3 Tips for Fishing Boat Docks for Winter Bass

As the weather gets colder, bass go deep and become lethargic. However, they will still readily strike a tasty meal that drifts by. Boat docks provide an excellent opportunity to catch inactive winter bass.

Here are a few tips to help you catch more bass around docks when the water turns plunges below the mid 40s:

1. Slow Down - The metabolism of bass slows way down in the winter, so you need to slow down your presentations. Use plastics rigged Texas-style, lipless crankbaits, or suspending jerkbaits. Work them extremely slow and let the bait sit still for long pauses at times to see how they want the baits presented.
2. Fish Deep Docks - Target docks in deeper water, at least 6+ feet. As water around shallow docks get colder, bass will move out to deeper docks. Focus on dock posts, edges, corners, and boat slips. Vertical jigging can also be very effective if bass are found holding on brush piles around docks.
3. Downsize Your Offerings - Big baits catch big fish, but that changes in the winter. Scale down to more compact baits in the 2.5-4 inch range. Finesse plastic creature baits, ned rigs, and scented finesse plastics can all produce when retrieved slowly.

Bass pro Brandon Cobb often relies on docks to find hard cover oriented bass during the cold water period. Take a couple minutes and watch as he explains his approach to finding and catching winter bass when fishing boat docks...

Remember winter bass are usually less active, often preferring finesse over power fishing presentations. Always consider using finesse techniques like:

• Drop shotting: Rig a small finesse worm and a light drop shot weight and delicately "tickle" the bottom around dock supports and outside shaded areas.
• Jigging: Work a compact jig and trailer with a slow crawl or lift-and-fall retrieve under docks and along the edges.
• Ned rigging: Thread a Ned worm or similar size soft plastic bait onto a mushroom-style Ned jig head, letting it drift naturally near cover or cast it just under dock edges and slowly drag it out.

How to Pick Lures for Skipping Under Cover

Skipping docks and other overhanging cover is a great way to catch bass, especially in the summer when the fish are looking for shade and protection. When it comes to skipping however, not all lures are created equal. 

Here are a few things to keep in mind when choosing a lure for skipping docks:

• Lure size: Smaller lures are easier to skip, but they may not be as visible to the fish. Larger lures are more visible, but they can be more difficult to skip. A good rule of thumb is to use a lure that is about 3-5 inches long but always experiment to see what lure is best for the conditions you’re facing.

• Lure shape: Lures with a flat side will skip better than those with a rounded bait. This is because the flat side helps the lure to glide across the water's surface just as flat-sided rocks do.

• Lure weight: Heavier lures will skip better than lighter lures. This is because they have more momentum and are less likely to be affected by wind or waves. However, too heavy of a lure can be difficult to skip and may not be as effective at attracting fish. Again experiment to see what’s best.

• Lure action: Lures with a lot of action, such as paddle tails or swimbaits, can be more effective at attracting fish. However, they can also be more difficult to skip.

Here are a few specific lures that are good for skipping docks and other cover:

• Soft plastic jerkbaits and stickbaits: These lures have a lot of natural appeal and are easy to skip. They are a good choice when skipping cover located in shallow water.

• Tubes: These lures are also easy to skip and have a lot of action on the fall. They can be a good choice for both shallow or deep water by altering the weight of the tube-style jighead.

• Jigs: Jigs with a flat side will skip well and can be dressed with a variety of flat-sided soft plastic baits. They can be a good choice for any water depth since different weight jigs can be used.

When trying to decide when to select a soft plastic bait like a soft stickbait versus a jig and trailer for skipping, it’s often best to consider the type of the cover you’re fishing.

Take a few minutes and watch as Pete from Omnia Fishing describes his approach to selecting the best skipping bait when he’s out on the water…

Fishing Docks Using a Shaky Head for Early Spring Bass

A shaky head is a fishing rig used for bass fishing that consists of a jighead with a hook and a soft plastic worm or other bait attached to it. The jighead is designed to sit on the bottom while the worm wiggles and shakes when moved, creating a lifelike action that attracts fish.

The shaky head rig is particularly effective for early spring bass fishing when the water is still cold and the fish are less active. The slow, subtle movements of the worm on the shaky head rig mimic the natural movement of prey in cold water making it an enticing target for early season bass.

Fishing docks with a shaky head in early spring can be a great presentation for catching prespawn bass moving shallow to feed before the spawn begins.

Here are some tips to help you fish docks with the shaky head successfully:

Choose the right tackle: Use a 6.5-ft to 7-ft medium-light or medium power, fast action spinning rod matched with a 2500 or 3000 size spinning reel, spooled with 6-10 lb fluorocarbon line.

