Northwest Fishing Reports

when you guys know your going to be fishing docks on your outting im curious how you guys approach it and what baits you have tied on/what line your useing (i like flurocarbon) i kinda what a detailed response i know alot of people skip weightless senko's under the docks but EVERYBODY does that and i want to give the fish a new look at thing like ive recently started to skip hollow bellie split tail by berkley its pretty much a fluke on roids lol but i wacky rig it and it give off a dieing bait fish look try it :thumright

thanks for looking
Clark K.

Skipping a jig under boat docks can be a productive big fish pattern most of the year. Skipping with a baitcaster takes some practice but becoming proficient with this technique is well worth the effort. For finesse jigs I prefer 12 and 15 lb. fluorocarbon. For flipping jigs I use 17, 20 and 25 lb. fluorocarbon.

My opinion is that you are playing with fire by using too light of line for this technique. The biggest fish often hang in the gnarliest portion of the dock, near pilings, cross braces, boat lifts, etc. Again, this is a big fish technique so the possiblity of hooking a bass over 7 or 8 pounds is very realistic. 8 lb. test will break your heart....eventually.

Try dropshotting a small bait, 1.5" to 3" max, next to the docks. You can use a smaller weight that gets their attention yet doesn't spook them with this setup. I use this primarily for perch fishing but have found that it is quite effective when pitched next to docks for bass. I do use a flourocarbon leader and a small swivel to attach the rig to the main line. You need to pay attention as soon the the gear hits the water as many times it never reaches bottom. Hint hint

SONNN has a method he has made famous which is very good for skipping with a baitcaster. He might be willing to share the name of this technique and the finer points of executing such an advanced move.

tagwatson360 wrote:8 lb. test will break your heart....eventually.

SOOOOO TRUE#-o I went to 20 lb from 12lb for around heavy cover the second time I lost a fish over 10lbs in the thick stuff

i agree with gman. caught two nice fish yesterday on dropshot next to a dock. Also i agree with tag that u need heavy line. i have caught fish on jerkbaits skipped under docks, along with throwing brush hogs and senkos.

I have been pondering whether or not to share this but it's just not in me to keep many secrets. Last year I was experimenting with a bait I thought looked totally retarded at first but it turned out to be a bait I really like now. I bought a bag of Rage Tail shad. I was hoping to find something that fished like a buzz bait once the weeds got to the point the buzzer wouldn't work. I love the frog but I thought the rage tail would fish like a frog and a buzz bait. I throw it onto mats and it moves like a frog but once it hits open water it moves water like a buzz bait. That's the background.

Anyway it is shaped like the perfect skipping stone so one day I decided to skip it under a dock that I typically skip jigs to. My thought procees at the time was that most guys probably aren't fishing top water lures under docks. At least I don't think they are. Well as it turns out it is pretty awesome or dare I say bitchin. The fish will eat it and depending on the height of the dock from the water they will also bounce off the bottom of the dock on the blowup. Obviously you can't see the strike but you sure can hear it and you rarely pull it out of their face because you don't see it coming. Being the topwater junky I am it allows me to fish topwater in the middle of the day when bass take refuge.

Honestly, I was hoping no one was going to mention skipping frogs under docks but leave it up to the "Pride of the Eastside" to let the cat out of the bag. Yes, this can be a deadly technique with both hollow and soft bodied frogs.

It's funny, I actually caught a decent smallmouth at Lake Washington on this technique a couple weekends while targeting largemouth in the back of a marina. I was skipping a hollow frog under mooring lines to the back of boat slips and walking it out. This smallie must have been lost.

Thats a dandy:-$ and I don't think her name is candy!!:colors:

Fish on!

Geez Tag, I took so much crap for even implying I might keep a secret I thought I would offer an olive brach of sorts. Fine line here between not telling enough and telling too much.

