Junk Fishing Bass In Skinny Water
In early summer, when the shallows warm up and bass push in tight, anglers have a unique opportunity to get up close and personal with fish. This is what seasoned pros call “junk fishing“—casting to visible cover in skinny water and watching the action unfold in real time. When bass have nowhere to go but up, and you can literally see them take the bait, it’s one of the most exciting times to fish.
After the spawn, largemouth bass often linger in these shallow zones, looking to recover and feed on bluegills and other easy meals. A variety of lures can produce results this time of year—soft plastics, jigs, swimbaits, and topwater all have their place. With warm weather setting in, there’s no better excuse to grab your gear and start pitching at every piece of shallow cover you see.
On this outing, James Lindner and Jeremy Smith hit a natural Midwestern lake to take full advantage of these shallow-water opportunities. The water is warming, the bait is moving, and the bass are fired up. Their strategy is simple: cover water, hit docks, target inside weed lines, and let the fish tell you what they want. 
Doubleheaders and Post-Spawn Patterns
Early into their session, Lindner and Smith connect on a doubleheader—Jeremy hooks a quality largemouth off a dock while James pulls in a smaller one nearby. It’s a textbook example of finding a “pack” of post-spawn fish holding tight to shaded dock pilings.
James explains that this is a transitional period for bass. While they’ve wrapped up spawning, bluegills are just starting their ritual, drawing bass in close for a meal. The team is working a two-pronged approach: fishing inside weed lines with topwater baits and working docks with jigs and worms.
Skipping Jigs and Finesse Presentations
When it comes to dock fishing, bait presentation is everything. James demonstrates how a skipping jig with a flat trailer can get deep into the shade beneath a dock where fish are holding. He emphasizes the importance of choosing baits that can skip well—because where there’s shade, there’s usually bass.
Jeremy complements the jig approach with finesse tactics—casting a weightless stick worm on a VMC Neko hook. This presentation offers an ultra-slow fall rate, ideal for triggering strikes from less active fish. While many anglers prefer spinning rods for this kind of fishing, especially up north, both spinning and baitcasting gear have their merits depending on the angler’s comfort level and conditions.
Junk Fishing Bass Gear: Rods, Reels, and Line Tips
Rod length and action play a major role in accurate casting, especially when working tight spaces like docks. Jeremy uses a St. Croix “Dock Skipper,” a 7’ heavy power, fast-action rod designed for precision underhand casts. Shorter rods provide greater accuracy for dock fishing, while longer rods help with distance but sacrifice precision.
The duo highlights the importance of letting the bait soak. When a lure lands quietly near structure, pausing it and giving the fish time to inspect can often draw a bite that a fast-moving retrieve might miss. With so many fish holding in shallow zones due to the abundance of prey, slow, deliberate presentations shine.
Adapting Tactics Based on Location
In between dock casts, James fans out a topwater “cover pop” bait over inside weed lines. These flats, often home to bluegill beds, hold feeding bass that aren’t glued to cover. While deeper weed lines haven’t yet developed, these transition zones can be goldmines when bass are roaming.
The anglers move from sharper drop-offs to broader flats, noting how environmental changes can influence bass location. On a larger flat, James expects increased bluegill activity and, as a result, more bass scattered across the zone rather than concentrated.
Wind, Weekdays, and Dock Etiquette
The team offers sage advice: if you want to fish docks effectively, do it on weekdays when boat traffic is minimal. Wind is another major consideration—calm days mean better boat control and more accurate casts. If the wind is up, seek docks on the leeward side of the lake to make fishing more manageable.
James also reminds anglers to be mindful of dock owners. If people are on the dock or in the water nearby, it’s best to skip that one and move on. Respecting privacy and lake etiquette helps maintain access and good relations between boaters and residents—especially in areas where concerns about aquatic invasive species (AIS) run high.
Braided Line and Hook Set Advantages
When dock fishing, braided line is essential. Jeremy demonstrates how braid gives better control and helps steer fish away from pilings and undercut structures. With its no-stretch nature, braid allows for precise hook sets and can help direct the fish’s head on the initial strike.
Jeremy uses 30 lb Sufix Performance Braid, which pairs perfectly with the VMC Neko hook—a design that’s taken bass fishing by storm. The longer shank and weedless features, along with an O-ring rigging system, allow for better hook-ups and bait longevity when targeting pressured fish.
