Assuming a normal Texas day: hot and sunny.
1. When do you start fishing docks.
2. What lures and colors?
3. Usual best spots on the docks for finding bass
4. Deep, shallow better?

Thanks!

Gotta figure out the timing. That comes with time on the water. Some days they are there but won't bite until a certain time. They are on docks now. I like 4-6' of water on the ends of the docks

Now
Senko-with some green in it-shaky head with some green in it- I dead stick Senko so it is a long wait on deeper docks. Always fish ladders.
Check the whole dock-but concentrate on shady parts

Fish the shade.
Look for older docks, they usually have stuff growing on them which attracts bait fish.
I have had my best luck flipping jigs around docks.

I am learning to skip my lures way back in the dark depths, but I seem to end up messing up my reel
with tangles. Just need to practice.

I fished lake Belton which has 30 plus feet deep water around the docks there, but caught most
at around 4-10 feet of water.
Used a Strike king bluegill with a dark blue trailer.

My buddy did catch some at the corners using a green and white spinner bait.

1. Docks are good year round but they really excel during the Summer when the sun gets high.
2. I like a jig, shaky head, senko, or frog.
3. Docks that are set in the ground (non fluctuating docks) seem to be the best. Any rocks or brush underneath a dock is always a plus.
4. Deep docks are good during the Summer and Winter, shallow docks are good during the Fall and Spring. If your lake gets a lot of pressure, look for the ugliest, shallowest docks on the lake because anglers often overlook them.

we caught a lot off the back corners over the weekend on Texoma. Made it better if there was a pole going down there. Had to finesse em though

I love flipping a creature bait in/around the edges of grass close to docks.....especially in 4'-6'....especially at Athens.
Oh, wait.....

Caught them decent dragging a T-rigged,watermelon red lizard across the ends of docks in about 4-5 ft of water last week. Partner was on the front flipping into them while I was casting out from the back of the boat and dragging it on the bottom past the last couple of docks we passed.

I usually fish a jig around a dock but other baits work well also. On a T shaped dock I have had best luck on the inside corners of the T.

Jig mainly, after 10 am so the sun gets up and pushes them under the docks better.

Permant docks > floating
Wooden docks > metal

Fish love ladders, but love steps more.
The front 2 courners and the deepest darkest part are the best imo
Dont forget walkways, and if they have permanent jeski parking ramp(tons on lbj) that is a really good spot

I like 8-10 foot on the deep end of the dark, up to 15 is fine... deeper is hard to fish.

if you are fishing a dock with pole holders on it,there's a good chance there is some brushpiles out in front of the dock...look at which way the rod holders are pointed for clues on where brush might be sunk...
unfortunately dock fishing has changed for the worse in recent years....years ago most people who had homes on the lake were also fishermen and would sink brush around their dock....now most people who live on the lake are interested in pontoon boats,jetskis or wake boats...

My best answer is "depends."

IMO, water temp, barometer, available cover (other than the dock), types of available docks (floating?), number of docks in an area, etc will determine which docks hold fish and how to catch them. Depth also comes into play but I think that is dependent upon the items listed above.

Pay attention to ladders, brush piles and whatever else may be under the docks. When you're looking for fish, always start around the outsides of the docks and work your way in. More docks and/or cover in an area will mean that the fish are probably more spread out. In this case, I would focus on the fishier looking locations with brush, grass, riprap, etc and run through the docks quicker. If docks are few and far between with little/no cover, I'll slow down and work every nook and cranny with multiple casts and multiple presentations to each area. This is of course until you get on a pattern and/or locate the areas that fish are currently hanging out. Then, have at it.

Many years ago during a tournament on Cedar Creek, the only fish that we caught (small limit) were under docks with 6"-12" of water under them, super muddy/stained on white & chart spinnerbaits.

Solid Gold right there!

To add to it, let the fish tell you what to do, don't go in fishing docks assuming anything. General rule is early morning they'll be on the edges of the dock or even in open water next to the docks. Top waters, small squarebills and various other baits will catch. Cloud cover extends this bite. As the sun gets up, the fish will generally move back to the shade. Let water clarity tell you how deep, clearer the water, deeper the fish. Dirtier the water, the more shallow they'll be. Most lakes in Texas you can catch them in 2-5' of water in the docks in summer and winter.

Get good with a spinning rod. Once you can skip your bait so far back you only hear it stop (and can't see it), you're there. Getting a bait to fish that other people can't is key, especially on pressured lakes. Don't believe the hype that a "fairy wand" won't catch big fish in boathouses. I have many over 7 and one pushing 10 from deep under boathouses and some were stuck in brush piles. 30 lb braid and 20 lb fluoro leader and I've yet to get beat by a fish. Even have a 30 lb Op that was in some kind of metal, I could hear my shaky head clanging steel when the fish hit.

On clear lake deep docks, skip something weightless and let it fall vertically, or swim a swim jig out at varying depths. Most of the time those fish suspend, I'm talking about clear lakes with floating boathouses in 20+ foot of water.

Wind on the docks can make all the difference in the world, but will make skipping a challenge.

Not all docks are the same, and not all fish in each lake act the same. You may have to fish a stretch of 20 docks only to find a group of 3 that have fish. Pay attention to why. Are they on the end of a point, are they shallower, do they have vegetation close by, do they have rip rap on the bank, is there a retaining wall. Work every dock thoroughly. I have seen many times where you could work the front of a dock and skip and flip every piling with no bite, but skip a bait on the back side of a piling from the side and get clobbered. Those fish get used to baits coming from the back to the front, but rarely see baits coming from the side or from the front to the back.

It's a lot of fun when you figure them out. It's a lot of fun too to fish behind guys and catch 'em.

Great info.
Thanks!