I do not get to fish piers or docks cause I am usually standing on them. Lol. I have to tell you, Matt, and I am not kissing up, but you have the best channel on u tube. Thank you cause I have learned so much in the last year and a couple months
Hey Shannon, try casting to the piers or docks from shore first. Working from back to front at any angles. Then when you know there is no more fish underneath. Walk on and fish. Good luck.
Great job on making these videos. I take notes on the videos and put them in a phone file to use later. You have grest tips will really help me catch fish. Your videos really help me clarify my bait selection for the different techniques. Thanks for all this great info.
You had me at “dock”….I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I have never seen a dock I didn’t like🤑. By far my favorite way to fish for them. They hold bass year round and some “ bigguns” The casting is as enjoyable as the catching for me and every dock is a little different. Your bait choices are solid. When you are able to put your bait where they should be, more times then not, you get bit. Thanks for sharing🍺.
I don't get to fish docks all that often in my area as the lakes here just don't have them. But the docks down in the bay and back in the rivers I spend a good bit of time picking apart. I use an arkie jig with a flat, wide head or I use a wacky rig. Sometimes I wacky rig a shaky head for a faster fall.
I don't know if you have ever watched it before but Hook n' Look has a cool show and you can get a underwater view of how bass react to baits and setup around docks as well as other cover. Thanks for the tips!
Hey Matt! Totally agree with you. On the alternative bait, jerk bait, it’s hard to beat either a pearl fluke or a bream colored fluke in the right water visibility. Thanks!
Hey Matt, Great info as usual. It's been my experience that some lakes are much better "dock" lakes than others. Never could figure that out. Also, if you're just fishing the dock and not skipping under the pontoon boat moored next to it, you are passing up some of the better fish. I have fished with some tourney guys who have developed an art of skipping a 4 inch wacky rig or weighted tube into the small opening between a pontoon boat's outboard and the actual pontoon. Fore handed or back handed, makes no difference to them. A masterful casting skill! Of course, hooking a big bass under a pontoon boat is not for the weak-of-heart.
Matt, great video...as always, but you forgot one of my favorite baits...a hollow-bodied frog!!!! I catch a lot of fish on a frog under docks. I can fearlessly cast a frog anywhere I like & a frog fished in open water has a great hookup ratio.
Stick bait all day long under docks and especially pontoon boats in Wisconsin. Best dock fishing I've had was on Midwest anchored dock's. I loved them an really miss them.
I love me some dock fishing!!! My favorite way of fishing docks is to skip a big TRD or Hula Stick(Ned Rig). I haven’t mastered skipping a jig with a bait caster yet😂, but I’m working on it.
Very concise I learned a lot. I really like the way you define the location in the country versus bait color. I sometimes forget how important that is. There are bluegill on shad and Herring Lakes. If I am choosing to mimic bait color I have to consider the clarity of the water and the location and the time of year & water depth. These things are kind of a challenge to me but I'm still learning everyday. Thank you
So- say you skip that swim jig back under a dock and you let if all, start retrieving- and feel your line rubbing across a cable or cross beam or something- how do you then make sure you don't get hung when your jig reaches it? Do you slowly reel up to it and then ease it over, do you reel up to it and then jerk it over, or do you just sort of keep trying until you feel it find its way over it somehow? Because I can feel them, then I reel up to them- and it doesn't seem to matter what I do- when I try and bring that swim jig over the cable, it gets hung. At least I think it's a cable, maybe a 2x4 beam or something- it's too deep to see, stretching from post to post- so it's some kind of support for the dock. The way your line moves to the side as you try and come over it- it sort of seems like two cables crossed in an X config. between the posts.
Another over looked set up is the charlie brewer , do nothing worm hooks with a 4" trick worm .. easy to skip , just let it sit on bottom for few seconds , they will come get it , best to wait on hook set till you feel the fishes weight
This was a great video thank you for sharing that information I'm new to Minnesota(1 season) and I'm from Southern California where most of the lakes fish different. I know it's winter time, but hearing you say you are live in Wisconsin I'd imagine you are very familiar with Minnesota lakes. Most of the lakes I fish from Lake Koronis, to Washington and Stella . They all are lakes that have really a lot of grass once we are in mid June and beyond. Most lakes have a pretty thick grass line out to 8-10' of water and then tapering grass out to 12-14' . You may want to wait until summer but I'd like a similar video you did today but how you'd tackle this grass...I'm not asking for how I can catch fish in Minnesota because I have started to figure out the 8-15' of water decently with my under spins/kaitech, swimbaits, crankbaits/jerkbaits etc...I need to know how to tackle the grass better and feel confident that I'm fishing the most productive techniques. If it's flipping, what are you flipping, colors, baits, Texas rig? Or jigs or both? Are there moving baits besides a frog or is that what you'd throw? I just need 5 confidence techniques that I can employ when trying to tackle the thick and sometimes thin grass in all the lakes around me... Another video I'd absolutely love is how do you go about finding smallmouth in the smallmouth lakes here in Minnesota...koronis and others I've slammed tons of LMB but when trying to find a smallmouth bite which I know these lakes have I'm not really sure how to find the productive area's. How do I go about finding smallmouth holdings on lakes with tons of LMB and smallies in there.. I prefer to catch smallies but it seems easier to find LMB...any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for all you do
I use a swim jig alot and I like using a rage swimmer as a trailer and sometimes I add a small willow leaf blade on a screw lock on the bottom i feel like I get more bites like that.
