Dock fishing.

[Jigger]

So, give me some good dock fishing tips. Baits, techniques, whatever. I'm not much of a dock fisherman but that's about to change. Several of our bass club tournaments were won last year off of docks and I intend to "get in the game" this year. Help me, please. Advice?????

[jooleyen]

Shakey Head!

[basskicker]

spinnerbait, shaky head, topwater, or swimbaits.

[carolina-rig-01]

shakeyhead worms, jerkbaits, and dropshots can be added as well. flipping and pitching is also a great way to fish docks. look for clues to help you find the sweet spot. if you see rod holders or chairs on a fishing platform, a lot of the time that tells you there is a brushpile in the area. also around here a lot of people tie cedar trees on ropes and suspend them off the dock. if i see a heavy rope tied off to a dock you can bet i will fish it hard searching for brush.

[InEccess]

Rig a senko on spinning tackle and skip it under the dock. Skipping docks = profit.

[JB]

look for the oldest wooden docks there is on the lake, and if there s a pontoon near it, skip a worm under the dock and boat, also when warmer try a buzzbait , throw it near the bank, run it past the posts that support it.

[Frank C]

You can also use flipping tubs or skip tube with a jig head with a spinning rod.

hop this helps

Frank

[brushhog]

Skip a worm... it's worked the few times I've had the opportunity to fish docks..... Skipping takes some practice if you've not done it before.

[keithdog]

Be sure to buy this months issue of BASS. There is an article in it specifically about fishing docks.

[toneyoutdoors.com]

I would use a shakey head 4sure. I also like to checkout docks that have rodholders because most of the time theres brush close around. Also for night fishing i target docks that have alot of light.

[zooker]

i use cranks or t-rigs..

zooker

[ROBZILLA]

When fishing a tournament or just for fun at any of the great fisheries we have across the nation, there’s undoubtedly more than one way to catch some fish. With that many fish and that many surface acres of water, it’s not uncommon to see two different people have great fishing days while doing completely different things. Some people like to cover a lot of water and rush from spot to spot, but I prefer to pick a couple of different areas to target and focus my efforts there.


More and more homes are being built on lakes around the country, and one of the first things that the new homeowners do once they’ve built their home on the lake is build a dock. These docks aren’t just for tying up boats - they make for great fishing. A lot of tournament money has been won fishing docks over the years and yet it’s still an underrated pattern for too many anglers. But hopefully, by knowing how to fish a dock thoroughly and effectively, you can have more success when fishing docks.


Docks are vital fish habitats because they address the basic needs: food and shelter. Especially on wooden docks and pilings, algae growth draws in small baitfish like shad. These shad will feed on the vegetation that clings to the docks and pilings, and - in turn - draw in predatory bass looking for an easy meal. Also, these docks draw in smaller fish like the baitfish and bluegill, which hover around docks to avoid predation. When the sun is high and the water is warm, bass also like to shade themselves under and around boat docks. Also, a lot of times, people who own boat docks or have them near their lake homes will sink brush piles nearby to hold crappie. These brush piles can also hold a lot of bass. I normally stay away from floating docks, since they don’t have pilings, but any stationary dock - especially wooden ones - can be a potential honey hole.


An important part of knowing whether the dock fishing is going to stay consistent, say throughout a tournament, is the water level. Sometimes, docks may only have a few feet of water under them. If the lake is dropped six inches during the week, the pattern probably won’t hold. But if the docks are in deeper water, you can be reasonably certain that lakes levels won’t affect the fishing there. Docks are pretty much an effective location anytime except the dead of winter. Once the water temperature gets higher than 50 degrees, try looking for bass there.


There’s two ways to fish a dock: flipping and skipping. There are a lot of great flippers these days and it’s a great way to catch fish. I use an Abu Garcia REVO STX spooled with 25-pound Berkley Big Game line to flip baits like PowerBait Chigger Craws and Classic Jigs. Usually in pre-spawn months, mid-day, once the water has warmed up, I can flip the shade side of these docks and trigger a reaction strike from the bass. I try to use colors and patterns of baits that match the bluegill or shad in the area and use a heavy weight. The heavy weight is helpful if there’s any wind, plus it makes the bait fall faster - a must when going for a reaction bite.


