Jig Fishing Boat Docks
Boat docks are great cover for a variety of species such as bluegill, perch, rock bass, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and walleye. Most fishermen that target docks are bass fishermen though. That’s because docks almost always hold bass from spring through fall, especially if there is access to deep water nearby.
To catch bass on the docks consistently, there are a few things you need to know. During low-light conditions, bass may not be holding as tight to the docks. Bass like to use the docks because they shade certain areas from the sun. During low-light conditions, there is nothing to drive them way underneath the dock. You may still catch plenty of bass under the docks, but there will be bass spread out around the docks and within a 50 to 100 foot cast from the docks.
During sunny days, the docks will provide shade for bass and they will take advantage of the shade almost every time. When the sun is straight up during the middle of the day, expect to have to make casts way underneath the dock. This is where they will be. When the sun is not straight overhead, the shade will actually be under the dock and out to one of the sides of the dock. Most of your bass will come from the shady areas. If your lake has a lot of docks to fish, just concentrate on the shady areas and keep moving. You’ll catch more bass by the end of the day this way.
To make the most out of each dock, try to fish the edges of the docks first, then move farther and farther underneath the docks. This way, you up your odds of catching multiple fish off of each dock. If you cast way underneath with your first cast, you may spook some of the other fish if you get a bite and pull a bass from way underneath. Work the edges first then go underneath. You’ll catch more bass using this technique as well.
Fishing Resources:
- Shop Bass Jigs
- Largemouth Bass Fishing Library
- Smallmouth Bass Fishing Library
- Top Bass Fishing Trips
Dragging Football Head Jigs in Deep & Shallow Water
I think most anglers would agree that football head jigs seem to be the better jig for using the dragging technique. Dragging a football head jig is similar to swimming a jig, but you want to make sure you’re on the bottom. Cast the jig out, let it fall to the bottom, then start to wind it in with a slow, steady retrieve.
Football head jigs work really well when fished this way and you can use them in deep or shallow water. Make sure your rod has some sensitivity so you can feel the bottom contour. If you feel a rock, a log or any other type of cover on the bottom, stop your jig for a second and just shake it. Fish relate to cover, so give them just a few seconds to watch that bait shake right in front of their face….then be ready to set the hook and hold on.
Dragging football head jigs is a technique meant for bass fishing, but don’t be surprised if you pick up an occasional walleye, northern pike or even muskie this way.
Fishing Resources:
- Shop Bass Jigs
- Largemouth Bass Fishing Library
- Smallmouth Bass Fishing Library
- Top Bass Fishing Trips
Bass Fishing With Swimbaits
Swimbaits are one of the hottest trends in bass fishing this decade. Bass anglers from California have known about these big bass baits for years, but now, the rest of the country has caught up. Swimbaits are great baits for catching bigger bass. Out west, swimbaits as big as 10 to 12 inches are not uncommon, but in other parts of the country, sticking to a 4 to 6 inch swimbait will give you the best chance of getting bit.
Swimbaits are definitely a big bass bait, but you have to be patient to fish them. It may take a couple of hours at times to get a bite, but when you do, it’s usually a big bass.
Bass Fishing Resources:
- Shop Swimbaits
- Largemouth Bass Fishing Library
- Smallmouth Bass Fishing Library
- Top Bass Fishing Trips
Bass Fishing With Stickbaits
Stickbaits are long, slender topwater baits that are meant to be fished with an erratic twitch, followed by a pause. The zara spook is one of the most popular stick baits on the market. This lure has a walk the dog movement back and forth across the surface. Sometimes, a steady back and forth retrieve will draw explosive strikes, while other times require a pause in between twitches to get a bass to go airborne to eat your lure.
Bass Fishing Resources:
- Shop Stickbaits
- Topwater Bass Fishing Tips
- Largemouth Bass Fishing Library
- Smallmouth Bass Fishing Library
- Top Bass Fishing Trips
Bass Fishing With Casting Spoons
Casting spoons are not a popular lure among the bass fishing community. They will catch fish, but there seem to be many other lures on the market that get the job done a little better. Casting spoons are easy to use and you can cover a lot of water with them. They are great lures for northern pike and many pike anglers will run into an occasional big bass fishing with spoons.