Thanks Matt. The lake I usually fish doesn’t have docks but started fishing another lake this year with lots of them. Very educational. Had no idea bass relate so close to the bottom most of the time. I thought maybe they suspend mostly under them. Always enjoy your videos. Keep um coming!
Man, your Guppy Head is deadly for me around docks!! The size of bass that hit that tiny bait is amazing... BONUS: Crappies can resist it either! Yum!!!
So Matt, if the bass are on the bottom in deep water, based on the angle of the sun, the shade patch might not be anywhere under the dock. Do you find the bass then off to the side and not related to the dock, just the shade?
GREAT info as usual Matt!! Thanks I needed this video and the other one you put out on fishing docks. Just in time because I'll be in a tournament this weekend where there will be plenty of docks to fish.
Hey where I live right on the Ohio river there is a ton of rip rap banks and I want to target smallmouth what bait could I use that won't get hung everytime I throw
You mentioned fishing the bottom under deep docks like 30 feet. Do you think the shade is stright down from where you see it on the surface or do you think there is an adjustment for where the shade is 30 foot down. Maybe I am getting to technical but if they are using the dock shade it could be important
If there's one reason to learn how to skip a cast it's to better fish docks. I suck at skipping, but given that dock fishing is such a huge part of a fishing plan every time I head out I keep practicing at it. I think if you can improve your skipping to where you can effectively fish docks your fishing world will open up and expand tremendously.
Are you out on any Wisconsin waters right now? I started cleaning up my tackle and am ready to get on my kayak. Just not sure about where to go first. I was thinking the local Rock River vs a nearby lake.
Do you have guidance on what to wear on the water? I saw you had some neat looking gloves in the last tournament. Usually I’m a few layers and my water proof jacket and pants plus some warm socks and water boots. Do you have go to items in 40ish degree weather?
Grew up fishing the Madison Chain. Docks were huge. Question though and this goes back to what series you were going to fish. Can a MLF pro fish or enter Bassmaster Opens or other Bassmaster tournaments while also competing in any of the MLF tournaments?
Dont have many docks in my area . I’m familiar with all those technics but would like to improve my shaky heads skills! I’m going to try the new SMH worms and SMH jig heads from Zman this summer , what is your favourite plastic for a shaky head regarding small mouth. ? Thank you 🙏🏻!
Great tips! What weight swim jigs do you recommend for skipping docks? I started to get the hang of skipping a flipping jig and have more luck casting a heavier one like a 1/2oz, but I wonder if that weight or a 3/8 swim jig would be too hard to keep up high. Thanks!
@@MattStefanFishing I'll be fishing for crappies, blue gills, when I think I have one on line it ends up being a turtle. I've had a few that take the bait under the dock and get the line tied around the posts
Hey Mr stafan what about a tube bait rigged stupid tube style. Hey Matt I heard a comment from Trey kistler saying it's impossible to skip docks with a baitcaster and matt that statement is ridiculous and matt I have the skipping reel that Lew's came out with unfortunately I haven't been able to go fishing this year because of my medical issues herniated discs in my back I need emergency hip surgery so I've been pretty bored this season. Hey Matt my doctor gave me this super powerful anti anflamitory pill and matt you would not believe how much pain this pill has taken away from me what a relief. I know this has nothing to do with fishing. But I appreciate you listening. Matt I can't wait to move to Minnesota. Hey Matt I have a whole bunch of your guppy jigheads and when I bought them I said to myself who is this guy matt Stefan'. Well I don't have to say that anymore. Thanks again for everything you do to try and make us weekend angler's much better fisherman. God bless you and your family your pal fisherman Mike. Ps I hope your son hank is doing well and the rest of the family to .
I do not get to fish piers or docks cause I am usually standing on them. Lol. I have to tell you, Matt, and I am not kissing up, but you have the best channel on u tube. Thank you cause I have learned so much in the last year and a couple months
Right on!
