Terry Blankenship knows that the protected water under boat docks can be a prime spot to harbor big crappie.
The trick is learning how to “shoot” a lure and put it in their face. (Photo courtesy Terry Blankenship)
Dock Shooting Hard-to-reach Crappie
by Brent Frazee
Fishermen in general love to keep secrets. But when you get on the lake and “smack ‘em,” sometimes you just have to share your success. Discover a productive technique or a new lure, and good luck trying to keep the word from getting out.
Terry Blankenship, a guide and nationally known fisherman at Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks, can attest to that.
Twenty years ago, a fellow angler was on a hot streak, consistently winning tournaments at the giant reservoir. No one could figure out what was doing, until someone spotted him shooting docks.
He used his rod like a slingshot, loading it up and literally shooting his bait far under the docks that line the banks of Lake of the Ozarks.
That turned on a light bulb for Blankenship, always one of the lake’s top crappie fishermen.
“I had always caught crappie around docks,” he said. “But there was always a lot of water that was hard to reach. By learning to shoot docks, it opened up a whole new world for me.”
Today, Blankenship is widely known as one of the nation’s authorities on dock shooting. No crappie is safe when he starts firing.
He generally starts by using the side imaging on his Humminbird electronics to explore the water under docks for signs of life. Once he sees what he is looking for, he will start shooting small plastic baits under the docks into what once was protected water for the crappie.
“The crappie really like to get under the big platform docks, where the water is dark,” Blankenship said. “It’s like having a big dark cloud over them.
“They have shade, minnows and shad, and they’re protected from a lot of fishing pressure. They have a comfort range there, especially in the spring, when the water temperature is rising, and in the fall, when it’s falling.”
Blankenship fishes in a target-rich environment. Lake of the Ozarks has approximately 40,000 boat docks, according to Ameren Electric, which owns the sprawling reservoir and issues boat-dock permits.
But not every dock attracts crappie. Knowing which of those docks to fish can be the key to consistent success, Blankenship said.
“If you have a row of 10 to 15 docks, it’s hard to pick out the ones that have fish under them,” he said. “I’ll use my side imaging to see which ones have fish. Or I’ll look for isolated docks in the right place, say, along a channel swing bank.
“The big condo docks always have potential, too,” Blankenship added.
A lot can depend on the time of the year and the conditions. In the spring, Blankenship will look for the docks immediately in front of the banks where the crappie will be spawning.
“A lot of times, the big females will get under a dock near a spawning area and just wait for the right time to move in to spawn,” Blankenship said.
Some dock shooters love the heat of summer when the shaded areas beneath docks offers excellent refuge from the scorching rays of sun. In late fall, from mid-November through December, conditions are also prime for dock shooting as the water temperature cools and baitfish migrate shallower, often gather around dock pilings.
Being able to shoot a dock efficiently takes lots of practice and technique. Blankenship can comfortably shoot a jig 30 feet, skipping it through a 3-inch crack between the dock and the water’s surface and into the protected water under a dock. It’s an impressive feat, illustrating why some practice, even in your own backyard, can pay big dividends.
“I think these dock fish get educated by the fishermen,” Blankenship said. “Years ago, the fish were much easier to reach under the docks. But as dock shooting has become more popular, I think the fish are becoming better conditioned. They’re moving further under these docks and being accurate and getting some distance on your casts is important.”
Equipment is also a key. Though many companies make rods that can be used to shoot docks, Blankenship favors a 7-foot-4, medium light rod made by FX. He pairs that with a Daiwa reel spooled with Vicious 6-pound monofilament line.
Blankenship swears by Bobby Garland crappie baits, his sponsor for years. Two of his favorite baits are the Minnow Mind’r and the Slab Slayer. Blue Ice and Monkey Milk are two colors that he said are especially effective at Lake of the Ozarks. He will fish them on a 1/16th-ounce jig head that he designed.
Blankenship looks at dock shooting as just another tool, not the answer to catching fish under any condition. There are times of the year when crappie move to the main lake and roam, a situation where anglers who troll or drift do far better.
But at the right place at the right time, dock shooting can be highly productive.
I’ve gotten to the point where I can put my bait into some pretty tight spots,” Blankenship said. “It takes a lot of practice. But once you get the hang of it, it can really improve your chances of catching crappie.”
Brent Frazee is an award-winning writer, photographer and speaker from Parkville, Mo., a suburb of Kansas City. He served as the outdoors editor of The Kansas City Star for 36 years before retiring in 2016. He continues to freelance for magazines, websites, newspapers and other outlets.