Great post we have going here. I love buzzbaits more than anyone, and DesertCreek, I will be trying your technique very soon. I bought a pack of the Rage Shad's and its about time I got them wet. I've skipped frogs also, but have never hooked a hawg Smallie like Tag's on one

Desertcreek wrote:Geez Tag, I took so much crap for even implying I might keep a secret I thought I would offer an olive brach of sorts. Fine line here between not telling enough and telling too much.

I was just giving you some friendly razzing, Desertcreek. I don't believe in secrets in bass fishing. An angler still has to use the right tools for the conditions and execute. You made a great post about a very good technique. I have told you before, I really enjoy reading all your posts.

I wasn't upset, that was a Beaver Cleaver Geez. I don't believe in secrets either. Secret spots maybe..... baits....no.

tagwatson360 wrote:SONNN has a method he has made famous which is very good for skipping with a baitcaster.

Im assuming your talking aboot my pimp hand? Or would you be referring to my b!tch slap method? The difference be subtle, but its there.

This year I seemed to have come upon a seemingly good technique for the docks(I hate fishing docks with a passion). I got a new swimbait that falls soooo slow its basically a suspender. I couldnt count how many follows and bassies I have called out of the docks in the last 3-4 trips. Has it produced yet, nope, but Im willing to bet once these punks quit humping and get in that normal routine it will be the bass killa.

SONNN

hey Tag can you expand on skipping lighter baits like hollow frogs? I can skip jigs and swimbaits pretty well but when it comes to the light stuff I always get a bit of lash every couple of casts. The revos sure don't help but happens with the zillion as well.

Those rage tail shads are loud DC, I've only thrown them a couple of times but I'll be giving them more of a workout pretty soon.

I like "tubes" with a weighted jig head as well..

Drop shot with sniper bolts are descent for me at least.

I like to approach the dock in any particular order:

Cast past dock and work back towards dock (so sideways or Horizontal )

Cast directly underneath dock

vertically jig the dock

And, if possible cast out away from dock & work back towards dock (that makes since right..cast out into the open and then back to dock)

Ya never know how the fish are stacked up or positioned, so approach all angles in my opinion.

bpm2000 wrote:hey Tag can you expand on skipping lighter baits like hollow frogs? I can skip jigs and swimbaits pretty well but when it comes to the light stuff I always get a bit of lash every couple of casts. The revos sure don't help but happens with the zillion as well.

Those rage tail shads are loud DC, I've only thrown them a couple of times but I'll be giving them more of a workout pretty soon.

The hollow frogs I am skipping are 5/8 oz. and 3/4 oz. respectively. They offer plenty of weight and skip very well. Here are a few tips that may help:

1) Experiment with your magnetics and brake. It will take some adjusting but you will dial in the proper settings for skipping your frog with minimal overrun.
2) Use a fast action rod with lots of backbone but a relatively soft tip section. This is very important. Skipping with a pool cue is extremely difficult.
3) Use a modified side arm/roll cast with a low trajectory and a good deal of momentum.
4) Practice, practice, practice. I have become pretty proficient at this cast but there are still days where I can't execute it well for whatever reason.

Go get 'em!

I ran across the following video on newenglandfishin.net http://www.newenglandfishing.net/vgalle ... ngjigs.wmv which shows a guy skipping jigs on baitcasting gear up to floating bogs. The video doesn't show his casting motion but about a minute into the video you can start to get an idea of how hard he is throwing the jig to make it skip. The intent of the video was to show the skipping so he isn't working the jig back to the boat like he would normally.

I think I had only previously seen guys like Denny Brauer and KVD pitch skip jigs by using the underhanded "around-the-world" pitch cast and I don't recall them using as much force as shown in the video. Then again, the guy in the video is skipping the jig longer distances.

Regarding skipping hollow frogs, I wouldn't be surprised if there is some Dean Rojas video floating around out there somewhere.

How do you get these lures UNDER the docks?

Pyre wrote:How do you get these lures UNDER the docks?

There is another thread from last week that adresses just that.