The brighter the day, the farther under a dock the crappie will be. On very bright sunny days, they may be back 25 feet from the front of a dock. With a 6.5' rod, I can shoot a jig 35 feet, so I will stand about 10' off. But, there are certain docks that demand a short rod and to be very close because of the dock configuration. I really don't think prop wash is that big of a deal when crappie are back under docks. I have caught them directly under the boat 4-5 feet down next to the outside piling while I was running the trolling motor in windy conditions.

I have used every plastic bait and different weights on the jig head, but I have found to get the maximum distance while skipping a jig, nothing beats a Panfish Assassin 1.5" on a 1/32 or 1/24 oz jig head. I am a Bobby Garland fan, but I really don't like the new dock shooting lure as good as others. Just my honest opinion. There are exceptions to every rule too. Grin.

When I have to get really close to docks, I like a 4.5 or 5.0' ultralight rod with a little backbone.