Not All Docks Are Created Equal

By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor

After watching Hank Cherry skip a jig effortlessly under docks and pontoons around a Lake Norman pocket for about 10 minutes, I asked the reigning Bassmaster Elite Series Rookie of the Year just how long it took him to develop such a skill.

"About 2 weeks," he said, as he reared back and flung a white half-ounce jig out of sight up under a pontoon boat that looked like it hadn't been used in months, maybe years.

That sounds about right considering Norman is a dock fisherman's dream with every creek, pocket, nook and cranny lined with docks of all kinds, ranging from giant floating structures with room for multiple vessels to simple wooden docks set on wood pilings.

During a recent half-day fun-fishing trip to Norman, he gave BassFan a quick rundown of what to look for and how to pick apart boat docks. It's always interesting to get a pro's take on certain tactics, but when it's on that angler's home lake, it's an added bonus.

Cherry has a long history on Norman. He's won two BFLs there and finished 4th at the 2007 FLW Tour event. He also won a Nitro boat there for winning an Oakley Big Bass event a few years ago and used the boat to fish his way to the Elite Series.

He knows Norman as well as anyone and knows which pockets and coves and, more importantly, which docks can be more productive than others, especially during the springtime warm-up.

"I'd say 95 percent of the tournaments on this lake and Lake Wylie are won off docks," he said. "You can catch big ones, but there are different ways to do it."

I joined him for a few hours of fishing the morning of Good Friday. Conditions were overcast with a bit of a brisk breeze. Water temperatures had dropped significantly earlier in the week and were hovering around 60 degrees no matter where we went.

What To Look For

Cherry is a no-nonsense guy and that attitude comes across in his fishing. He prefers big baits (more on that later) and refuses to tie on a shaky-head even when conditions may be conducive for it.

As he motored toward the first pocket, he shuts down just inside the mouth and trolls to the first stretch of docks. He starts firing a 6-inch jointed hard-body swimbait around, hoping to coax a bite from a fish keying on shad that are literally everywhere.

The overcast skies don't make for optimum dock-fishing conditions – Cherry prefers sunny conditions – but as the spring turns to summer and fish make their move from the shallows out to deeper water, docks will be a key player in the coming weeks.

"You always hear everyone talk about transition zones. When it comes to docks, you want the ones leading out of the pockets – the last two or three," Cherry said. "The way it works here, they'll go to the beds, then back to the docks and then work their way out.

"A majority or a big group of fish will get back out (on the main lake), but the docks out by the mouth or on points will hold fish longer and basically, that's because of bait migration and current."

With so many docks to choose from on a lake like Norman, it takes a keen eye to know how to separate the good ones from the rest. Cherry likes to see a significant depth change from the shore side of the dock to the end.

"Typically, you want a dock that's real shallow on the back and real deep on the front, like 1 or 2 feet dropping into 30," he said. "It gives them a place where they can pull up and pull off. Dock-fishing is no different than ledge-fishing. It's the same principles."

Float 'Em If You Got 'Em

The fish are in a funky mood – Cherry's caught a couple, but nothing of size – and there are massive shad balls in literally every pocket we move into. He pulls into another area, again with dock after dock after dock, and points out one in particular.

"I've caught more 4-pounders off this dock than any other dock on the lake," he says, pointing to the simple wooden dock that has no roof and has a late-model pontoon boat tied up to one side.

Black plastic pontoons support the end platform and the walkway is flanked by wood pilings. It's a dock buffet to Cherry.

"There have been two docks built there since I've been fishing this lake, but that one has a ton of manmade brush around it and it's got an old creek channel that runs off into deep water so it's right there on their travel route," he said when asked why he thinks it's been so productive.

He prefers docks built on black floats with boats tied up to them for two reasons.

"Earlier in the year, the black floats will hold heat so it gives them a place to get right up underneath," he said. "When it's time for the shad to spawn, they seem to prefer pontoons and black floats over the old Styrofoam and wood. That changes throughout the country depending on where you go, though."

All By Their Lonesome

On a lake with so many docks, it's hard to find those that stand out from the crowd. There are some areas not just on Norman, but on many other lakes, where Cherry says small clusters of docks or stand-alone docks can equal good fishing.

"Docks that are by themselves are good," he said. "I prefer docks that don't look quite as fishy as other docks just because I don't think they get as many lures thrown at them. A lot of what makes a dock good is what's around it – whether it's sitting on sand or clay or a rocky point or a secondary point.

"Most of the time when you get into a place that has like 50 docks in a row, it's not that good, but if you get where there are 10 docks scattered around, your chances are better because there are less places for them to be."

Timing Pattern

According to Cherry, conventional wisdom seems to be that the best time to fish docks is in the middle of the day when the sun is blazing. When the sun is high in the sky, it creates distinct shade lines that can position fish and make them easier to target.

"People always say high noon when the sun is the highest," he said. "As long it's a typical sunny day from start to finish, those are my favorite times to fish docks. There's a lot more reason for them to be there when the sun's out."

There are times, though, when the fish will slide in and out of the shade.

"Shady spots are good especially as it's warming up because they'll use it as an ambush spot," he said. "There will be times when they'll actually prefer the sunny side and take the heat over the shade.

"Most of the time, especially in this part of the country, the way we dock-fish is you want to try to get it as far back into the darkest, deepest part of the dock as you can to be successful. It doesn't always have to be that way. Sometimes, you'll have stupid ones that just come out and get it, but once it starts getting pressured and everybody starts doing it, that's the key to catch the bigger ones."

Gear Up

There are many ways to fish docks, depending on the conditions and presence of bait. In fact, Cherry says there's no wrong way to go about it.

"There are tons of ways to fish them," he said. "You can burn a spinnerbait or topwater across the front or down the sides. You can throw jerkbaits around them, crank or flip or skip a jig. There's no right or wrong way to fish a dock."

All morning, Cherry threw above-average sized baits and got bit by spotted bass, largemouth and even a bluegill that was barely the length of the swimbait it was caught on. He tends to think people sometimes skimp on bait size when fishing docks, thinking it's more of a numbers thing.

"There's a time and a place for everything," he says as he refers to some of the non-keepers he's been catching on a bulky half-ounce jig. "If they'll bite it, why downsize? The point isn't to catch many of them. The point is to catch five. I can understand trying to downsize to get your fifth one in the boat, but coming out of the gate doing that doesn't make sense."

Anglers need to pay attention to the forage the bass may be keying on. If the docks are around brush or rock, crawfish colors and shapes could be productive. If shad are spawning, topwaters and shad patterns will work. When bluegills start spawning and bass are around, use baits that imitate panfish.

In terms of tackle, Cherry doesn't skimp there either. His front deck was littered with Abu Garcia Veracity casting rods (he had one spinning rod, but it was used sparingly).

"The only reel I flip with is the (Abu Garcia) Revo MGX, the 7.9:1 version," he said. "I like the retrieve speed and it's smooth. I put that on a 7'6" Veracity heavy action. I prefer heavy where some people may prefer more tip. I just feel like when I'm skipping docks and trying to make that long cast I think that heavy rod pushes that bait further through the water."

When skipping jigs, he opts for a 9/16-ounce jig rigged on 20-pound P-Line fluorocarbon line.