Skipping can be even more effective for fishing docks because it allows you to get much further underneath the dock than you can with flipping. For skipping, I prefer an Abu Garcia spinning reel spooled with Trilene Maxx, because it’s sensitive enough to detect strikes but tough enough to use around structure like docks. I use a Cardinal spinning reel on a medium-heavy to medium-light rod, what I call 70/30 - 70 percent backbone and 30 percent tip - to get the right kind of skip. It has to give a little. The cast is like a checked swing in baseball. You stop by pointing your rod’s tip at your target. The bait goes out there like it was shot from a gun. Lifting the rod tip is the key. After you sling it and just before the bait hits the water, you have to raise the rod. Just like flipping, it takes practice, but once you start skipping Texas-rigged Gulp! Sinking Minnows or Jerk Shads that far under the dock - especially in the hot part of the year - you will wonder why you didn’t start doing it earlier.

[ROBZILLA]

Truthfully this question could be why covered docks period! The answer is very simple, boat docks offer Smallmouth, Largemouth and Spots several important things that attract them such as.

(1) Natural Forage: Many docks will support a variety of small bait fish, blue gill and other smaller species of fish and sometimes crawfish that bass just love to munch on. To a bass some docks are like going to an all you can eat restaurant. The key is to find those particular docks, which we will talk about later. It's also important to remember that Older Docks will have a tendency to have more algae on the areas below water level, simply because they have been in the water longer. Why is this important? Because the algae is one component that helps create oxygen and attracts the smaller species that I just mentioned. Bait fish, Blue gill and others will feed on the algae and small aquatic bugs and set up a homestead under the dock, which in turn attracts lager predator fish.

Many States here in the U.S. have changed their construction codes to where any type of real wood cannot be used in the building of docks for environmental and safety reasons. Wood has been replaced by man made synthetics which take a little longer to build up a algae covering depending on lake water clarity and purity. To help you find docks that potentially will have more of this algae buildup look for older docks that still have the wood construction, boats moored at them and jet sky platforms which have visible algae buildup on the areas below water level. Let me stress that Algae Alone is not the only factor that makes a good producing dock. But it certainly gets one started out in the right direction.

(2) Shade: I don't know where you live, but here in middle Tennessee it's HOT! Daytime temperatures haveconsistently hovered in the mid to upper 90's and this week we will break the 100 degree mark several days.

The suns beating down, we have mile high sky's and once again it's just plain old HOT! When I take my dogs outside to do their business where do you think I stand? If you guessed under a shade tree you would be absolutely correct! It may still be hot "But" it is several degrees "Cooler" than just standing out in the direct sunlight. The same principle applies to docks. Look at the picture here to the right.This picture was taken on a bright sunny day last month. Look at the shaded areas under the dock.

To a bass it's like walking his favorite shad out in the yard letting him swim around while he gets under a shade tree. It may still be hot but the water temperature under the dock can range as much as 8-10 degrees cooler (sometimes more) depending on the density and square footage of the dock. Some of the docks I fish on my favorite lake are 600 square feet and larger. Some are one story tall and other two stories tall. The larger square footage of the dock the greater the shade.

Without getting to technical you have to remember that all fish including bass "breathe" by absorbing dissolved oxygen through their gills. Oxygen enters the water in several different ways such as, directly from the atmosphere, absorption directly from aquatic plants and algae photosynthesis. The cooler the water under the dock the more oxygen can be dissolved in the water. That's why under normal conditions oxygen levels are usually higher in the winter than the summer. Shade provided by docks tend to lower the average summer water temperature and increase the oxygen levels.

(3) Accessibility to deep water: Even though bass are predators they still want a sense of safety. The docks I concentrate on during hot weather sit in water anywhere from 15 feet to 35 feet deep. One big advantage to the deeper water (verses shallow water) is bass on these docks tend to move up and down in the water column instead of out and away from the dock when frightened or reacting to weather changes. Another factor that help hold bass is submerged timber and other structure under the dock. Many dock owner have sunk brush and PVC trees as fish attractors which just adds another plus to that particular dock. Any time you see lights and rod holders on a dock always probe around and chances are you will find some type of structure that has been planted. When bass are moving up and down in the water column and they aren't as aggressive you have to experiment with your presentation. Size/weights of lures, rate of fall of your lures and even the type of lures that they want can change from trip to trip. We will discuss this in a minute.

To me these three things are very important when fishing this time of the year. Dog days of summer drive many bass fisherman in one of two directions. The first would be to their recliners and air conditioning awaiting cooler temperatures or to the lake at night. "BOTH" of these have their own distinct advantages for sure. But I can tell you that you can catch good quality fish during the day from the right docks on your lake. It just takes a little trial and error, effort and practice mixed with a whole lot of patience. But when you find those key docks the fish will consistently be there.

What Areas Of The Dock Do I Fish?

It would be very simple for me to say "All Of The Areas" and I would be telling you the truth. However that won't help you and that is what this article is all about. Helping the beginner learn new techniques and short that learning curve a bit. I'm going to show you several pictures in this section and try to help you see the great potential that docks have. So lets get started.

The picture to the left is a side view of this dock. The key areas to concentrate on are the right and left hand corners of the dock and the shaded open areas between the floatation blocks. If you will notice that the height of the dock roof and the height of the boat is casting a shaded area toward you. This will be the angle that provides the most shade. If the bass are active it is not unusual for them to chase the bait out several feet into this shaded area. You will want to "skip" your bait into these open areas between the floatation as far back under the dock as possible. You corner cast should be several feet past the corners to allow you to work the bait correctly. The picture to the right is a portion of a different dock. The key areas would be the entire length of the right side of the dock, the right hand corner and all of the water under the boat lift including the left and right corners of the slip opening. Once again it is very important to skip the bait as far as possible under the boat and the make your right side cast as close as possible to the dock.
The picture to the left is the back left hand corner of this dock which isnearest the bank. They key areas are the open portion between the floatation (hidden behind the 2007 date) the back corner, the length of the back side and the entire area between the bank and the dock. If you will notice in the picture to the right that this lake is very low this summer due to the drought that we are experiencing. All the wood decking you see would normally be in the water at this time of the year. This is a "MUST FISH" area when the water is up. The best way that I have found is to position by boat against the cable that is running from the corner of the dock to the bank and actually fish over the cable pitching and skipping my lures into and around as much of the wood as possible. I will work one side of the structure at a time. When I reach the other side I will fish the other side. Another thing to notice in these pictures is the walkway from the dock to the shore. This will also provide shade to one degree or the other and that shade will increase the closer you get to the dock. I have caught and lost some "big" fish in this type of areas.

[ROBZILLA]

The picture on the left is a different dock looking at it from from the opposite side from the ones above. The key areas remain the same. Opening floatation areas, back corner, entire length of back side and the open area between the dock and the shore. The picture on the right of another entire side view which affords us some additional opportunities. The key area here would be the right and left hand corners of the dock, the open areas between the flotation, the white PVC hose pipe hanging down and the back of the pontoon boat parked in front of the dock. Once again it is important to get you bait as far under the dock as possible. The pictrue to the left is a close up of the one above right. You can see thea dditional shade the exists under the pontoon boat. The picture on the right gives us some different opportunities. Not only do we have the opening between the dock floatation and the area between the dock and bank but the big float tube and slide as well. Have you noticed something different about this dock? Yes? No? Take a closer look-the dock isn't covered. It has been my experience that this type of dock will produce less during this time of the year than a covered dock, but big shaded areas like the one under the tube should be checked out. Just please don't stick the tube...remember our dock owner conversation? These two pictures are of the same covered dock and gives us evenmore possibilities. This covered dock has jet ski platforms attached in two different areas of the dock. So we have the corner of the dock, the entire length of the front of the dock, the open flotation area, the side and corners of the jet ski platform and the crack between them. Don't ever discount the crack between the platform. I have caught a lot of good fish that was suspended directly under them. We also have the back side of the dock which is not visible to us in this picture.
These are the key areas that I concentrate on when fishing deep water covered docks during the hot weather months. With a little bit of a learning curve these will work for you as well.

