Dock light fishing a great way to beat the summer heat!

When the mercury in the thermometer on my back porch creeps up to the mid 90’s, I know it’s the right time to hit the dock lights after dark to beat the summer heat. 

Dock light fishing is nothing new to Florida anglers… in fact; it’s quite popular especially with avid snook anglers.  The attraction to this night-time style of angling is that it is so visual… you can literally watch the fish take your bait!  In addition, fishing under the lights after dark gives anglers the opportunity to catch a variety of species such as speckled trout, snook, redfish, snapper, and even flounder.  When you add it all up, a cool comfortable venue, mixed bag action, and the visual component of actually witnessing the strike… it’s easy to get hooked on this hot summer night style of fishing.

Productive Dock Lights

Obviously dock lights with fish activity will be the best but here are a few more factors to consider when targeting dock lights.  Decent water flow is important during the summertime… I favor dock lights that are adjacent to channels or close to outside points to guarantee good current flow.  Additionally depth plays a major role as well… I find that dock lights with 6 feet of depth or more generally attract larger predator fish.  Another factor is the type of dock light you choose to target, above water lights or the popular underwater lights.  For example, light from above the surface shining down creates a darker silhouette effect on your bait… this scenario makes game fish less wary and easier to catch at times.  Whereas the underwater lights,  up-light your bait or lure giving the fish a better look at your offering… this sometimes makes it difficult to get hooked up.  Also the underwater lights make fish easier to see for most anglers… thus they get a lot more angling pressure.

How to Approach

I like to keep my guide clients about 25’ to 30’ off the dock lights we target to ensure consistent success.  Use a trolling motor not your outboard to ease into position… always shut your main engine down at least hundred yards away from the dock lights you intend to fish.  If the depth of water you are fishing is 8’ or less, use your Power-Pole to anchor… it’s much stealthier than a standard anchor and you’ll have much better boat control.  If fishing deeper water docks, have about 20’ to 30’ feet of anchor line attached to a 12lb. sea-claw style anchor at hand ready to deploy.  It’s critical to slip the anchor over the side quietly and set it smoothly as not to alarm the fish in the light!  Once you are into position ready to fish… you must keep in mind to move slowly and very light-footed around the boat so noise isn’t transferred through the hull and putting the dock light fish on alert.

Tackle Needed

For general dock light fishing… I prefer a 6’8” to 7’ medium heavy spinning rod with an extra fast tip.  This spinning rod set-up allows me to make accurate casts and even skip small baits under the docks… yet provides me with enough leverage to over-power a big redfish or snook.  A 3000 or 4000 size spinning reel is a good choice packed with 30# braid with the drag locked down… you don’t want the fish to take any line because that usually ends in a cut-off followed by bad language!  Leader requirements vary based on what species you are trying to catch.  Here’s an example, speckled trout may only require 20# to 25# leader whereas the brutish snook requires a 40# or greater leader to have a chance.  Leader length should be at least 3’ and I always use fluorocarbon leader material because the bait generally gets a long look from dock light fish. 

Lures & Natural Baits

Smaller artificial baits or even flies work best in the lights… some of my favorites are ¼ oz. white buck tail jigs, the Strike King Rage Tail Shrimp, and the new Mirrodine-Mini;  Fly rod anglers do very well on most light colored shrimp and glass minnow patterns.  The live bait method typically guarantees lots of action… baits that produce “night in and night out” are small scaled sardines (whitebait) and live shrimp.   Just free-line the natural bait from the up current side of the light to the down current edge of the light and hang on… something will clobber it!  The only downside to the live bait method is the number of ladyfish and catfish you have to weed through some nights but that’s just part of it.

Night-time Etiquette

This is very important because poor manners will have dock owners turning off their lights!  Here are the two most important rules to live by when fishing private docks at night.  Rule one is to never, ever get on a dock owner’s private property… not even to retrieve an expensive lure!  And rule number two, is to keep your noise level to an absolute minimum… no radio, no swearing, use whispering voices to communicate only, keep the lights in your boat off except navigation lights when possible, and please never fire up your big outboard in their backyard when you leaving the area.  Just use common sense and have consideration for the homeowners who have their dock lights available for us to fish… that way everyone can enjoy this great summer fishery!   

Keep’em Bent my friends,

Capt. C.A. Richardson

Tagged as: fishing guide in St. Petersburg, Flats Class TV, Strike King Lures