How do you fish a dock pattern?

[hooked@2]

I'm going to Lake of the Ozarks in 3 weeks for a company tournament. I've read everything I can find about the lake. Everyone says it is the greatest "dock pattern" lake there is. I'm used to tube fishing farm ponds. Just exactly how do you fish a "dock pattern?"  What other differences do I need to be aware of based on the size of the lake?  I don't think I've ever fished anything over about 50 acres in size.

Also, I've rented a boat since I don't have my own.  I've fished from a boat once in my life, but I was only 15 and not in charge.  It was a guided trip on LOZ as a matter of fact.  Any tips are greatly appreciated.

Thanks to all of you for your help and advice.

[Bass_Akwards]

Depends on the lake.  I heard IKE talk about himself fishing lake Jordan in Alabama.

He used a mid depth pattern fishing docks in 5-10 feet of water.  All the docks he fished had deep water access. He used a "skip pitch" method with a Berkely gripper finesse football head jig, which is a flat head jig which is easily skipped under docks if you have perfected the "skip-pitch" cast

He talked about how lots of times bass will use these docks as a feeding station coming in and out from deep to shallower water but you have to make sure you put that jig UNDER the dock or right next to the posts. 

He also mentioned that it's a numbers game, and you have to fish TONS of docks throughout the day to maximize your fishing.  You might not get bit EVERY time but you'll get bit by the "right fish"  when you do catch one.  Hit a dock with 10-15 casts and move on to another one.  Let the jig fall because the fall is key, if you don't get bit on the fall, hop it a couple times, if you don't get bit, re-cast.

[stratos 375]

First of all, just 'cuz everyone says it's a great dock pattern lake, don't think for a minute that there aren't multiple patterns that will work, probably some a little easier than dock fishing, don't be afraid to fish to your strengths and instincts. You're out to have fun.

Unless you've done it a lot, skippin docks may not come easy, and a lot of dock fishing is boat control & positioning.

If you don't have the basics of boat control, a 5 or 10 mph cross wind will test your limit of patience. Then again, skippin or pitchin isn't the only way to fish docks. I'll pitch or skip when I have to, but I'd rather give them something they don't see every day. I usually fish a jerkbait around & under them.

I've never fished there, but you could look for vegatation, rocks or natural wood in some form. This lake has got to be a "home lake" for someone here, maybe you'll get lucky & they'll chime in.

[Lund Explorer]

Theres many levels of dock fishing, but as this is going to be your first try at it, keep it simple.

Gear:  If you have two, you'll want two spinning rods 6' M or MH with a good abrasion resistant line.  My choice was always 10lb Trilene XT.

Baits:  1st rod you texas rig something weedless with NO exposed weight.  A T-Rig Tube with an internal weight, or T-Rig a worm, lizard, or some other critter bait that you can weigh down with a nail weight.  2nd rod you can T-Rig with a pegged worm weight or a jighead as long as the hook is covered.

Approaching the Dock:  As you are new to this, come in slowly from downwind.  Try to avoid swinging trolling motor where prop wash is going under your target.  If you over shoot, let the wind push you back away from the dock.

Where to fish:  1st cash should be to the outside posts, either on the front, or the downwind side.  A simple pitch with no skipping needed.  If there is a boat tied off on that side, "carefully" pitch up next to it with 1st rod only.  Don't tick off the boat owner by bouncing a 3/8oz bullet weight off his gel coat.  On a pontoon boat, you don't want to ring the side of the tubes either.  Once you've worked the outside of the dock, try skipping the bait on the 1st rod up under the overhead cover.  Keep your rod angle low and try to just hit the water prior to the dock.  Low angle means a low skip.  Before you leave the dock, go ahead and try skipping the 2nd rod.  It will be noisy if you make a bad cast, but hey, you've already worked the dock.  If you catch a fish, remember where it was positioned on the dock.  Try to establish a pattern with repeated catches to see if a particular spot seems to attract the fish, i.e; shaded side, down wind, upwind, near the end, close to shore, etc., etc..

The Bite:  WATCH YOUR LINE!  Sometimes you will feel the classic tap, but most times one of two things will happen.  Either the fish will start swimming away with the bait, or the bait will stop falling and you see a slight "jump" in the line.

The Hookset and Fight:  Normally, set the hook with a low sideways sweeping hookset.  If at all possible, keep hauling on the fish until it is out from under the dock where you can fight it away from obstructions.  Remember if you've pitched over a rope or some other obstruction that the fish has to come back over it.  Think about the odds of getting the fish out of any place you cast, before you cast.  One other thing, that works when all else fails.  Sometimes you will set the hook into a fish that wedges itself up against something under there where you can't move the fish.  At this point, open the bail to give the fish slack.  Sometimes they will swim free from this blockage and the fight can start over, sometimes.

Hazards:  Besides ticking off a boat or dock owner, plan your casts before you execute.  If a dock has ropes, cables, and other assorted junk hanging underneath it, just settle for flipping the outside.  Also, if you hang a bait on the dock or a boat, DO NOT attempt to retrieve it by getting out of your boat to get it.  Most States call this trespass.  You are better off to just clip your line, re-tie and move on.

A Few Extras: Brush Piles.  Many docks will have these placed in front of the dock for crappie fishing.  Look for signs like rod holders on the dock, an overhead light, or fish feeders. Boat Lifts.  Many of these will have a depression in the bottom at the back end of the boat where the owner has powered onto the lift.  Ladders.  Don't ask, just always fish any ladder.