Popper Tactics and Fan Casting
As James fan casts a popper across open flats, he connects with a quality largemouth cruising in between dock zones. These roaming fish often hang out in “no man’s land,” not glued to a dock but not yet on deeper structure either. By covering water with the popper and mixing in dock presentations, the duo is able to stay on fish consistently.
Jeremy continues to target docks and inside weed lines with a swimbait, proving the value of a two-pronged approach. When fish are scattered and bait is shallow, the key is versatility—switching up presentations and locations to follow the fish’s movement and feeding patterns.
Post-Spawn Frustration and the Power of Shallow Cover
As summer inches closer, the post-spawn bass period can test even seasoned anglers. The fish can be sluggish, scattered, and unpredictable. However, one consistent truth rings out loud and clear: cover is king. During this transitional time, bass gravitate toward inside weed lines and shallow structure—not the deeper weed edges you’d typically fish later in the season.
Jeremy and James continue their junk fishing mission, targeting the beginnings of weed growth in 3 to 5 feet of water. It’s here, amid lily pads, sparse reeds, dock pilings, and emergent weeds like curly-leaf pondweed, that the largemouth are stacking up. These inside edges offer both food and shade, making them prime real estate for ambush predators.
The Importance of Casting Accuracy and Boat Positioning
In conditions like these, casting accuracy can be the difference between a skunk and a slam. Jeremy compares the process to baseball—swing through the pitch, focus on the target. The same applies when skipping or pitching baits under docks: keep your eye on the precise entry point and follow through smoothly. Don’t focus on the bait’s path; zero in on where you want it to land.
Wind complicates matters. In heavy wind, spinning gear often provides better skipping control, especially with lighter baits like stick worms. On calmer days, baitcasters excel with heavier jigs—such as 3/8 or 1/2 oz models—that not only skip well but also drop fast and trigger reaction strikes.
James notes that those heavier jigs are more than just easier to cast. They’re also often more effective in provoking bites from active bass that slam the bait as soon as it hits bottom.
Recognizing Productive Weed Edges
One of the first weed species to emerge in northern lakes is curly-leaf pondweed, or crispa. It forms excellent inside edges early in the season, often in just a few feet of water. These sharp weed-to-sand transitions provide a textbook edge for cruising bass. In the right spots, a cast landing just at the line where weed meets bare bottom is all it takes—bingo.
As Jeremy illustrates, presentation style changes slightly between rod types. With spinning gear, he prefers to keep the boat farther away from the target to allow for a longer skip. With baitcasting gear, he’s often tighter to the structure. The goal is simple: accelerate the bait along a horizontal trajectory just like skipping a stone across a pond.
Boat Control: The Silent Key to Dock Success
Dock fishing rewards patience and precise boat control. James breaks down their strategy for dissecting complex docks:
- Approach with the boat nose out. This allows the angler to cast parallel along shade lines.
- Use dual shallow-water anchors (talons). Pin the boat and make multiple casts to target spots.
- Shift position and repeat. Move to the dock front, then the opposite side, anchoring and attacking every angle.
With the Ultrex trolling motor at the bow and dual talons at the stern, the duo maintains exact positioning. This stability enhances casting accuracy—especially important when the wind picks up or when you’re working around tight angles.
Learning from Dock Angles and Timing
The team shares an insightful story: during a previous tournament, they fished the same dock stretch three times—and the bite actually improved later in the day. This suggests how quickly fish can move into and out of shallow cover in response to sunlight, temperature, and bait movement.
James and Jeremy hammer this point home—your approach angle to a dock, and even the time of day, can mean the difference between an empty cast and a hook-up. On one dock, it took six casts and a long pause—waiting out curious bluegills—before a big largemouth finally committed. Sometimes, letting the bait soak is just as important as making a perfect cast.
Rods, Baits, and the Bites Keep Coming
Throughout the session, the action remains steady. Whether it’s fan casting over flats or pitching to dock shadows, every tactic produces quality fish. Braided line remains a must—especially in shallow cover—helping to steer fish around posts and through vegetation.
Largemouth bass are renowned for their ability to hold tight to cover in mere inches of water. As James exclaims, sometimes there’s barely enough water to cover their backs, and yet that’s where the big ones live. When you combine high-percentage spots with effective bait placement, it’s no surprise they’re rewarded with hit after hit.
