BASS FISHING THE DOCKS OF SUMMER

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A couple of years ago I wrote an article for this publication which dealt with fishing the "edges" that are found on almost any lake or river anywhere in the country. These natural and man-made edges can be veritable fish bonanzas for the angler that spends some time exploring them. I have a particular fondness for docks or piers and the wonderful fishing surprises that they offer.

There are all kinds of piers and docks on the lakes in this area. We have the permanent type, which have large vertical posts driven deep into the lakebed to support the heavy planking used to construct the deck of the pier. This type of pier remains in the water year around and is usually not harmed by ice movement on the lake. We also have piers that are fabricated from steel pipes and are attached to a set of wheels. These piers are rolled into the water after ice out and are pulled from the water at the end of the season. One can also find modular docks, which consist of multiple sections of deck supported by either wood or steel legs. This type of dock is installed and removed a section at a time. Floating docks have begun to appear on area waters in the past few years. These docks are nothing more than a series of swim rafts, which have been linked together to form a pier. Finally, we have the suspended dock which has one end anchored to the shore and the other end is supported above the water by cables that are suspended from poles on the shore. Regardless of the type of dock they all create very favorable habitat for fish. Some docks provide a point of ambush for predator fish and other docks provide shelter from bright sunlight and hiding places for multiple species.

You might be wondering, "What could possibly be difficult about fishing docks and piers?" The answer is that it's not difficult at all, BUT .flif one pays attention to the individual docks one soon learns that some approaches to dock fishing are much more productive than others. Any angler will, by simple random luck, catch some fish by flinging baits and lures at or near any pier. However, the angler who can cast accurately and with the knowledge of where certain fish are likely to be will be far more successful and usually will have larger fish to show for the effort.

Here's how it works. Fish will begin to locate themselves near docks and piers once the spring spawning rituals are completed and the water begins to warm up. Under the docks all kinds of hiding places can be found. Every vertical projection from the dock such as a support leg or ladder has the potential to hold a fish. There might be a live box attached to the pier. That's another hiding place. Some piers will have tires hanging from posts to serve as boat bumpers. The shadows behind the tires hold fish. There might be submerged wood or weed beds around or under the dock or rocks piled around the dock legs to help stabilize them. All of these are fishing opportunities that should be explored.

When guiding clients on dock fishing expeditions I like to set up my boat with the bow into the wind along the shoreline to be fished. I use the bow mounted trolling motor to hold the boat approximately a cast's length away from the docks as the wind pushes us slowly down the shoreline. With multiple anglers in the boat it is necessary to establish a few rules about how the docks are to be fished in order to afford each angler an opportunity to catch his or her share. I usually place the most accurate caster of the group in the stern of the boat where that angler will be the last person in the group to approach the dock as we drift down the shoreline. The reason for putting the best angler last is that in most cases the first angler to accurately place his bait near fish holding structure of any dock is the angler who pulls the dominant and often largest fish from under the pier.

Exactly how accurate does bait placement have to be? In most cases I work with client's to have them just hit a dock leg so that the last bit of forward impetus of the bait is spent on the dock leg and upon hitting that leg the bait simply falls vertically right next to the dock leg. In most cases the pick-up of the bait by the fish is immediately seen on the slack line. The client takes up the slack in the line and delivers a sharp hook set as the last of the slack is reeled in and the battle is on! We will work left side of a dock post, right side, and work every post on the dock. You'll be surprised at the big fish that will lay near the dock post closest to shore in a foot of water!

Because the casting proficiencies of clients varies a great deal I prefer to use light presentations when working docks. It is easier for the client to learn to control a cast with the lighter bait and terminal tackle than it is to control a crank bait or a spinner bait. Once the client has gained the confidence and ability to put his cast on target we can switch to the heavier stuff and more sophisticated techniques such as side-arm casts to reach back into the shadows under a dock.

Once you have spent some time working docks on a given lake you will become familiar with which docks are most productive and even with individual fish under certain docks. To become a truly successful dock angler one must put in a requisite amount of time to develop the eye-hand coordination and muscle memory that is required to consistently place the bait exactly where the fish are.

I would be negligent if I failed to speak of the dock etiquette that should be observed by anyone working piers and docks. Most docks are owned by people who own the property to which these piers are attached. Remember that the owners and their families and friends use these docks. If the dock is in use or there are people in the water near the dock by pass that dock. You can return to it later. If by chance there is an errant cast and a bait lands on the dock or a boat tied to the dock be sure to retrieve the bait before leaving that pier. Nobody wants to leave a hook laying on a dock to be stepped on by a bare foot or sat on. Anglers that cast large, multi-hooked baits such as musky lures should exercise care when casting them near docks and boat lifts. These lures can cause expensive damage to the upholstery or carpeting of a boat or to the canopy of a boatlift when they are jerked in an effort to retrieve them. If you should happen to damage the property of another do the right thing......leave a note with your contact information or knock on the owner's door to inform him or her of the problem.

Fishing to docks of summer is an exciting and productive way to fish. Put your time in to develop your casting skills. I'll be watching the newspaper looking for your picture with one of our Northwoods lunkers.

Good Luck and Be Safe on the Water,

Brian Uttech
(715) 479-6198
www.eagleriveroutfitters.com

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