One last thing.  Always respect the dock owners.  If they are on the dock, ask if you can fish before you cast, and make a wide swing around anyone fishing from their dock.  And stay off of them.

Hey, good luck and have fun.  A few good days of dock fishing and you'll be hooked.

[Chris]

1) buy a temp gage one you can toss over the side of the boat. Mark the temperature and figure out where the thermocline is. quick class/ it is a large span of the same temp where warm and cold water mix. This will weed out most of your docks.

2) find docks that offer the most cover or old docks with lost of cover.

a)docks lower to the water surface offer more shade

b)docks that guy's put a ton of money into that look like you set up camp on tend to be a condo for bass.

c) old docks are better than new, wood is better than metal, tons of pilings is better than a few.

d) Look at the length of the dock it tells you how far they needed to go to reach deeper water. This also tells you what the bottom may look like.

e) floating docks mean suspending fish so they might not be on the bottom

f) fish lights means some else likes to fish too and like to plant cover.

3) I fish pilings like I do standing timber. I make my cast and aim my lure to smack it. You can do this with a crankbait or spinnerbait. While your doing this pay attention you might feel some brush that you can hit with your tube or jig. Keep some distance between you and the dock so you can pick off fish that might be suspended in front of the dock then work your way in with your crankbait. When you get close pitch the pilings with your soft plastics or jig.

4) skipping if you know how do it if not throw a senko as far back as you can the bait will do the rest.

5) covered boat houses can hold a ton of fish bass like corners. (inside of the boathouse and outside)

6) docks that form a "T" or an "L" tend to draw more fish than a straight dock.

7) Depth is key and docks that offer more to the bass will draw more fish.

8) green slimy pilings and foam float docks draw more fish than clean new ones because it draws shad.

Hope this helps

[cart7t]

LOZ is a great dock pattern lake but those fish aren't necessarily your best bet, especially this time of year. To do a dock primer on this lake would take quite a bit of time. I'll provide a few tips as I've been fishing the lake for 35 years.

Because of the lake, LOZ docks are a little different than many you'll find on other lakes. They have no pilings. The docks are connected to shore by a gangway, often supported by a rock or concrete pillar midway from the dock and shore. The dock pivots up or down on the gangway. Then cables tied off to anchors in a seawall or along shore hold the rest of the dock on the shore side. Most are often anchored on the outside corner to prevent lateral drift.

Most docks on LOZ are worthless for fishing. Things to keep in mind this time of year when looking for docks.

1. Look for docks in the backs of main coves. The fish spawn is coming up and the fish are moving back into the main coves, often staging on secondary points just off housekeeping coves. (pea gravel pockets)

2. Look for docks with the following: Fish cleaning stations, bass or aluminum fishing boats, lights pointed into the water, rod holders on the dock or rods in holders, etc. These are all indications that brush is likely sunk around the dock. You'll want to key on docks with these characteristics AND keeping in mind your seasonal pattern I listed in Number 1.

3. Brush locations. Typically there will be brush directly off the ends of the dock, sometimes in the stalls themselves, along the sides, along the inside edge between shore and the dock and a place often overlooked, in 4-12' of water inbetween docks, usually a lob cast away from the side of the dock.

This time of year the fish use the docks differently than they do the rest of the year. As the fish are migrating back into the coves, they will use them as holding and staging areas. As the spawn kicks in, you'll often find the fish building nests inbetween the shore and dock, usually around the gangway pillar or around brush planted on the shore side.

Honestly, at this time of year with the fish in a movement phase to the spawn and water temps around 50 degrees (as of 3/31), I'd be gearing myself towards fishing chunk rock secondary points in the backs of the main coves. You might be able to still pick up some fish on a jerkbait but the primary bite will be moving towards spinnerbaits and crankbaits. LOZ tends to be a greenish bait type lake so crankbaits with some green in them work great. Wiggle warts are particularly effective this time of year there. Their Craw green color is very close to matching the hatch of the craws in the lake. Pay particular attention to those brushpiles inbetween the docks out in 4-8 feet of water. Those are often holding areas for larger females and a great place to put a jig into.

In 3 weeks, you'll be moving into a time when soft plastics come into play.  C-rigged baits can be killer.  Again, the docks aren't often coming into play like they do the rest of the year.  The fish are often moving out away from the docks.  You'll definitely want to be keying more towards those pea gravel pockets and coves.  Look for docks directly in spawning areas and immediately adjacent to those spawning areas.  The fish will often be behind the docks.  Getting a lure through the maze of cables can be interesting, getting a hooked fish out can be really tough.

The LOZ brushed docks are almost always places to find fish. It's a more reliable pattern other times of the year when the fish are more stationary. As always, dock selection depends completely on the seasonal patterns (location) of the fish. Good luck.

[fourbizz]

Skipping an 8" Huddleston is the most fun.

[Glenn]

Here's a few articles on dock fishing that will help you out:

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/wood_bass_fishing.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/fishing_docks.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/dock-fishing.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/dock_bass_fishing.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/skipping.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/dock_fishing.html

[BassThumb]

WOW!  Great info in this threat so far.  There's not really much left to add.  Dock fishing is my favorite method.  Check out those links.

[hooked@2]

Thank you, Everyone!  There are tons of great ideas here.  Now to get out and try them!