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any tips on skipping docks with a baitcaster?


apegs

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I' having a heck of a time trying to skip under a dock without getting a birds nest. I know I need to keep practicing, but does anybody have any tips that might help?

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I have had the opportunity to fish wiht a lot of high profile anglers in my life. On guy I fished with was unbelieveably skilled at skipping with a baitcaster, here is the recipe:

1, shorter rod, mostly depends on your front deck height inside the boat but 5'6" or 6' m or MH (Fast tip a must) is typical and ideal.

2. Pistol grip handle.

3 Stretch out about 50-60 (shorter if you are skipping shorter docks longer for deeper targets-depends on the lake) feet of line and at that point apply a strip of electrical tape to the spool. The tape should span the entire width of the spool so it stops any backlash from getting too deep.

4. Quality reel with finite spool resistance control and a very free spool.

5. Practice practice practice.

The guy could skip jigs like nothing you have seen, pick a pipe. PING!

That being said I still outfished him form the trailing Camera boat with a spinning rod and a senko. I used to show guys around some of our lakes so they could film TV shows among other things. This guy skipped skirted jigs, you have to skip a bait with a decent amount of weight.

You should also cast with the same hand you will be holding the rod with because they can hit immediately on the fall and that helps with hookset.

Nothing here would surprise many folks except the electrical tape....tricks of the trade. Tip, you can even do this on regular casting reels to reduce the depth of Professional over run just apply it deeper on the spool.

The guy gets paid a lot of money for seminars and shows so YOU are welcome for the freebie. HAHA

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i love the slingshot technique when targetting bass under the docks. i learned this technique to catch slabs underneath pontoons and docks. but its definately a great bass producer when used to get under trees, into calverts, under docks, and all that.

i use a 6' UL rod, medium action. so ive got the flex to get the bait under the structure, but also have the backbone to get a good hookset

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i use a 6' UL rod, medium action.

Is that a typo? I can't imagine using a rod that light to skip with, much less get the fish out without wrapping up in dock supports or whatever else you might be skipping around.

On that note, I vote spinning as well. I use a 6'3" M XF rod for most of my skipping, but occasionally bump up to MH as well. I've tried to practice with a baitcaster and I just can't do it with lighter baits. I have managed to skip some jigs and stuff by slingshotting it, but I like skipping wacky rigged senkos much more, so I'll still to that most of the time.

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Originally Posted By: carpmanjake

i use a 6' UL rod, medium action.

Is that a typo? I can't imagine using a rod that light to skip with, much less get the fish out without wrapping up in dock supports or whatever else you might be skipping around.

nope, that is my rod of choice for slingshotting, which is not the same as skipping. ULs give alot more than most rods, and when im slingshotting under docks, its usually shallow (2-8 feet) so i like a light jig head, up to 1/8oz.

i have never learned how to skip lures, but with the slingshot technique. i dont need to!

small lures+ no skips= less surface disturbance= less noice= smaller chane of spooking fish= more bites, and more and bigger fish

as for the worry about tangles, use 8lb line (i use flourocarbon for abrasion resistance) and keep your drag as tight as you can, but still loose enough for a 4lb hog to take out some line.

and when you are fishing shallow, the fish are generally more spooky, the more finesse you present your bait, and the less visible your line is to the fish, the more fish you will get.

also, 6-8lb line is plenty big enough for bass, just take your time, and dont horse the fish. and dont let your adreneline get the best of you when you hook into "the big one". self control is always key to finesse fishing for any species

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slingshotting, which is not the same as skipping

Hah, I just caught that I used that term as well in my post, but I intended roll-casting. Thats really the only way I've figured out how to skip with a baitcaster otherwise I backlash like crazy. I still can't skip effectively even using that method, but it gets me a little better.

Spinning all the way.

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Spinning for me as well. Once in a while I'll skip a jig on a bait caster, but the trailer needs to be wide and smooth. Also I just don't like light weight lures on baitcasters - IMO

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I've got the scars to prove that.

when i'm using a baitcaster I hit the edges of the docks with plastics, and when I'm wanting to be really precise I'll use the spinning gear. I've had plenty of problems hooking up with docks and boats that I've learned to use the spinning gear when I'm feeling ambitious.

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whats the slingshot technique?

[1] Squat or kneel so you're close to the waterline, and point your rod at the target, keeping it parallel to the surface.

[2] Open the bail and let out half a rod length's worth of line. