What Pound Test Line Should I Use For Pitching Docks?

[Mass Bassin']

I have been using 15lb fluorocarbon for pitching docks. should I use heavier line so I can  pull the fish out before they rap me up on the pilings and ladders ?

 

THANKS!!!

[Shane J]

55-70lb braid for wood

[Robert Riley]

I like 16# Sunline Super FC

[Angry John]

Have you broken off? If your having issues then go heavier. The basic is to go as light as reasonable to get the most bites. I catch 3-4 lb bass on 6 in the weeds and I have to go to them. Your style will have a lot to do with it.

[Sam]

Depends on your bait's weight.

 

Depends on if you are throwing mono/flouro or braid.

 

I skip, pitch and flip 8 pound flouro around docks and piers on a spinning rig for plastics.

 

I use braid on a baitcaster for topwaters and jigs.

 

I use mono for any treble hook baits I throw around docks and piers.

[irnwrkr]

16# sunline sniper has my vote!

[RSM789]

Depends on the docks and what type of obstacles there are that a fish can wrap you around.

[F14A-B]

Yup, if they are wrapping you up, do go with either a high grade 20# FC or 15 to 20# Yozuri Hybrid.. Stick those fish, then horse them outta there.. No playing!

Good Luck!

[cyclops2]

I have a spool of 60 pound braid for just such desperate yank them out before they wrap around something.  Not really fishing to me. I love open water sight fishing to weed patches. Never know who or what size you will find..

 

 

 I then use 4# braid & remove all but 1 tail treble hook. ALL my lures a crushed barbs. Why ?  If I can not keep 4# line tight enough ? I suck. Plus I di not have to handle the fish. hove the rod around the tired fish & 19 out of 20 times the hooks release.  Bingo  I am a nice guy. The fish slime stays all over the fish. Not on me. The fish lives in August hot diseased waters. I like that ending.

[gardnerjigman]

I use 12-15# red label.

[Bluebasser86]

It's the cheapskate answer but it's one of those things that you have to let the conditions dictate. I've fished docks with 8lb fluoro, and I've flipped them with 65lb braid, all depends on the situation. A majority of the time I'm fishing 15-20 pound fluoro though so I'd say you're right in the ballpark. 

[ww2farmer]

It's the cheapskate answer but it's one of those things that you have to let the conditions dictate. I've fished docks with 8lb fluoro, and I've flipped them with 65lb braid, all depends on the situation. A majority of the time I'm fishing 15-20 pound fluoro though so I'd say you're right in the ballpark. 

Same here. My most often used line is probably 30lb braid with a 17lb fluoro leader. I like a little heavier leader for dock work than for weed pocket/weed line stuff............metal dock posts and cross bars with zebra mussels on them are like under water razor wire.

[ColdSVT]

I like 20# flouro for most dock application...but not all lol

Sometimes ill drop down to 12 or 14

[Mass Bassin']

Thanks guys for the advice and I should have been more specific, most docks around me are aluminum so they can be removed when the ice comes in and I mostly use craws and jigs on 15# floro. I sometimes skip a senko or pitch a D-Shot on 10# braid on a spinning rod.

[Tywithay]

Thanks guys for the advice and I should have been more specific, most docks around me are aluminum so they can be removed when the ice comes in and I mostly use craws and jigs on 15# floro. I sometimes skip a senko or pitch a D-Shot on 10# braid on a spinning rod.

Do you get broken off often? If you're not losing fish, why change? If you are losing fish, then go up a few lbs. Fish size also has to be taken into account, you're probably not going to be horsing out any double digit bass in your neck of the woods; I think going too high will be overkill.

[WIGuide]

I read something not that long ago where John Crews was talking about using 8lb flouro around docks and not trying to horse them out but rather just slowly work them out and back to the boat. I can't remember where I read that though or I'd post a link to it. 

[Mike L]

Thanks guys for the advice and I should have been more specific, most docks around me are aluminum so they can be removed when the ice comes in and I mostly use craws and jigs on 15# floro. I sometimes skip a senko or pitch a D-Shot on 10# braid on a spinning rod.

In that case you're good.

I personally would use 20# braid witha 15# floro leader on the spinning rod but that's me.

Even the docks around here have vegetation in and around them.

Just a confidence thing.

Mike

[fisherrw]

50 pound braid.

[fisherrw]

50 pound braid.

[cyclops2]

I have never " FINESSED a BIG " under the docks / boats bass out. They head for the back of the dock. That does not work ? They  head OUT from under the docks at a angle. That starts a wrap around something.

 

I can not pull free or feel the fish either.  Mean time the fish has raced around the piling & caused the line to dig into the wood that is rotten. Now he is tired & panicked as he only had about 1 1/2' of movement. NO WAY he would get free. As I looked down I realized he would stave to death slowly.  Take everything off but my blue jeans. Empty pockets. Knife in hand. Slide in & got lucky. He stayed still as I pulled the barbed treble out.  Could have been very bad for the fish if I did not go down to free him.   Shortly after that I crushed every barb on everything I own.

 

Face it. I am playing with the fishes life. Not what I want to do to the animal.  I have let several fish have slack buy the boat. Almost all throw out the crushed barbed hooks in under a minute.  I can wait that long to not touch & remove some of the protective fish slime on a fish.

[RSM789]

You can pull larger bass out from under a dock with lighter line, but as I mentioned before it depends on the dock.  I caught a 7-6 last October after skipping a wacky rigged senko back under a dock & was using 10# Berkley Nanofil with a fluorocarbon leader on a medium spinning rod.  The reason I could get away with that setup was the dock had no pilings - it was attached to the shore & jutted out over the water, about 6" off the water for the entire length of the dock.  Now the fish did end up going under a boat on an adjoining dock & I had to move quickly to keep the line away from that boats propeller, but it was nothing that any experienced angler wouldn't have trouble doing.

 

With some of the docks I read about that some of you fish around, it sounds like a nightmare for the line.  With those, my lightweight setup wouldn't stand a chance.