Use the right bait: Choose a shaky head jig with a 4-7 inch soft plastic finesse or trick worm in natural colors like green pumpkin, watermelon or black.

Tips for Skipping Large Soft Swimbaits Under Docks

Skipping large soft swimbaits under docks can be a highly effective technique for catching bass. It definitely requires skill earned through practice, patience, and the right equipment to successfully place the swimbait under the dock and entice bass into striking.

Skipping is a technique where you cast the bait low and parallel to the water's surface so that it skips across and travels under the dock past the high percentage spots where the biggest bass tend to reside. This technique mimics disturbed baitfish drawing the attention of bass hiding in the darkest shadows beneath the dock to either bite or follow the bait out and expose their location.

Many angler's consider Megabass' 6" Magdraft soft swimbait as one of the best dock-skipping swimbaits because of its flat sides and magnetic weight that holds the treble hook in place as the bait skips across the surface.

Bass pro Chris Zaldain is considered one of the best soft swimbait anglers on tour and has created the following video describing his system for skipping the Magdraft under docks.

Take a few moments and watch as he provides some great insight and certain nuances to consider when trying this technique.

Enjoy!

There is some really great information in the video, especially his approach of skipping from the shallow to the deep end of the dock.

I think that may work pretty well with a few other baits as well!

Fishing Boat Docks for Spring Bass

As the weather begins to warm up and ice out occurs, bass anglers get geared up for some spring bass fishing. One of the most popular and effective ways to catch spring bass is by fishing boat docks. 

Docks provide ideal cover for bass, so understanding how to fish them can greatly increase your chances of catching more and bigger spring bass. 

Here are several tips for fishing boat docks for spring bass:

Look for high-quality docks: Not all docks are created equal. Look for docks with more structural features like multiple levels, ladders, or pilings. These features create more cover and increase the chances of finding bass. Additionally, docks that are in deeper water are more likely to hold bigger fish.

Use finesse baits: In the spring, bass are often not as aggressive as they are during the summer months. This means that using finesse baits like finesse jigs, Ned rigs, shaky heads, or wacky rigs are often highly effective in triggering strikes. These subtle baits allow you to present the bait slowly and methodically, making it more enticing to a lethargic fish holding close to posts and other dock elements.

Approach the dock quietly: Docks can be a haven for shallow bass, but they can also be easily spooked. Approach the dock quietly and slowly to avoid scaring any fish that may be lurking below. Using an electric trolling motor when moving around the dock to help keep the noise to a minimum. Try to avoid slamming you bait into the dock as casting at the dock as well since the sudden noise and vibrations can also spook dock-relating bass.

Advanced Dock Fishing Tips

One of the more prevelant types of man-made cover on many lakes are docks!

Big docks, small docks, boat docks, swimming docks, shallow docks, deep docks... docks of all types are almost everywhere and most of them hold bass!

Since a variety of factors determine where bass and other gamefish will hold on docks, learning how to read a dock and then using a little professional insight will definitely increase your catching success!

Take a moment and watch as bass pro Dakota Ebare explains some of his favorite tips when fishing docks...

How Bass Relate to Docks

Most bass anglers spend a fair amount of time trying to entice bass from the dark, protected areas beneath docks. 

At that time, we're often wondering exactly how the bass position and if there are preferred sections of the dock bigger fish gravitate towards.

According to this subsurface investigation of life beneath a boat dock in the north country, bass, especially bigger bass may well have an area beneath the dock they prefer.

Take a look and see what I mean...

Very cool...

Now what's your preferred skipping bait to access those dark, protected areas of a dock?

Senko?

Jig?

Hmmmm...

Skipping Boat Docks

Boat docks...

One of the most prolific types of cover on most bass waters. When the bass are active and using the edge of the docks, casting parallel to the sides and front of the dock with a variety of baits can be very productive.

Most of the time however the bass are neutral to inactive and staged back underneath the dock unwilling to chase baits worked along the edges.

Skipping jigs back under the docks can be a highly effective presentation to entice those sub-dock bass into striking!

Watch and listen as bass pro Gerald "G-Man" Swindle provides several tips on how to hone your skipping skills with a baitcaster to get your jig to where the bass live under docks...

Using Jigs When Skipping Docks

Ask twenty bass anglers what their favorite baits are for any given situation and you’ll get thirty different answers

It’s no different when jawing about the best baits to skip under docks and other over-hangs…

In this video, Bass Pro Andy Montgomery describes his two favorite dock skipping baits…

I agree jigs are pretty good choices but I always have a soft, salted stickbaits rigged Texas-style as one of my top skipping baits…

How about you?