Hey Shannon, try casting to the piers or docks from shore first. Working from back to front at any angles. Then when you know there is no more fish underneath. Walk on and fish. Good luck.
Great job on making these videos. I take notes on the videos and put them in a phone file to use later. You have grest tips will really help me catch fish. Your videos really help me clarify my bait selection for the different techniques. Thanks for all this great info.
You had me at “dock”….I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I have never seen a dock I didn’t like🤑. By far my favorite way to fish for them. They hold bass year round and some “ bigguns” The casting is as enjoyable as the catching for me and every dock is a little different. Your bait choices are solid. When you are able to put your bait where they should be, more times then not, you get bit. Thanks for sharing🍺.
haha! Right on!
Matt Stephan is my hero!!
haha
As a bank angler, I love fishing the docks. Great spots for bass waiting to prey on a passing meal. Posts, corners, etc. Thanks Matt. ✌🏻🎣
Couldn't agree more!
I don't get to fish docks all that often in my area as the lakes here just don't have them. But the docks down in the bay and back in the rivers I spend a good bit of time picking apart. I use an arkie jig with a flat, wide head or I use a wacky rig. Sometimes I wacky rig a shaky head for a faster fall.
sounds good to me
I don't know if you have ever watched it before but Hook n' Look has a cool show and you can get a underwater view of how bass react to baits and setup around docks as well as other cover. Thanks for the tips!
kim strickers show! love it!
@@MattStefanFishing exactly! Your viewers should check it out, he's on TH-cam now.
Hey Matt! Totally agree with you. On the alternative bait, jerk bait, it’s hard to beat either a pearl fluke or a bream colored fluke in the right water visibility. Thanks!
Right on!
Hey Matt, Great info as usual. It's been my experience that some lakes are much better "dock" lakes than others. Never could figure that out. Also, if you're just fishing the dock and not skipping under the pontoon boat moored next to it, you are passing up some of the better fish. I have fished with some tourney guys who have developed an art of skipping a 4 inch wacky rig or weighted tube into the small opening between a pontoon boat's outboard and the actual pontoon. Fore handed or back handed, makes no difference to them. A masterful casting skill! Of course, hooking a big bass under a pontoon boat is not for the weak-of-heart.
being a precision caster is a big part in being a successful dock fisherman
Matt, great video...as always, but you forgot one of my favorite baits...a hollow-bodied frog!!!! I catch a lot of fish on a frog under docks. I can fearlessly cast a frog anywhere I like & a frog fished in open water has a great hookup ratio.
Good call!
Stick bait all day long under docks and especially pontoon boats in Wisconsin. Best dock fishing I've had was on Midwest anchored dock's. I loved them an really miss them.
thanks for sharing
I love me some dock fishing!!! My favorite way of fishing docks is to skip a big TRD or Hula Stick(Ned Rig). I haven’t mastered skipping a jig with a bait caster yet😂, but I’m working on it.
Sounds great!
Thanks for those tips!!!!👊🏻 Stay Safe & God Bless!!
You too!
Matt love the info you share really helps! Thanks for all you share with us!
My pleasure!
Good info as always, thanks for the vid
You bet
Very concise I learned a lot. I really like the way you define the location in the country versus bait color.
I sometimes forget how important that is. There are bluegill on shad and Herring Lakes. If I am choosing to mimic bait color I have to consider the clarity of the water and the location and the time of year & water depth. These things are kind of a challenge to me but I'm still learning everyday.
Thank you
you can never learn to much!
All great tips. That wacky rigged 5" maxscent general skips good and has worked so many times for me around docks.
Good stuff!
So- say you skip that swim jig back under a dock and you let if all, start retrieving- and feel your line rubbing across a cable or cross beam or something- how do you then make sure you don't get hung when your jig reaches it? Do you slowly reel up to it and then ease it over, do you reel up to it and then jerk it over, or do you just sort of keep trying until you feel it find its way over it somehow? Because I can feel them, then I reel up to them- and it doesn't seem to matter what I do- when I try and bring that swim jig over the cable, it gets hung. At least I think it's a cable, maybe a 2x4 beam or something- it's too deep to see, stretching from post to post- so it's some kind of support for the dock. The way your line moves to the side as you try and come over it- it sort of seems like two cables crossed in an X config. between the posts.
i usually try to reel up and pop over
Finally tried some max scent. Seems they liked it:-) thanks for all your guidance and encouragement Matt
Fantastic!
Extra good with all this info .We gonna be catching .Preciate all your information.
