Printable View
What's the best time of year for Dock shooting in the southern states?
What baits are you using on your most productive days?
Thanks for any feed back. I'm starting to practice shooting under my garage door. Do you have any special practice techniques?
Thanks John
Use a chair while Practicing - Lean forward when shooting and dont worry if it dont go far -- The Jig will bounce on the surface to carry it . use lightweight jigs and line
From what I understand .... shooting docks can be a year around deal in many places. A lot depends on the season, and stationary docks can be much better than floating docks, & the vertical & horizontal structures under stationary docks offer ambush points. Many docks have cover placed under, around, or hanging off of it ... enhancing the chances of fish being present.
My most productive baits have been several different brands & sizes of "stinger shad" style plastics &/or solid body tubes on a 1/16oz weedless jighead.
My only tips on "technique" is to aim with the line between the rod tip & the bait in your hand ... not the rod itself. Release the line only after the bait has passed the end of your rod. And while a limber action rod "can" shoot your jig under a dock, a fast action tipped rod will generally give more speed/power to your jig, which makes the bait skip across the water & usually equates to longer distances to your shot.
I play with the shooting method in the yard, as sometimes when bank fishing limbs and overhangs prevent a normal cast. I have found I can shoot a jig farther with a shorter pole. Just for giggles I have done this with both open and closed faced reals. Grass don't allow for no skipping at all, and about 42ft is as far as I've gotten with a 32nd oz head, no hook on it...
I don't shoot docks , but according to a friend of mine the best guys he ever saw do it used really stiff rods and pretty heavy jigs and could shoot them a blooming mile skipping em across the water .
I typically just sit down on the deck of the boat and cast side arm with a real stiff rod from a bit of a distance . works pretty well if you are good at casting and most of the time I can skip mine about as good as everyone else without having to bend my rod or touch my jig .
fat body jigs skip best from what I can tell and heavier jigs are easier to sling . but I like the lightest I can cast so I get that real slow fall and extra slow return speed .
my 2 cents
Well
it's hard to shoot docks from shore, or while on them, for shure...I'm still working on my boat getting it together so still bank fishing, so my shooting sometimes is in the trees to the water and as I said, you can't always cast...and I normally fish with either 1/32 oz or 1/24th oz jigs for that slow fall...
I work a guy that does it all year.
He respects people that have signs out about not fishing and asks permission when he sees the owner in their yard ( even tho legally he doesn’t need it )
He’s made friends with many and they call him when the bite picks up
Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com
It's a year round thing, they just change docks depending on the time of yea. In the summer and winter mouths they hang about deeper docks with a channel swing close by. In the spring they will get on shallower docks in spawning areas, and in the fall in back of bays and creeks chasing the shad that move in. I've caught them off floating and standing docks. Personally I think it has more to do with the size and shade the dock casts along with the bottom contours. Having brush or standing docks does tend to make them better.
I have caught them under the docks any time they are not spawning. I use Baby Shad or Slab Docktr mainly because they are readily available. Anytime the fish seem sluggish or pressured I use a 1/32 ounce jig head. I want to slow the fall of the jig to keep it in front of them longer to entice a reaction. If the fish are more active I will use a 1/16 ounce jig head to help cover more water. As far as practice under a folding chair works good. A bucket turned on its side sometimes accuracy pays off when you can shoot close to piling they are holding on back under the dock. Spider webs across the opening of a dock are a good sign for me when the fish are pressured. Not much activity on those docks to keep the fish spooked.
I’ve shot most everything, docks, both floating and fixed, and brush and overhanging trees and downed trees. It’s isn't just about docks but more of a line drive presentation. For practice I suggest a coffee container. A little distance helps at times so vary the distance when practicing. I prefer a 1/32 and a flat sided body like a Bobby Garland Baby Shad as an example. As for what rod is best, it’s the one in your hand when the opportunity presents itself. Pick a rod that your comfortable and confident with and use nothing but it for a while. This will shorten the learning curve and build your confidence. Don’t like too soft or too stiff for close quarters. Once you become an old hand at it you’ll shoot 6” square holes in the side of a floating dock with whatever is in your hand. It’s a good feeling when you hit a 4” square hole in a floating dock and the line jumps before you can close the bail.
Please don't shoot between the logs of a pontoon from from the rear. I have had to replace two high pressure gas lines that were punctured by people shooting between the logs there. I don't have a problem with shooting between the logs and the slip fingers but I do get upset when I catch somebody trying to get between my gas tank and the logs on the rear of the pontoon.
I typed "dock shooting" in the search function and got this:
https://www.crappie.com/crappie/sear...d=28143927&pp=
Thank you all for taking the time to reply and pass on your experience. I'm enjoying all of the feed back and plan to put it all to good use.
Thanks again, John
John, one other thing that has been productive, not in the technique or practice shooting arena but in the actual followup to shooting a dock ... is Vertical Casting. (explained in my article : Crappie Pappy Article )
My theory on why this technique may get you a fish or two more, after you've caught fish from under a dock & the bite slows is because I believe some of those fish follow the hooked fish back towards the boat & upon seeing the boat (or after the disappearance of their buddy) they go back to the safety of the dock .... many of them possibly going deeper & hugging the stationary posts of the dock (if they weren't already keying on the outer posts to begin with). They likely were following the hooked fish in hopes of snatching/stealing a meal from them, then when that fish disappears & there's nothing left for them to eat they go back to the closest hiding place and set up to ambush another unsuspecting "meal" wandering by. Then a jig comes slowly rising up out of the depths and presents such a easy meal, the temptation is too strong for them & they chomp down on it. :woohoo That's my "theory", anyway !! :cool:
Thanks again to everyone for spending your time helping me and every one else that is lucky enough to stumble across this Thread. I'm super glad that I found Crappie.com. Also, Crappie Pappy I did read your excellent article on vertical casting. I personally think your theory on fish behavior after one of their pals ends up gone is pretty darn close to what happens. I'll be keeping that in mind when I get back out on the lake.
Happy Fishing, John
B n M has a rod out called the sharpshooter. It is designed for shooting docks. There is alot of good you tube videos on dock shooting. I know on Weiss Lake it is a big thing to shoot the docks.
Sent from my SM-G892A using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app
Hey JohnQuote:
Originally Posted by Stoker540
The best time of year for dock shooting in the southern states is spring and fall. The best baits are usually plastics that you can skip to the most inaccessible and shadiest part. Bobby Garland baby shad in twilight, mayfly, pink phantom, and electric chicken have worked for me. All docks are not created equal and many different baits will work, so there will be some effort on your part. That being said docks will produce year round though you can expect less fish in winter and especially in the dog days of summer. Get a good side scan fish finder to help eliminate some of the guess work. You are on the right track but there will be some good ‘old fashioned grunt work on your part. There is no teacher like experience.
Take Care
SH
best time is whenever you're near a dock
Great article! This is the way I have fished for years but didn't have a name for it, :) I usually keep the line in my left hand and slowly take it in instead of using the reel. When I feel or see anything I raise the rod tip up to set the hook. I lose some to a light hook set but that is just part of the game.Quote:
Originally Posted by CrappiePappy
I also don’t believe in spring and fall as being the best time for any presentation, especially shooting docks. I have used it in summer and done as well as any trip in cooler seasons. It’s all about shade at certain times of year. A friend and I pulled 35 out of one boathouse in July, and probably could have gotten more but it was so hot we had to go. The sun was high in the sky and those fish wanted relief also. This particular boathouse was also the deepest of many, giving it cooler temps and shade. Know what you’re looking for and it’s more fun than you can ever imagine.