from one of the manmade jetties -- they are found mostly on the west side entrance (Lyndell Rd) and a few exist on Chalfont rd. Currently those structures may be underwater from all the rain.

[cvllebanger]

I have family and friends who consistently catch decent bass out of coatesville resivior. It's shore and wading only. No boats allowed.

[icemole]

Ontelaunee.... most guys wade but there is shore fishing too. Much of the lake is shallow(hence the wading) but there are some deeper spots closer to the bank - the cliffs along 73 being one spot, but once you get from the rip-rap down to the dam most of that gets shallow again. There are also some deeper areas off of West Shore drive around the closed bridge.

Deep Creek lake - small lake next to Green Lane. I have not been down for quite awhile it was pretty weedy so you might have issue's from shore... but it's got some nicer bass in it.

Struble... without a boat wading would be best bet again. Not numbers of bass but generally nicer fish.

I also hit Hopewell(wet wading) different spots around the lake. I rarely take my "largemoth" baits down there anymore - opting instead to take my "smaller" smallmouth baits(4" worms instead of 6"+, smaller topwaters. etc.) and my lighter spinning rod instead of my baitcaster. The overall size of the bass has srunk since it became a "big bass lake". Something that happpens at most of these lakes as the "idea" is to produce numbers of fish NOT big fish.

I also recommend fishing daybreak or the evening instead of mid day(kind of tuff at Hopewell since they don't open the gate till late !)