That cold front really pushed the bass up onto shallow cover last week! The fish were hungry too! Lots of good coldwater fishing left to be done! I was just out again yesterday and the docks that were still in had fish on them and so did shoreline cover. Been a good two weeks of fishing. They are starting to fatten up also.
Your video was motivating for me today. It was blowing like a mad man in Pequot, but upper 60’s today. I put on the crazy legs chigger craw Tx rigged and a pretty good day. Didn’t catch tons of them, but for 48 degree water not too bad. They were all caught in 6 fow or less—decent size, too. A couple were by docks. Keep plugging away I guess. Raking leaves and ice fishing aw overrated. Thanks
Nice video, looked like a fun day. I like T-rigging a Rage Bug too, sometimes if I plan on mostly skipping I’ll rig it on a Fin-Tech Skip Jig. Water skis waaaay back under the docks..!
https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Fin-tech_Title_Shot_Skip_Jig_2pk/descpage-FTTSSK.html
I went out today and caught one donkey (21”) on a dock — the first I fished. Boated around the rest of the lake, fishing every dock….and nothing more. There were only a few left in the lake, so I could fish them all fairly quickly.
Went out to some remaining weeds and threw a spinnerbait and chatterbait. Got some more, including one almost as big as the first (20.5”).
Do you have any advice on what kinds of docks do better? This lake had very shallow water for a long ways from shore. The one dock with a fish was very long — maybe 150 ft– and the others were much shorter. I’m guessing the proximity to deeper water was the difference, but with only one fish, it’s hard to make it a pattern.
Advice: encourage landowners to lenghten their docks!
I went out today and caught one donkey (21”) on a dock — the first I fished. Boated around the rest of the lake, fishing every dock….and nothing more. There were only a few left in the lake, so I could fish them all fairly quickly.
Went out to some remaining weeds and threw a spinnerbait and chatterbait. Got some more, including one almost as big as the first (20.5”).
Do you have any advice on what kinds of docks do better? This lake had very shallow water for a long ways from shore. The one dock with a fish was very long — maybe 150 ft– and the others were much shorter. I’m guessing the proximity to deeper water was the difference, but with only one fish, it’s hard to make it a pattern.
A lot of times the “unique” (bigger, longer, etc) dock will hold the better fish. I prefer docks with some depth and/or access to deep water. Not many docks left on the lakes now, but that can make them “unique.”
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>carmike wrote:</div>
I went out today and caught one donkey (21”) on a dock — the first I fished. Boated around the rest of the lake, fishing every dock….and nothing more. There were only a few left in the lake, so I could fish them all fairly quickly.Went out to some remaining weeds and threw a spinnerbait and chatterbait. Got some more, including one almost as big as the first (20.5”).
Do you have any advice on what kinds of docks do better? This lake had very shallow water for a long ways from shore. The one dock with a fish was very long — maybe 150 ft– and the others were much shorter. I’m guessing the proximity to deeper water was the difference, but with only one fish, it’s hard to make it a pattern.
A lot of times the “unique” (bigger, longer, etc) dock will hold the better fish. I prefer docks with some depth and/or access to deep water. Not many docks left on the lakes now, but that can make them “unique.”
Frydog hit the nail on the head here. Longer docks, docks near cover (fallen trees, pockets of weeds), and any docks that create a good amount of shade. The fish will be in the shade if it’s a sunny day. I also like docks that are near deeper water. That seems to produce more bites for me.
Frydog, I seem to skip them better on texas rigs for whatever reason. Probably because I do it more with Trigs than jigs. I’m snakebit on jigs for some reason.
Glad it motivated a few a you and you got on some fish. It’s definitely my favorite way to fish. Hopefully ice doesn’t come too fast and we can all get on some late fall giants.
“Frydog, I seem to skip them better on texas rigs for whatever reason. Probably because I do it more with Trigs than jigs. I’m snakebit on jigs for some reason.”
I’m with you on skipping the traditional jig… they tend to be big, sink too fast and yeah – when you clank one off a dock post or pontoon – the entire lake can hear it.
But I just don’t get the distance T-rig skipping. The Fin-Tech skip jig in 3/16 and a Rage Bug really flies and is softer on contact. Or a Caffeine Shad on an Owner Twistlock Light 3/32 4/0 is almost unfair!
“Frydog, I seem to skip them better on texas rigs for whatever reason. Probably because I do it more with Trigs than jigs. I’m snakebit on jigs for some reason.”
I’m with you on skipping the traditional jig… they tend to be big, sink too fast and yeah – when you clank one off a dock post or pontoon – the entire lake can hear it.
But I just don’t get the distance T-rig skipping. The Fin-Tech skip jig in 3/16 and a Rage Bug really flies and is softer on contact. Or a Caffeine Shad on an Owner Twistlock Light 3/32 4/0 is almost unfair!
I can get a Trig quite a ways under a dock or into a tree but then again I’m typically only using a 1/8th oz tungsten with my trigs unless i’m in some thicker stuff. I get a pretty good discount on All Terrain tackle so I’m going to be trying out their skipping jigs and see how they do.
