Question: Darrell, what B ‘n’ M Pole are you using to shoot docks?

Baker: I like the 5-1/2-foot B ‘n’ M SharpShooter. I shoot a 1/24-ounce jig made by Southern Pro called the Crappie Stinger.

Question: How do you find the crappie when the crappie aren’t under the docks?

Baker: My fishing clients and I will move from one dock to the next dock, and we leave our jigs hanging in the water as I use the trolling motor to move to the next dock. One time as I was moving, one of my clients caught a crappie and then I did. I decided crappie must be suspending out in front of the docks before they moved under the docks. I also figured that since we were moving the boat when we caught those two crappie that the crappie out in front of the docks could be caught trolling. On my next trip, I rigged-up all my trolling poles and racks and started trolling in front of the docks I planned to shoot.

In late May, we’ve caught crappie trolling in front of the docks when we can’t catch the crappie shooting the docks. What I’ve learned is that often early in the morning and late in the afternoon on bright, sunny days, the crappie will pull out from under the docks and suspend in front of the docks. That’s the time you can catch them trolling. But later in the morning, when the sun climbs high, and the day gets brighter, the crappie that have been suspending in front of the docks actually will move under the docks in the shade. Then they can hold more comfortably and catch and eat more bait. I’ve found that on a combination trip of trolling and dock shooting, we catch more crappie using the two techniques at different times of day than we do when we stick to one tactic. Trolling until 10:00 or 11:00 am in front of the docks can be highly productive. But then when the sun gets high in the sky, I’ll pull in my trolling rods, take down my trolling racks and start dock shooting. We often can catch as many, if not more crappie, by shooting the docks as we did trolling in front of the docks. Whenever the trolling bite slows down, I realize that the crappie have moved away from that open water and under those docks. So I don’t really watch my watch. Instead, I watch my B ‘n’ M trolling poles, and when the action stops on the poles, we start shooting docks.

Question: What pole are you using for trolling?

Baker: When I’m trolling, I fish with the B ‘n’ M Richard Williams Crappie Wizard.

Question: How long will the dock shooting and trolling in front of the docks produce crappie?

Baker: Depending on the weather and the water, this tactic usually will produce through the first two weeks of June. But that timetable is on Weiss Lake. I believe if you’re successfully catching crappie by shooting docks, during the early morning and late afternoon you may want to try trolling in front of the docks you’ve been shooting and catching crappie. Then switch to your dock-shooting tactic when the sun gets up, and the trolling bite drops off. At least, that’s what I’ve learned, and that’s what’s working for me.