Best Lures Off The Dock

Long weekends and warm-weather fishing are upon us! For many of you, this likely means enjoying some family fishing off the dock. With this in mind, here are some tips and recommended lures to catch more fish when dock fishing.

Every dock angler needs soft plastics. Whether fished on a jig or on a rig (e.g., Wacky, Neko, drop-shot), soft baits are a natural compliment to hard-bait tactics.

Top picks:

Stickbaits —  Smallmouth and largemouth bass can’t resist a slow-falling, quivering Pigstick. This versatile plastic will call bass out from wood and weeds, but is just as good catching fish from sand flats, rocky shorelines and other open areas. Note, the Pigstick is best paired with a Crossover Ring (applied with Crossover Pliers), which extends the plastic’s lifespan and allows for either Neko or Wacky rigging. Wacky Neko and Weedless Wacky Neko hooks also recommended.

Super TPE finesse baits — The Suspect, Ned BLT, Creeper and Mooch Minnow are ultra-durable, super-supple baits perfect for bass, panfish, pike, trout and more. Pair with a Ned Rig Jig or Neon Moon Eye Jig, between 1/16 to 1/4 ounces depending on depth. Slow swims, lift-fall retrieves and drag-pause sequences along bottom are just three potent ways to fish these soft baits off the dock.

Using a slip float or bobber to suspend a jig in the strike zone is a can’t-miss method for catching fish off the dock. The beauty of a float is it’s a strike indicator, which helps beginners know when they’ve got a bite.

Top picks:

Lighted Slip Float — The VMC Lighted Slip Float is water-activated. This illuminated float turns on as soon as it hits the water, and lets you and your family keep fishing after dark. A must-have for walleye, crappie and catfish.

Hair jigs — The Tungsten Roach Jig and Bucktail Jig are great for fishing beneath a float. Tipping one with live-bait can encourage more bites from pressured or inactive fish.

Finesse plastics and jigs — The Super TPE plastic and jig pairings noted above perform very well under a slip float.

Catching fish for decades, Blue Fox and Mepps spinners are dock-fishing essentials. Getting bites is as easy as casting the lure, then slowly reeling it back. Deadly right out of the package, tipping an inline spinner with a piece of worm can get even more bites when the fishing’s tough.

Top picks:

Fan faves — The Classic Vibrax, Vibrax Bullet Fly, Black Fury and Aglia Dressed reach depths of 2 to 6 feet, and catch just about any fish likely to be swimming near a dock.

Deep-runners — The Whip Tail Deep Runner and Agila Long are worth having when fish are feeding at six feet or deeper.

A surface lure’s ability to attract fish from far distances and elicit bites in shallow water makes it a great option for dock-fishing scenarios. Topwaters are especially potent during relatively calm to mild chop conditions, on overcast days, and during low light periods associated with dawn and dusk.

Top picks:

Poppers — A Skitter Pop or X-Rap Pop chugging, spitting and stopping occasionally across the surface will catch all kinds of fish. Great for anglers of all skill levels.

Prop baits — The metallic propellers on the Skitter Prop and X-Rap Prop create a water-churning, sputtering action reminiscent of a wounded baitfish when fished on a reel-pause retrieve. Just wait until you see a giant white mouth appear in the bubble trail of one of these baits! 

Walkers — Surface lures with a side-to-side action have a knack for getting big strikes. It takes practice to learn the retrieve cadence to make a Precision Xtreme Jowler or Skitter V dance enticingly, but the effort’s worth it.   

Having a handful of lures capable of diving between 5 to 15 feet allows you to cover different depths of the water. An advantage a floating, balsa crankbait is it rises when paused during the retrieve, and helps avoid getting hung up on obstacles or snagging bottom.

Top picks:

Squarebills — Featuring a shallow running depth, an irresistible, wobbling swim and a square lip designed to easily ricochet off of boulders, riprap and stumps, the BX Brat, OG Rocco 5 and OG Big Rocco 6 are excellent for dock fishing.

Slim shallow-runners — The Original Floating, Jointed and Ultra Light Minnow are great dock-casting baits for catching bass, panfish and other species. Slow reeling and start-stop retrieves work well.

Mid-range diving cranks — Getting deeper with a crankbait can catch more fish in sunny conditions and when fish are feeding well below the surface. Good picks are the Shad Rap, DT06, DT08 and OG Deep Tiny 7.

Dark-water winners — Casting and slowly reeling a Shad Rap, Husky Jerk, BX Minnow or  Scatter Rap Tail Dancer is one of the best ways to catch walleye at night from the dock.

Catching fish off the dock is a fun family activity perfect for long weekends and summertime, and you only need a handful of lures, soft-plastics and jigs to get in on the action. Other fishing essentials are also worth having. Important items include: Tackle Trays for protecting and organizing lures, a net for landing fish, pliers for removing hooks, scissors for cutting line, and a fillet knife and fillet glove if keeping fish for the table. Be sure to snap some pics of your dock-fishing catches and share it with us on social media, using #RapSnap for a chance to be featured!