The fog rolled across the surface of the water as we slid Keith Nelson's Alumacraft into the coffee-colored waters of Big Sandy Lake. I relegated myself to the back deck of his boat. I was here to learn - catching fish would be a bonus. Today, I would be front and center of Nelson's master class on dissecting manmade structure in pursuit of slap crappies.

"I've been fishing these docks for over 20 years," Nelson said with confidence as he punched down on his 175 Yahama outboard. As we pulled into our first cove, Nelson sprang to action. He cut the big motor, grabbed a rod, and jumped on his...