do floating docks hold bass?

[Tanker4lyfe]

? is do these types of docks hold bass they float in about 5 feet of water.

[ring fry]

In a word...ABSOLUTELY

[Catt]

Quite possible yes & quite possible no depending on what else is available to attract bass

[CWB]

Most definitely! Especially if it's the only cover in the area. Trouble with this one could be that there probably are a bunch of guys fishing off it at any given time. However, if you're in your tube, pitch a jig or drop a senko in the corners with shade first, then work the whole thing.

[Btech]

OH YEAH  - Thats similar to the one on my local lake I catch them under the dock on mine (Its shaped in a U so you can fish from one point under the other)

Try a Jig out and as stated before try shade to sun and all over - In the colder weather try to hit one spot at least 8X .

I fished a dock like this once and only casted arround it once about 10 min later another guy casted at the same spot of the dock about 5 times and caught a HUGE bass I could see it from the other side of the lake.

So ive lerned to slow down and fish the same spot over and over even if you dont get a reaction on the first drop.

[Sam]

You betcha!

What do you think is floating on Kerr Lake (Buggs Island)?

Fish all around them.

Fish out in front of them.

Fish the shoreline around them.

Try all moving baits plus plastics.

Hit 'em when the sun is shining brightly.

Just fish 'em.  

[Catt]

While a dock is considered structure & cover it must also have adequate structure, cover, & water depth in the immediate area to attract and hold bass but a stand alone dock will not attract or hold bass.

[farmpond1]

Very often, yes!  Especially if there is vegetation nearby!  They are great when the sun is high as they provide shade and cover.

[bedman]

These docks are great for holding fish.  Just because there is not a lot of cover nearby, it doesn't mean that fish won't hold there.  These docks produce a lot of shade, which I like to think of as a type of cover.  Shade creates an ambush point.  Remember that shade can extend to either side of the dock depending upon the position of the sun.

I fish a lot of lakes and the TN river chain that has these types of docks.  They are usually a good fall back pattern to catch a limit of keepers.  It also helps to be an accurate caster, so that you can get your bait in places that other anglers cannot.

[Paul Roberts]

Catt wrote:

Quite possible yes & quite possible no depending on what else is available to attract bass

Ditto. Most probably there are bass that use it, but you may not want to catch them as they may be few or small. In other words there may be better places.

Catt wrote:

While a dock is considered structure & cover it must also have adequate structure, cover, & water depth in the immediate area to attract and hold bass but a stand alone dock will not attract or hold bass.

Ditto. It's about food (most of the year). Worst case scenario is a flat mud bottom, with diverse habitat elements (depth, structure, cover) found elsewhere. Best case scenario is having those diverse habitat elements right around your dock!

[CWB]

While a dock is considered structure & cover it must also have adequate structure, cover, & water depth in the immediate area to attract and hold bass but a stand alone dock will not attract or hold bass.

Have to disagree with Catt on this. My home lake is a dishpan shaped natural lake. The shoreline is sand and tapers slowly from zero to about 5-6 feet where weeds start to grow. Bass tend to cruise the shoreline as there is an abundance of bluegills feeding on minnows etc.

I've caught some of my biggest bass under a dock with no other cover within 50 yards of it, except the weedline out in front of it. My theory is the bass do laps around the lake which is not very big, and stop under the docks to catch their breath. I say any dock is worth a few casts unless you can see that there's nothing lurking under it. A boat tied up to it doubles your odds. That being said it's always a good idea to check the surrounding cover and pick the best area. On My lake I can fish around the whole shoreline 2 or 3 times in a day. On bigger lakes and reservoirs, you have to choose wisely and that is where what Catt says makes sense, don't pick an ares with only one dock.

[Uncle Leo]

While a dock is considered structure & cover it must also have adequate structure, cover, & water depth in the immediate area to attract and hold bass but a stand alone dock will not attract or hold bass.

Have to disagree with Catt on this. My home lake is a dishpan shaped natural lake. The shoreline is sand and tapers slowly from zero to about 5-6 feet where weeds start to grow. Bass tend to cruise the shoreline as there is an abundance of bluegills feeding on minnows etc.

I've caught some of my biggest bass under a dock with no other cover within 50 yards of it, except the weedline out in front of it. My theory is the bass do laps around the lake which is not very big, and stop under the docks to catch their breath. I say any dock is worth a few casts unless you can see that there's nothing lurking under it. A boat tied up to it doubles your odds. That being said it's always a good idea to check the surrounding cover and pick the best area. On My lake I can fish around the whole shoreline 2 or 3 times in a day. On bigger lakes and reservoirs, you have to choose wisely and that is where what Catt says makes sense, don't pick an ares with only one dock.

I also agree, this comes into play even more on the pressurized lake we have to fish in our area. This is a great holding and ambush point.

[fourbizz]

Bass  are generally held by the water.

[JUST]

well put bizz

[Paul Roberts]

Bass  are generally held by the water.

;D ;D True enough, generally.

[Catt]

The question was do floating docks hold bass?

The answer is Quite possible yes & quite possible no depending on what else is available to attract bass.  

Notice the part depending on what else is available to attract bass

In Mr. Coldwaterbassin scenario the dock is the primary structure & primary cover so the answer is yes.

But this is not the scenario for all docks on all bodies of water; would it be expedient to check out every dock on a given body of water or would it be expedient to learn how to eliminate unproductive docks from productive ones?