Jig Fishing the Docks at Lake of the Ozarks

[lwlittle]

I read the torunmanet results for LKOZ and Jigs seem to consistently win. I have been sucessful throwing Chompers in the back of coves, TX rigged worms in the brush annd grass and to some extent with chatterbaits around the docks. My best success around docks has always come on buzzbaits, spinners baits and crank baits in that order. Where I've been succesful with jigs it has been on shallow docks with obvious brush.

I would like to improve my success rate with jigs around the docks. I may be fishing them too fast. So my questions are: " What is the best way to fish jigs around docks? Slow fall? Retreive rate? Front or back of the dock or both? Skip under? Is brush mandatory (doesn'st seem to be)? Best jig weight and trailer style?

[Luke]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by lwlittle &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I would like to improve my success rate with jigs around the docks. I may be fishing them too fast. So my questions are: " What is the best way to fish jigs around docks? Slow fall? Retreive rate? Front or back of the dock or both? Skip under? Is brush mandatory (doesn'st seem to be)? Best jig weight and trailer style?
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pretty much summed up your own question....i fish LOZ a lot all through the year....one big thing to watch is look for docks like you have said with brush...thats a big plus,....but dont forget the docks that are on points, have a channel swing come close to them so the fish have a good quick access to deep water....also skipping is a good thing to learn....a lot of the docks have the cables that hold them to the banks...and its hard to get back under the catwalks because of the cables unless you get very close which can spook the fish...so skipping is a good thing to learn,....its a pain in the arse to learn but once you do its a huge help ....for the type of jig i use a lot of diffrent ones but the brand stays the same....ill put a plug in for a sponsor of mine (but for good reason) Omega Custom Tackle is who makes the jigs that i use i love the 1/2 oz football heads and i do think that not a lot of people pitch to docks with this jig because most believe it to be more of a deep water jig like 20'-30' or so but i have found that the faster fall with the 1/2 oz gets a lot better reaction strike from a fish if its infront of them and zooming past them...its hard for them not to hit at it....if i go lighter i use an Omega Finess jig...this jig is my go to bait when pitching docks with its head design it makes it a lot easier to skip under the docks with the flat spot on the back of the head....trailer is a big thing i think as well....in the warmer months when the fish are a little more active i like a trailer that has a lot of action...one of my favorites is a Berkley Chigger Craw....with the flappers that the Chigger craw has it makes a lot of viberation when in the water....if its in the cold months i like a trailer that does not have a lot of action....something like a Zoom Lil Critter Craw or a Yamamoto Twin tail grub...lot of diffrent things to do when you get into pitching a jig and its a must to do on LOZ with the docks being the primary cover on the lake.....lots of things to look for.....when the sun its high and up most of the fish move under the docks and under the catwalks this is where the skipping will come in.....early in the year they will suspend on the outsides of the docks in the spawn...never pass up a catwalk if it has any kind of cover under it such as brush or piers...and if it has deeper watetr on the end of the dock its even better

[20_lb_sack]

Best approach is a guiet one as you slip in and around the docks. Use the trolling motor as little as possible, don't bang the docks or hit the cables. Another thing is when they say "docks" on LOZ, they may be catching them any where from deep or shallow brush, rear walkway floats, cables, or seawall ties, as well as the main dock itself.

[akdoc]

Leonard,

I am no expert, but fishing a jig at LOZ is a fairly slow process. For me brush usually needs to be present except in the early spring and late fall when the fish are transitioning. I pitch under, over, thru or whatever to get under the dock foam, behind the cables, and in the boat slips. For dock jigs I usually use Eakins jigs in 5/16 oz in PB&J, Black/blue, Brown/purple or Missouri craw with a craw trailer to match.

I sent you an IM as well.

[lwlittle]

For some reason I am not getting any IM"s - where did you direct it to ? I'll recheck my profile - I am lwlittle01 on AOL IM

[hawgjawsTR196]

I know this particular question was geared towards pitching/flipping/skipping a jig to docks at LOZ, but keep in mind, this is done over and over and over again boat after boat. Take the advice from the above fellas and learn to skip under that dock where the average angler isn't gettin' that jig. I would only add to their advice, don't put down a wacky rigged senko or a fluke. Those two lures can also be skipped under those walkways and dock floats and fall at a much slower rate for that slower bite. I think they are quite a bit easier to skip as well. Just remember at the beginning of the day to try different docks...deep and shallow...and try front corners vs back corners vs walk ramps....this will narrow your search for which ones are producing and which ones aren't. Also, don't forget about Mr. Spotted bass to fill your limit early on a spinnerbait on rocky banks. They only have to be 12" and can get that confidence going early. Good luck!

[OsageJoe]

All of the above comments are great.. I fish LOZ a lot, and I think the biggest key is getting a bait you can skip far under the dock. I don't think the bait matters much, if you can skip it 20 or 30 ft. under the dock. I use fairly heavy line also, usually 20lb. seaguar. if I'm using a jig (3/8 or up), but go down to 10 or 12 for finnese type jigs. Brush can be important, but sometimes it doesnt matter. A lot of time the bank that the docks are on is most important, and then you can narrow it down and run a pattern, and keep simplifying. You then may end up only fishing 1 or 2 select docks, but hit 30 coves. Hope this helps.

[waterfoul]

LOZ?? I've always refered to it as LOTO (Lake Of The Ozarks). Been there 7 times... but only fished it once... with very little luck (years and years ago). Kinda hard to fish out of a 24' Baja Outlaw at 65 mph! LOL!!! Now that I'm back into fishing (hard core I might add!) I need to get back down there. We always stayed at MM20... just around the corner from where Shooters 21 used to be. Always a fun place to vacation for sure.

[lwlittle]

I should have asked opinions on color - I usually throw Black and Blue or some variation of brown, watermellon and pumpkin.

PS - you can fish out of a Baja but trolling is a bit noisy and challenging

[waterfoul]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by lwlittle &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

PS - you can fish out of a Baja but trolling is a bit noisy and challenging </TD></TR></TABLE>

No rod holders!! LOL!!

I fished from that boat ONE time... Lake Erie. And the three of us stayed on the swim platform the whole time... NO HOOKS and NO BAIT in the boat!

[hawgjawsTR196]

With the jig color i think it's tough to beat PB & J with a matching twin tail chompers trailer. If the water is a littler more stained or muddies i'll dip the ends of the trailer in orange or yellow dye. For the senko i like to go with green pumpkin or watermellon pepper. With the fluke i'd go with a shad immitation in silver/gray or gold with black back.