Glad to help
Another over looked set up is the charlie brewer , do nothing worm hooks with a 4" trick worm .. easy to skip , just let it sit on bottom for few seconds , they will come get it , best to wait on hook set till you feel the fishes weight
thanks for sharing!
Great tips Matt! Dirty Jigs makes great products at a great price point!
Yes they do
This was a great video thank you for sharing that information
I'm new to Minnesota(1 season) and I'm from Southern California where most of the lakes fish different. I know it's winter time, but hearing you say you are live in Wisconsin I'd imagine you are very familiar with Minnesota lakes. Most of the lakes I fish from Lake Koronis, to Washington and Stella . They all are lakes that have really a lot of grass once we are in mid June and beyond. Most lakes have a pretty thick grass line out to 8-10' of water and then tapering grass out to 12-14' . You may want to wait until summer but I'd like a similar video you did today but how you'd tackle this grass...I'm not asking for how I can catch fish in Minnesota because I have started to figure out the 8-15' of water decently with my under spins/kaitech, swimbaits, crankbaits/jerkbaits etc...I need to know how to tackle the grass better and feel confident that I'm fishing the most productive techniques. If it's flipping, what are you flipping, colors, baits, Texas rig? Or jigs or both? Are there moving baits besides a frog or is that what you'd throw? I just need 5 confidence techniques that I can employ when trying to tackle the thick and sometimes thin grass in all the lakes around me...
Another video I'd absolutely love is how do you go about finding smallmouth in the smallmouth lakes here in Minnesota...koronis and others I've slammed tons of LMB but when trying to find a smallmouth bite which I know these lakes have I'm not really sure how to find the productive area's. How do I go about finding smallmouth holdings on lakes with tons of LMB and smallies in there.. I prefer to catch smallies but it seems easier to find LMB...any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for all you do
my top 5 grass baits for minnesota/wisconsin are swim jig, casting jig, texas rig, and a frog
@@MattStefanFishing thank you so much for taking the time to individually to my message. I appreciate you. Thanks
Thanks Matt!🙏🏽 This video combined with your one on which docks to fish has me pumped for my next outing!🙌🏽
Great to hear!
I use a swim jig alot and I like using a rage swimmer as a trailer and sometimes I add a small willow leaf blade on a screw lock on the bottom i feel like I get more bites like that.
thanks for sharing
Love your expert tips.
Glad you like them!
Thanks Matt really good info like usual.
Glad you liked it!
Great stuff. Appreciate the tips.
You bet!
Loving the channel so far. Newly subbed. Keep up the good content!
Awesome, thank you!
Thanks Matt. The lake I usually fish doesn’t have docks but started fishing another lake this year with lots of them. Very educational. Had no idea bass relate so close to the bottom most of the time. I thought maybe they suspend mostly under them. Always enjoy your videos. Keep um coming!
You bet!
Wow. And I thought I had issues with being a tackle junkie....keep up the great work!
You and me both!
Man, your Guppy Head is deadly for me around docks!! The size of bass that hit that tiny bait is amazing...
BONUS: Crappies can resist it either! Yum!!!
You got that right!
Would love to see your set ups for skipping. Spinning and bait casting.
Noted!
Second that.
Loved it again bro
Glad to hear it
Great info Matt! Love the channel! Love the Striker hoodie, is that available somewhere? I don’t see it on the Striker site.
they no longer offer it unfortunatly
@@MattStefanFishing Bummer, thanks Matt!
So Matt, if the bass are on the bottom in deep water, based on the angle of the sun, the shade patch might not be anywhere under the dock. Do you find the bass then off to the side and not related to the dock, just the shade?
yep they will be in the shade
GREAT info as usual Matt!! Thanks I needed this video and the other one you put out on fishing docks. Just in time because I'll be in a tournament this weekend where there will be plenty of docks to fish.
good luck!
@@MattStefanFishing Thank you!! It’s on Table Rock so we’ll need it. Ha
Hey where I live right on the Ohio river there is a ton of rip rap banks and I want to target smallmouth what bait could I use that won't get hung everytime I throw
topwater can be deadly for smallmouth on rip rap banks.. But the water cant be rolling mud
You mentioned fishing the bottom under deep docks like 30 feet. Do you think the shade is stright down from where you see it on the surface or do you think there is an adjustment for where the shade is 30 foot down. Maybe I am getting to technical but if they are using the dock shade it could be important
its all about sun angles. the deepest shad might not even be under the dock if the sun angle is right
@@MattStefanFishing thats what I was thinking. I never fished real deep docks.
i started fishing docks with a tube last summer and it’s been pretty deadly in a lot of the indiana lakes i fish
awesome!
