While heading out to have a fishing experience one thought lingers at the back of your mind – you need to have a good day landing crappies. Coming back with a cooler full of crappies is a day well spent. There are so many crappie fishing methods, and in this post, my focus will be on shooting the docks for crappies.
It is one of the fascinating methods of crappie fishing. At first, you may be surprised at this peculiar crappie fishing method, but after a while, you will look forward to shooting the docks for crappies. After all landing more crappies is your goal and this method is a great way to catch them.
Shooting Docks for Crappies
What is it about?
Shooting the docks for crappies involves a different crappie fishing procedure which will be very successful if you follow the tips and practice often until you are perfect. To shoot the docks for crappies you will need to set up your tackle and rod, and then hold your lure at an angle like a bow before releasing it with your rod held in a parallel position over the water. The lure is propelled forward; it strikes and skips on the water to reach beneath the docks.
The force of your release propels the lure to strike the water at an angle that will make it skip and sink to reach the areas beneath the dock where the crappies are hiding. These are areas that you could not have possibly reached without shooting the docks.
To get your angles right (because you want your lure to strike and reach the crappies) it is best to shoot docks from a distance of about 15 feet. From this distance, there will be enough space for your lure to skip farther beneath the docks. However, you may practice from a closer distance until you get it right.
Why the docks?
The docks provide a perfect hiding place for crappies. If you are lucky, every time you visit the docks, there will always be a large school of crappies hiding beneath the docks. However, you may not find crappies in all docks so be quick to move along if a couple of tries do not attract any crappies.
Your Gear
- Light crappie fishing rods (5ft. to 7 ft.)
- A 4-6 pound line
- Lightweight jigs (1/24 to 1/16)
The lighter your jigs, the farther they can skip which increases your chances of catching more crappies.
Shooting docks for crappie tips
Your position
You should hold your elbow steady and withdrawn close to your body before and after release. This helps you get the right angle to make your jig skip farther.
Small bright colored jigs
These jigs are more attractive, and the light weight makes them skip better and sink slowly after hitting the water. Crappies are usually two or three feet beneath the docks. If your jigs sink slowly, the chances of getting a bite on the lure is higher.
The length of your line
It must be long enough to reach the docks from your shooting position. In many cases the space between the water and the docks is narrow. The right length of the line will help you keep the rod parallel to the water and shoot beneath the docks.
Slow Retrieval
This method has worked for many anglers. Slowly retrieving your lure allows it to sink further beneath the docks.
Practice
You need a lot of practice to get it right. Sometimes you may shoot over the docks, but when you learn the technique of releasing your line at the right time after shooting the lure, you will send it skipping beneath the docks. It is also important to hold the lure with the hook safely positioned to prevent injury during release.
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