Skipping baits under docks is a productive summer pattern. Jigs are ideal for this tactic.
July 31, 2024
By David A. Brown
Boat docks are super productive bass targets, but these wooden fortresses can be intimidating.
What to cast? Jigs dominate for their in-line efficiency. An old school Arkie style jig with an upturned head and a broader underside creates the right skipping dynamics, particularly when paired with a broad body trailer.
Jig size impacts fall rate, but it also determines momentum and skipping distance. Generally, a 1⁄2-ounce delivers a good balance, but in super-shallow water or over a soft or grassy bottom, drop down to a 3⁄8 or 5⁄16.
Beaver style or creature baits with their broad bodies create plenty of surface area to keep your bait skipping across the surface (think flat rock vs. rounder chunk rock). A bait with minimal appendages is preferred, as the less drag the better.
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Threading a full-body bait onto the jig hook is the norm, but the smaller body of a chunk trailer would typically end up too high on the shank. “Hanging” a chunk by impaling the jig hook through the upper end works for short-range flipping, but the impact of repetitive skips often pushes a chunk up the hook shank and mars the presentation.
Prevent this by running a piece of discarded worm onto the hook shank as a spacer, then hang the chunk. The worm spacer limits the chunk’s movement, so use a piece that fills the shank down to top of the bend.
You might also streamline the jig by shortening the skirt to reduce drag. Preferences vary, but a good rule of thumb is to trim the skirt level with the bottom edge of the hook bend.
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Some will also thin their jig skirts by snipping or pulling out maybe 10 to 20 percent of the skirt strands. Best to start conservative and remove more as needed. Weed guards can also lose a few pieces, especially when a sonar scan shows minimal cover—grass, blown-in brush, etc.—beneath the dock.
Aim for a spot a little outside the target and let the lure skip like a stone under the structure. Alternate Baits If you want to skip those docks with a Texas-rigged plastic, make sure you peg the sinker or the bait separation will greatly curtail the effort. Also, don’t hesitate to send your reaction baits—frogs, bladed jigs, buzzbaits, swim jigs, or soft-body swimbaits—into the dock shadows. Similarly, skipping a wacky rig shows the fish a finesse look that often scores a clean-up bonus bite after the bolder stuff has tempted a big bite or two. These various forms will have their different dynamics, so work on perfecting multiple presentations.
Thorough Coverage One of the biggest dock skipping errors has nothing to do with technique and everything to do with tactics. It’s called lucky dipping—making two or three skips from one side and moving on to the next dock. Success often requires hitting multiple sections of a dock—walkways, main decks, boat slips—and presenting your bait from multiple angles.
Some days, they’re nosing up to the deep end’s shadow line; other times, they’re tucked so far back, their tails are scraping sand. Sky conditions have a lot to do with this, as sunny times make shadows desirable, while dimmer skies may find the fish venturing outward to where shorter skips do the trick. In any case, give a promising dock several skips from different angles. Check shallow and deep and once you get a few bites, note any common details that might clue you in to a pattern.
With the right tackle and a few refinements, you’ll be surprising those shadow-hugging bass in no time. Tools and Tweaks If you’re having trouble backlashing, consider a few points: First, don’t overdo it with the rod selection. You’re not making bomb casts or reaching into cover, so start with a 7-foot medium heavy model, which offers a good balance of flex and accuracy.
Go too long and/or too heavy and you’ll find yourself exerting too much effort and that’s often the precursor to a backlash. Also, a shorter rod gives you less chance of prematurely hitting the water with your bait.
Lastly, filling your reel spool only three quarters full tends to minimize those bird’s nests. Also, it may seem like tightening the reel brake and spool tension would lessen backlashes, but too much can leave you trying too hard and this usually works against you.
This article was featured in the June issue of Florida Sportsman magazine. Click to subscribe .
