Short answer: after rain, I’d start with a compact, weedless moving bait around the outside edges of the docks, then slow down if the bite is finicky. With your weather, the pressure is rising and the sky is clear, which usually makes bass a bit more cautious than they were during the rain window. That means the first cast should be something that covers water but still looks natural. 🎣
What to throw first
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Chatterbait / bladed jig — This is my first pick when I want to locate bass fast around dock posts, shade lines, and the first break off the dock. It has enough vibration to get attention without being too bulky. Work it with a steady swim and occasional pause when it clears a post or dock edge. Look at Chatterbait Fishing Lure Tips and How They Work Underwater and ChatterBait Comparison Underwater: Look and Sound.
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Skipping jig — If the bass are tucked deep under the dock after the rain, a jig is money. Skip it back into the darkest shade pockets and let it fall on a semi-slack line. A subtle fall often triggers bites when the water has color and the fish are holding tight. Good examples: Catch 10x MORE Fish Using A JIG (Bass Fishing Tips), SKIPPING Docks with JIGS- Summer Bass Fishing, and How to Catch Bass Fishing Docks - Practice Casting.
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Frog only if the docks are buried in matted cover or shallow weeds — Since it’s late spring, fish may already be shallow in warming water, but a frog is best when you can literally walk it across the top and the cover is nasty. Check Basics of Frog Fishing and How to Fish Hollow-body Frog Lures.
Best docks approach after rain
- Target upwind / current-facing sides first, because rain often washes food and dirt into those banks.
- Fish the shaded side, the first dock off deeper water, and any dock with a boat lift, posts, or brush.
- After a storm, bass often want the easiest meal — fish a lure that enters the strike zone quietly.
- If the water is stained, use black/blue, green pumpkin, or white/chartreuse depending on how dirty it is.
Products worth looking at
- FONMANG 322-Piece Fishing Lures Kit — a broad bass kit with buzz baits, spinnerbaits, jigs, frogs, and soft baits; handy if you want a simple dock box: FONMANG 322-Piece Fishing Lures Kit
- PLUSINNO 137Pcs Tackle Box — good starter kit with crankbaits, spoons, hooks, weights, and basic rigs: PLUSINNO Fishing Lures, 137Pcs Tackle Box
- FONMANG 126Pcs Fishing Lures Kit — includes VIBs, frogs, minnows, soft baits, hooks, and weights for quick dock experimentation: FONMANG 126Pcs Fishing Lures
- TRUSCEND Swimbait — useful for a baitfish look around cleaner dock water: TRUSCEND Swimmax Easy Catch Fishing Lures
- CharmYee jointed swimbait — nice for a slow, pulsing retrieve around the outer dock lanes: CharmYee Bass Fishing Lure
My order of attack
1) chatterbait, 2) skipping jig, 3) soft plastic around the shade pockets, 4) frog if there’s heavy surface cover. If you get one bite, slow down and repeat that exact depth and angle — bass around docks often group up by shade, depth, and post spacing.
If you want, I can also build you a 3-lure dock box for stained water after rain with exact colors and retrieves. You’ve got this — docks can absolutely load up after a rain event!
