Late Spring Dock Dynamics

Fishing offers no guarantees other than your target species’ inherent dampness. That’s particularly relevant during late spring’s transitional time when postspawn fish are departing their reproductive zones and typically moving to deeper water haunts.

In many cases, that means exiting creeks. Often, those creeks pass under bridges supporting everything from major highways to local roads, so a lot of the bass that spawned in that creek will pass under the bridge.

Some keep going, some park. That’s why Bryan New never passes the chance to fish a bridge.

“With other types of structure, lot of times, we’re just guessing if fish are there, but on a bridge, I know 100% there’s fish there year round,” New said. “Bridges have everything a fish needs, so you can always find fish there.

“Can you always catch them? Not always, but you can bet that every bridge you come across has some population of bass living there.”

The Appeal

Analyzing the features that draw and hold bass, he said: “They provide shade, current breaks and from the bottom all the way to the surface, they provide structure. Plankton grows on (the structure) so baitfish will be there all the time.”

Feeding opportunities abound and, unlike the recent shad spawns or the open water baitfish schooling that occurs each fall, bass find convenient ambush spots at every bridge piling. A convenient benefit for postspawners still nursing themselves back to full strength, the ease of feeding also bodes well for fish that decide to spend their summer in this shady habitat.

Along those lines, New points out the value of fish-friendly habitat spanning the water column. Essentially, time of day, water clarity, weather conditions and fishing pressure can influence where the fish want to position. In open water scenarios, that typically means sliding deeper or pulling shallower.

On a bridge piling, it’s a simple vertical adjustment. That means the fish you found in the morning, likely will still be there when you cycle back later in the day. They might be a little high or a little lower in the water column and they might rotate around the piling as needed, but that bridge dependability remains pretty consistent.

“Fish need to be around their food and they need places to hide and ambush,” he said. “A bridge offers all of that.”

The Approach

No doubt, bridges offer one-stop shopping, but pay close attention to what additional cover/structure accompanies the bridge form. Brush, logs and other debris that commonly jams against the pilings create additional habitat for baitfish, crawfish, etc.

More food—more fish. Not complicated.

The same is true for the riprap fortifying a bridge causeway. These manmade rock piles offer vast crawfish habitat, along with algae feeding opportunities for baitfish, so give those shallow to mid-depth crankbaits, topwaters and swimbaits a good workout.

Bass tend to favor the bridge shade during the heat of the day, but that riprap often shines during early mornings, later afternoons and cloudy, windy conditions. The fish could be just about anywhere but keep watch for points and jut-outs caused by tumbling rocks and any wood debris that lodges against the rocks.

He keeps an open mind and he values the totality of a bridge’s potential, but day to day, he devotes the majority of his effort to the pilings. Straight forms are fine, but larger bridges may include paired pilings with subsurface cross members, or structures with a lip that bass may use like a ledge or a bluff step.

For his piling work, New rotates through a lineup including a Neko rig dropshot and a jig for bottom contact. A 3- to 4-inch swimbait on a ball head jig does a good job of mimicking smaller baitfish, while a topwater like the Spro Walking Haint gives fish a more substantial target on lakes with gizzard shad and other sizable forage.

“I’ll also throw a jighead minnow on pilings, and that’s a technique I would use without forward facing sonar,” he said. “For many years, that’s a technique I’ve used without (that technology), because with pilings, you know where the fish are.”

Deeper scenarios might find New making a semi-vertical presentation along a piling, but in most cases, it’s a cast and slow wind deal. He’ll also cast and dead stick an unweighted fluke style bait along bridge pilings.

Bonus features: Add a flow-through or a subsurface stormwater drain and you have a can’t-miss bass magnet. Be sure to fish close to the outflow, as well as the downstream flow, as bass will position a various points for feeding benefit.

A sneaky option that’s often overlooked, but certainly worth a look are the log and debris jams that often accumulate at the base of a bridge where the mainland forms a corner. Flip around the debris edges and run a spinnerbait or swim jig through any lanes and gaps, but don’t hesitate to punch a heavily weighted creature bait through the floating mass.

Stressing the flexibility requisite to bridge consistency, New said: “Don’t go all-in on one thing. You might say, ‘Two days ago I caught them on a jerkbait,’ but then you come back two days later, of course you’re going to try the jerkbait, but you need to try other things.

“Unless it’s a bridge that you know, you have to figure it out as you go.”

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