What Do I Fish With?Now that you have a better idea on what areas of docks to key in on, lets explore each individual part of the what do I fish with piece. I want to preface again that there are several baits and techniques that you can use. BUT for day in and day out consistency fishing docks this time of year what I'm going to share with you works for me over and over again year after year.

Go To Baits

There are several reason that my #1 go to bait for fishing docksis a 5 inch Prowler Soft Shad www.prowlerlures.com like the one in the picture to the left and the bottom bait in the right hand picture. My #1 color choice is pearl as shown on the right, then I dip the tail of the Soft Shad (and all pearl or white baits) in a chartreuse dye made by JJ's Magic. (I'll cover dyes in a minute) This bait is about as versatile as a bait can get. It can be fished in all level of the water column, it can be fished weightless-weighed-exposed hook-Texas rigged-Wacky rigged-fished on top or on the bottom with a Carolina rig and as a spinner bait trailer. The action of the bait once you get use to using it mimics that of a dying shad as it darts, vibrates and slowly falls when rigged weightless. There's just something about the Soft Shad year around that Smallmouth, Largemouth and Spots just can't resist when you pitch it under the docks like we talked about above. I also catch a lot of fish on the Prowler Slim Jim in either a pearl or watermelon red flake. These baits are heavier and fall at a much quicker rate. I skip these baits under the dock just like the Soft Shad but I tend to let them sink on their own for several seconds and use my rod to twitch them more than make them dart like the Soft Shad. Folks I can't emphasize enough how good these Soft Shads and Slim Jims are in producing quality fish. If you haven't tried these Prowler baits you are sure cutting yourself short.

[lunker-lander]

Never tried it, but I want to try soakin' 'em with my new Flippin' Stick. I've heard that Shakey Heads, Tubes, PNJ's, etc., all work well. I want to experiment and try a floating tube in between the boat and dock in the shaded area.

-Lunk-

[carolina-rig-01]

lol...what robzilla said.

[lunker-lander]

You must have a lot of time on your hands K...

-Lunk-

[InEccess]

me thinks he copy and pastes... I could be wrong though.

[zooker]

you aint ineccess

thats from what the candian outdoor journel?..

zooker

[carolina-rig-01]

look at the times they were posted........had to copy and paste. good info either way though.

[ROBZILLA]

oF COURSE I do copy and paste, you think I would write all tat out my self? Its an easy way to bring it back and share. If I can find it out there why cant others find it as well?

[Jigger]

So, how are you fishing a shakey head around docks? On the bottom or are you swiming it? Or both. What are your techniques?

No one has mentioned a chatterbait. Anyone dock fishing with a chatterbait? What's your technique????

[JB]

just throw the shakey head under the docks, to the side of the supports, and all the way to the back of the dock. Let the bait set for a few, then you can shake your rod tip and it will make the lure move , but for the most part staying in the same area. On a chatterbait, you can throw to the back of the dock and work it back to the boat , bump into support poles and also run it past them in numerous casts. These techniques work on all lures for the most part when dock fishing. Keep in mind the older docks on lakes probably have a xmas tree under them if a fisherman owns the dock.
Some of the lakes I fish in indiana , the docks are off limits, on the other hand most ohio lakes have thousands of docks on them.

[lunker-lander]

I have one lake with a ton of docks, none of which I have ever caught any fish from. I can't wait to try out these new techniques!

-Lunk-

[Bob Smith]

Originally Posted by carolina-rig-01

lol...what robzilla said.

Now if that feller spends 1/2 as much time "practicing" as he does "typing", he would be a real threat at the top levels of bassfishing! LOL I don't think I've seen anyone that goes into that kind of detail on any of the forums and discussion pages I've ever been on!

My preference on docks, is #1. Wooden pilings, I hate floating docks and I like wood because algae grows on it quicker than other types of material. #2. Docks that also have lights that stay on all night every night. #3 Docks with sunken brush or suspended brush around and underneath. #4 docks with at least 3-6' depth under them and really close to a significant drop (10'-20' +). #5 Rod holders mounted around the dock indicate that a fisherman lives there (more often). Types of baits range from Drop Shot, Shakey Head, Creature Baits, J-n-P, tubes, and sometimes spinner baits and crank baits where-ever you can get them in and around the dock.