If there's one reason to learn how to skip a cast it's to better fish docks. I suck at skipping, but given that dock fishing is such a huge part of a fishing plan every time I head out I keep practicing at it. I think if you can improve your skipping to where you can effectively fish docks your fishing world will open up and expand tremendously.
agreed!
If I laid out a floating mat or curtain, how long would it take bass to find it?
probably not long at all on a sunny summer day.
Hey Matt: What length rod would you use to skip these baits under docks if SITTING DOWN IN A KAYAK?
7ft
Are you out on any Wisconsin waters right now? I started cleaning up my tackle and am ready to get on my kayak. Just not sure about where to go first. I was thinking the local Rock River vs a nearby lake.
Do you have guidance on what to wear on the water? I saw you had some neat looking gloves in the last tournament. Usually I’m a few layers and my water proof jacket and pants plus some warm socks and water boots. Do you have go to items in 40ish degree weather?
still have ice up here around stevens point. All my cold weather gear is striker. check their stuff out!
Grew up fishing the Madison Chain. Docks were huge.
Question though and this goes back to what series you were going to fish.
Can a MLF pro fish or enter Bassmaster Opens or other Bassmaster tournaments while also competing in any of the MLF tournaments?
you can enter them but they often overlap preventing someone from fishing both full circuits
Dont have many docks in my area . I’m familiar with all those technics but would like to improve my shaky heads skills! I’m going to try the new SMH worms and SMH jig heads from Zman this summer , what is your favourite plastic for a shaky head regarding small mouth. ? Thank you 🙏🏻!
4 inch maxscent berkley general
Great tips! What weight swim jigs do you recommend for skipping docks? I started to get the hang of skipping a flipping jig and have more luck casting a heavier one like a 1/2oz, but I wonder if that weight or a 3/8 swim jig would be too hard to keep up high.
Thanks!
i use a 3/8 oz swim jig or 1/2 oz flipping jig for skipping docks
@@MattStefanFishing Thanks! Much appreciated!
@@johndeluca1614 And a wider or heavier trailer helps keep it high
It's getting time for docks .
yes sir
Great video with solid information, Give me my jigs and a dock and I am in heaven.
Right on!
Don't run across many docks where I fish, and unfortunately when l do they usually have no fishing signs up.
thats a bummer
They don't own the water...
Here's a question. I do primarily bank fishing, and when I dock fish I have problems with turtles. Any suggestions? Thanks
problems in what way?
@@MattStefanFishing I'll be fishing for crappies, blue gills, when I think I have one on line it ends up being a turtle. I've had a few that take the bait under the dock and get the line tied around the posts
They have taken my lures using bed rig and wacky rigs. One of the turtles I managed to walk up the bank was the size of a medium watermelon.
Do you ever skip a weightless stickbait Texas rigged instead of doing it wacky? I always get scared that the wacky hook will get snagged
i do all the time when fishing heavy cover
If you’re skipping docks getting snagged is just part of the deal, you’re gonna lose baits
Do you or anyone else you know try crawfish traps during practice to see what color the crayfish are or is that against the rules?
its not against the rules. I havent set any traps myself but I do usually try to keep an eye out for them when fishing.
Subscribed
Thanks!
the only bait I would add is a tube bait. Those things are so easy to skip under a dock and the bass will hit them year round.
its a good bait
Spinner bait, crank bait,bladed jig,shaky head and jigcraw
thanks for sharing
@@MattStefanFishing great show Matt, I’m a sub!
I like dock fishing. The drop shot by a dock can be deadly and so can skipping a fluke.
both good picks
Hey Mr stafan what about a tube bait rigged stupid tube style. Hey Matt I heard a comment from Trey kistler saying it's impossible to skip docks with a baitcaster and matt that statement is ridiculous and matt I have the skipping reel that Lew's came out with unfortunately I haven't been able to go fishing this year because of my medical issues herniated discs in my back I need emergency hip surgery so I've been pretty bored this season. Hey Matt my doctor gave me this super powerful anti anflamitory pill and matt you would not believe how much pain this pill has taken away from me what a relief. I know this has nothing to do with fishing. But I appreciate you listening. Matt I can't wait to move to Minnesota. Hey Matt I have a whole bunch of your guppy jigheads and when I bought them I said to myself who is this guy matt Stefan'. Well I don't have to say that anymore. Thanks again for everything you do to try and make us weekend angler's much better fisherman. God bless you and your family your pal fisherman Mike. Ps I hope your son hank is doing well and the rest of the family to .
glad to hear you are feeling well!
Money comment
Loved it again bro
Thanks again!
@@MattStefanFishing your welcome
Keitechsssssssss too