Docks line the shorelines of many lakes and rivers across Louisiana. Each dock creates excellent cover for big fish to hide from prey and avian predators. Practically every angler fishes around docks, but most simply hit the outside pilings or troll baits past them. For the really big slabs, put baits where few other people dare to fish.
“The farther a person can get a bait underneath the dock, the better the chances of a big fish taking the bait,” said James Blaine Salter, Jr., whose father, a legend in Louisiana crappie fishing, started Salter’s Jiggin’ Pole and Tackle (225-627-5151, www.saltersjigginpole.com) in Erwinville in 1981. “Getting baits into spots that most other people can’t imagine fishing gives us an advantage over other anglers because most people won’t even attempt to do it because they’re afraid to get hung up.”
To get way back under cover, try “shooting docks.” This essentially means turning a fishing rod into a bow. With the rod and line parallel to the water, hold a bait and bend the rod to build up energy. Aim at a good spot and release the bait. When released, the unbending rod flings small lures under places few other people can reach. If done correctly, expert shooters can hurl baits under entangling cover with remarkable accuracy.
What to use
Many anglers use flexible light or ultralight spinning rods about five to seven feet long to fling 1/64- to 1/8-ounce jigheads tipped with plastic trailers under the docks. Some anglers use Road Runner jighead spinners, beetle spinners or other lures. Just about any crappie temptation could work if placed in the right spot. Live minnows could work, but they frequently fly off the hook from the force.
“Often, when crappie are deep under the docks, there’s no other way to get to them, but shoot to them,” said John Harrison with John Harrison Fishing (318-278-3149), a guide who lives on Caney Lake. “I like to use a six-foot B’n’M SharpShooter 6 spinning rod. It’s very limber, but has enough backbone to get bigger fish out so they don’t wrap around the dock pilings.”
Salter shoots a slightly different way. Essentially, he turns a fly rod upside down to keep the bait low. He can hit a half-inch cork more than 70 feet away with a 1/32-ounce jig. He also teaches people, including some very young anglers, to shoot baits with great accuracy.
“My dad loved to fly fish,” Salter said. “By fly fishing, an angler can take a light bait and create a whip action above the rod to throw that bait 20 or 30 feet and put it right where it needs to go. Our whole concept is how to turn that fly rod system upside down to keep our baits low. Imagine creating that whipping action right underneath the rod!”
Salter’s technique
Salter started with a 10-foot, Salter’s Jiggin’ Pole, but went down to an eight-foot rod. He also attached an SJP trigger underneath the rod.
“With the palm of the hand up, slide your hand down the line and pinch the head of the bait between your thumb and index finger,” he said. “It’s like when Spiderman shoots his web. With my opposite hand, I pull the bait down as close to the water as possible. I hold the rod under my forearm so my arm sticks straight out level with the water. Wherever I point the rod, I just push the rod right where I’m aiming and release the trigger. That keeps the bait dead-on where the rod is pointing.”
After the jig hits the water, many anglers use a stop-and-drop retrieve. Crappie like slow-sinking baits fluttering down right in front their noses and commonly hit falling baits. Anglers might not even detect subtle strikes, especially as the water turns colder.
“Most often, I use a 1/32- to a 1/16-ounce jighead on 6-pound-test K9 high-visibility fluorocarbon line so I can see the lines better,” Harrison said. “With a lighter jighead, I can skip a bait across the water so it gets way back underneath the dock. I always watch the line. When the bait slowly falls, we start the retrieve. When crappie grab the bait, we might only see the line jump or stop falling. We might not even feel the bite.”
Use a cork
Crappie regularly suspend about halfway down in the water and hang near the pilings. Salter uses a slip-float system to fish baits vertically underneath a dock. He wants the bait to suspend right in a big crappie’s face.
“I normally use a half-inch cork, not a bobber,” Salter said. “The sound of that cork compared to a bobber makes a big difference. I pop that sliding cork and work it slowly out from beneath that dock. When we pull it, it makes a sound that mimics a shad or shiner feeding on the surface. That makes crappie look up for the bait.”
Give the cork just a slight pop. Barely move it two to three inches. The popping action makes the bait rise upward and then slowly descend. Let it sink back to the designated depth and sit for a few seconds. Then, pop it again.
Any docks might hold crappie, bass, bream and other fish species all year. Older docks with crusty pilings naturally make the best fishing spots since they’ve been in the water longer. An opening covered by an intact spider web indicates that no one fished that spot for a while.
“In the summer, crappie get under docks for shade, but many fish stay under docks all year long,” Harrison said. “Also, when crappie get under too much fishing pressure, they get as far back under docks as they can. I ride around side-imaging the docks looking for suspended fish. When I see fish, I’ll mark those docks and come back to shoot only the ones where I saw fish.”
Docked boats are best
Never overlook boats tied to docks. Sometimes, moored boats sit unused for long periods. Algae grows on them. That feeds minnows and other small creatures, attracting crappie. Floating pontoon boats create many places to shoot jigs.
“A dock with a little space between it and a boat makes a great place to fish, but look out for ropes tied to the boat,” Harrison said. “Hold the rod vertically to shoot a bait in the space between the boat and the dock. With pontoon boats, we can shoot baits right under the boat between the pontoons, especially ones on a boat lift a little out of the water.”
Many owners establish brush piles near their docks. Any dock with rod holders and lights positioned to shine over the water probably faces a brush pile or two. In addition, many dock owners toss leftover bait, fish carcasses or food scraps into the water. These morsels attract sunfish, shiners, shad and other forage species, which could attract giant slabs.
As water cools in the fall, fish turn more active and gorge themselves on shad to fatten up for the coming winter. Shad head for deeper water when temperatures plummet. Crappie follow the shad.
“November is the best time to go fishing,” Salter said. “The crappie become more active as the water cools. Louisiana in November is usually not bitter cold. The weather is still pleasant for the most part.”
What to look for
As water temperatures chill, search for docks near deeper drop-offs. A dock at the edge of a channel swing or tributary ditch makes a great place to look for big slabs in the fall. With access to deeper or shallower water, crappie might stay around such docks all year long and move up or out as conditions change.
Shooting baits could also work around culverts, low bridges, overhanging brush or trees, any tight spaces. Cypress trees dominate many Louisiana shorelines. Shooters can fling baits around cypress trees, knees, stumps and other objects.
“When I’m fishing cypress, I look for low-hanging trees where moss hangs in the water with a grass bed by it,” Salter said. “I try to find grass beds and cover on the outside edges of those low cypress trees, not necessarily up against the trunks. The grass provides habitat for grass shrimp, shad and other little creatures.”
Navigable waters belong to the public, but docks not on public lands remain private. Therefore, people can fish around any docks as long as they stay floating on public water and don’t step onto the private docks.