In the heat of summer even fish will look for places to find shade and relief from the sun. One of the most common places to do this on most lakes is around boat docks.
I have seen boat docks just big enough to get in and out of a fishing boat all the way up to ones that look like a floating city. I fished around docks on Lake Cumberland and Dale Hollow Lake so large they drove full-size delivery trucks on the docks to deliver supplies to the dock and stores.
Whatever the shape and size of a dock it, just like everything in fishing, has a better way to fish around it. There are several things about a dock to look at when wanting to fish around it, things like size of the dock, shape, covered or uncovered areas, shade and sunlight areas on the dock that change during the day, lights that light up areas at night, any cover on or close to the dock, depth of water under the dock and the presence of baitfish. All these things play a huge roll in deciding where to fish .
Most docks are fish magnets and will hold fish like bass, bluegill, crappie and catfish. All these fish will hang around docks looking for shade food and a safe place to hold on. Baitfish will hang around docks and feed.
When fishing around docks in the heat of the day, look for shaded areas or where you can cast back under a dock for best results. Small baits like worms, jigs, spinner baits and crank baits work well. Live bait is great for crappie and bass.
If you have not fished docks in a while, give it a try soon.
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