Dock Fishing

[Wisconsin Heat.]

So at this lake i fish there are a decent number of docks, and i was catching a few fish off of them...but i think i couldve caught alot more. I was mainly pitching a jig and a tube to them. any other techniques i should try?

Bonus question: where is it usually best to target on a dock ( front, sides, under it)? i was fishing the end of the dock most of the time.

[Bluebasser86]

Wacky rigged stickbait skipped under a dock is great sometimes. Float one down under a dock over deep water and sometimes there will be whole schools of bass suspended under them picking off baitfish eating stuff off the dock floats. Spinnerbaits,chatterbaits,fluke style baits, dropshots, shakeyheads, squarebills, rattletraps, swimbaits, all can be good options for fishing docks. Personally I think the dock can be more important than the bait. Find a dock on a spot that would hold fish without the dock (breakline,point,rockpile,brushpile) and the dock just sweatens the deal and ups your odds of finding fish. Seems like broke down old docks and docks with foam floats hold fish better than nice new ones with plastic floats too. As for where the fish are on the dock that changes all the time. Just take you're time and pick a few docks apart with different presentations and when you catch a fish or get a bite make sure to take note of where it happened so you can start putting a pattern together.

[TimJ]

skipping a tube or floating worm to the back/center of the dock (usually the most protected spot) will get you a few more and occasionally a bigger bass. I like to use super light (1/16, 1/32) guido weedless heads when skipping tubes (slow fall).

bluebasser was on the mark...all kinds of baits with multiple presentations in different areas of the dock on a given day. usually up to us to find out what's working.

in rocky lakes, find docks with cribs holding the wooden frame. multiple angles of shade and ambush points. we have a lot of this in central ontario but this is also in stable level lakes. my guess is the floating docks are in lakes where the levels vary through the year or even week to week.

[Wisconsin Heat.]

thanks guys! ill be sure to bring a few spinning rods cuz skipping with casting gear is a pain!

[clayton86]

I tried the lipless crank thing the other week and was killing em yoyoing them along the docks I was bank fishing so the lipless was the only option because the docks were on the other side of the river. I would just cast paralell to the dock I even got good at doing a side arm hail marry skipping the trap under the docks and pontoon boats I got a few walleye this way to.

[pikeman32]

in the early morning is the best time to fish docks. period. usually go down a row of docks twice. first throw a spinnerbait or crank bait on the sides. on the second wave throw a jig or tube. when there is a lot of sun skip a tube to the shadiest part of the dock and slowly pull, drag or hop it out.

[tentimesover]

I've also had good luck at some times with top water lures fished past the front corners. Most consistent is wacky Senko fished behind the dock. Be sure to use weedless hook because many folks sink brush back there -- and, if there's not a fish on the end you've got to get that hook over cables.

[Nitrofreak]

Swim baits and jigs for me!!!