Often this time of the season the docks can become Great for 2 reason. As more and more people pull theirs there are fewer of them for bass to use. and as more and more weed cover starts to die off the remaining docks may be the only cover remaining for them. Don’t overlook the Tire area on roll in style docks. even if the Tire is a ways up from the end of the dock. Often the Tire area holds the biggest fish. I would guess that the Tire create a little extra water temp – Just my guess anyway. Usually in fall if you find the sweet spot on one dock it will be the sweet spot on all the docks. I really like the ones where there is a little space between the Dock and the boat lift. If you can get a good flip or pitch into the space it most often will result in a bite. Keep in mind docks in the fall are mostly about the cover – not the shade. Fish are looking for warmth more so than shade this time of the year.
“I get a pretty good discount on All Terrain tackle so I’m going to be trying out their skipping jigs and see how they do.”
Let me know how you like the skipping jigs… I met Steve Hauge last year on a local lake and he “borrowed” some Grassmaster jigs to me. Nice guy. Absolutely love those jigs, I haven’t found anything that comes through the weeds cleaner and I think I’ve used every brand out there. Have tried the AT football jig too, but not the skipper yet…
“I get a pretty good discount on All Terrain tackle so I’m going to be trying out their skipping jigs and see how they do.”
Let me know how you like the skipping jigs… I met Steve Hauge last year on a local lake and he “borrowed” some Grassmaster jigs to me. Nice guy. Absolutely love those jigs, I haven’t found anything that comes through the weeds cleaner and I think I’ve used every brand out there. Have tried the AT football jig too, but not the skipper yet…
Will do. Not sure I’ll use them until the Spring but who knows.
Keep in mind docks in the fall are mostly about the cover – not the shade. Fish are looking for warmth more so than shade this time of the year.
Definitely. The shade is a warm weather target. Not to mention we haven’t seen the sun in a month to create shade…..
A friend and I have a theory about docks in the fall. Call it a BS theory if you want, but it thermal related, which we feel effect fish location and behavior a lot – more perhaps than we tend to realize.
Ever notice on calm, cold fall nights, you’ll wake up and see a frost over the lawn – except for directly under the trees that have foliage? The foliage insulates the ground from the cold sink, thus no frost.
We think a dock is the water equivalent of this scenario. Like the leaves on a tree, decking from a dock can act as an insulator for the water underneath, providing some water temp stability; and it’s water temp stability during a highly unstable period to which the fish are attracted. We think of docks as huge lily pads and every good basser knows how good lily pads can be in the fall. Of course wind and waves and other factors around any particular dock would provide a variable that could be in play, but after cold clear calm night docks can be ‘the deal’.
Fun stuff to think about, at least to me.
A friend and I have a theory about docks in the fall. Call it a BS theory if you want, but it thermal related, which we feel effect fish location and behavior a lot – more perhaps than we tend to realize.
Ever notice on calm, cold fall nights, you’ll wake up and see a frost over the lawn – except for directly under the trees that have foliage? The foliage insulates the ground from the cold sink, thus no frost.
We think a dock is the water equivalent of this scenario. Like the leaves on a tree, decking from a dock can act as an insulator for the water underneath, providing some water temp stability; and it’s water temp stability during a highly unstable period to which the fish are attracted. We think of docks as huge lily pads and every good basser knows how good lily pads can be in the fall. Of course wind and waves and other factors around any particular dock would provide a variable that could be in play, but after cold clear calm night docks can be ‘the deal’.
Fun stuff to think about, at least to me.
Definitely an interesting theory…..I like where you’re going with it but have no idea if it’s true or not….
A friend and I have a theory about docks in the fall. Call it a BS theory if you want, but it thermal related, which we feel effect fish location and behavior a lot – more perhaps than we tend to realize.
Ever notice on calm, cold fall nights, you’ll wake up and see a frost over the lawn – except for directly under the trees that have foliage? The foliage insulates the ground from the cold sink, thus no frost.
We think a dock is the water equivalent of this scenario. Like the leaves on a tree, decking from a dock can act as an insulator for the water underneath, providing some water temp stability; and it’s water temp stability during a highly unstable period to which the fish are attracted. We think of docks as huge lily pads and every good basser knows how good lily pads can be in the fall. Of course wind and waves and other factors around any particular dock would provide a variable that could be in play, but after cold clear calm night docks can be ‘the deal’.
Fun stuff to think about, at least to me.
I have no doubt that your theory has some correctness to it. Its all about water temp and cover in the fall. I believe you are correct in that the water temp Under and around dock will be slightly warmer than the rest of the water. More so as the day goes along as the sun will heat the docks and in turn heat the water around it. Probably more so with metal docks than wood docks. Easy theory to verify, get a thermo and start checking water temps. Unlike the summer I often find that the fishing gets better as the day goes along and the water temps rise slightly. It may only be a Degree or 2 but any little bit seems to help. I don’t even bother getting out early in the mornings this time of the year ( Yah – get to sleep in a little on weekends )
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