10/25/04

"The first thing to do is to establish a dock bite exists.  Docks are not always happening and to assume that they are is to make a crucial mistake.  In pre fish, I will fish all kinds of docks sometimes randomly, sometimes not.  The reason I would randomly fish a dock is because the fish can be on flats with docks, they can be on river channels that swing close to a dock, they really can be anywhere."

"The first fish you catch tells you something.  The next fish reaffirms that.  At that point you can begin to sort of pattern what they are doing.  It is at this point that you can begin to key in what characteristic of the dock that the fish are keying on.

• Are there rocks, like rip rap around the dock? Remember there is mud down there somewhere.
• Does the dock provide a lot of mid day shade?
• Does it float?
• Is it built on stilts?  Wood or metal?
• What is the depth?
• Are they on the outside or inside?
• Have the dock owners planted brush piles?

You kind of need to go through a mental check list and develop this information."

"As far as getting started is concerned.  On lakes that have thousands of docks.  Do some map study and find a cove or creek arm that has some deeper water in it.  This creek arm will have fish in it somewhere.  Next you just need to study each dock, check for all of the conditions that I mentioned, and you will see a pattern develop."