It’s a lure to have in the tackle box just in case you want to throw something different at them. If you fish them hard, you will catch some bass and the bigger spoons do give you a better chance of catching a bass in the 5 pound range or bigger.
Bass Fishing Resources:
- Shop Casting Spoons
- Largemouth Bass Fishing Library
- Smallmouth Bass Fishing Library
- Top Bass Fishing Trips
Bass Fishing With In-Line Spinners
In-line spinners work well for largemouth and smallmouth bass. Spring seems to be one of the best times to throw these lures because bass are feeding on smaller minnows at this time of year. Spinners will catch fish into summer and through fall, but spring is the time to fish them hard. A slow, steady retrieve usually does the trick.
Some of the better colors to use are all white or a green and orange mixture. Bass love these colored spinners in the spring time. You may also run into an occasional northern pike, walleye, perch or crappie.
Bass Fishing Resources:
- Shop In-Line Spinners
- Largemouth Bass Fishing Library
- Smallmouth Bass Fishing Library
- Top Bass Fishing Trips
Bass Fishing With Spinnerbaits
Spinnerbaits are a great warm water and cold water bait. Use it as a search bait or just work some cover with a slow, steady retrieve and you will catch bass.
Many tournament anglers turn to the spinnerbait to cover some water and find active fish. Then they usually follow up with a jig, plastic worm or something else that they can fish slow once they know they have found an area of water that is holding bass.
Spinnerbaits work excellent all spring with a nice, slow retrieve. As the water warms up with the warmer days of summer, a faster retrieve can produce heart-pounding strikes. Work them into the fall as well and remember that a spinnerbait is a great lure for throwing into schools of bass feeding on the surface over deeper water. If you put enough time on the water, you will see this at the end of summer into the fall as water temperatures start to cool down.
Bass Fishing Resources:
- Shop Spinnerbaits
- Largemouth Bass Fishing Library
- Smallmouth Bass Fishing Library
- Top Bass Fishing Trips
Bass Fishing With Spinner Rigs
Spinner rigs are not a common bass lure at all, but they can be highly effective for aggressive bass. The same spinner rigs that walleye anglers carry dozens of will work for bass, but you don’t have to fish them with live bait such as nightcrawlers, leeches and minnows. Live bait will work, but a spinner rig tipped with a 5 to 6 inch soft plastic minnow that has a curly type tail will catch lots of nice-sized bass. A 6 to 7 inch soft plastic worm will also work as a trailer. Fish these baits just like a spinnerbait. Cover some water and hold on because you will get bit.
Just be prepared to run into a northern pike every once in a while if you are fishing some waters that hold northern pike. If you are fishing a good northern pike lake, you may want to use 20 pound test line because northern pike will tear this bait up.
Bass Fishing Resources:
- Shop Spinner Rigs
- Largemouth Bass Fishing Library
- Smallmouth Bass Fishing Library
- Top Bass Fishing Trips
Bass Fishing With Plastic Worms
The plastic worm is arguably the most popular fishing lure ever created. Although, most tournament anglers tend to gravitate towards the jig, most of the weekend anglers choose to go to the plastic worm when they want to catch a bass.
Bass love worms and there are so many different types of soft plastic worms on the market that will get the job done. From free-falling worms to drop-shotting, carolina rigging, texas rigging or just simply using a split shot, hook and a plastic worm, you have plenty of options to fish this lure.
From one foot of water to 25 feet down, anglers catch bass on plastic worms. Make sure you have some in your tackle box before your next trip to the lake.
Bass Fishing Resources:
- Shop Plastic Worms
- Largemouth Bass Fishing Library
- Smallmouth Bass Fishing Library
- Top Bass Fishing Trips
Bass Fishing With Minnow Baits
Minnow baits are similar to crankbaits, but they are much longer and skinnier, hence the name minnow baits. These lures resemble all types of minnows and other bait fish that bass love to eat. These longer lures tend to work better in waters that bass are feeding on longer, more slender bait fish. One example would be perch. In a lake that has lots of walleye, smallmouth bass and perch, a minnow style bait may outproduce better than a regular crankbait because the smallmouth bass are consistently feeding on perch - which are longer and slender than a bluegill.
Minnow baits are also great baits for walleye and northern pike, but they will also work well for catching big largemouth and smallmouth bass.
Bass Fishing Resources:
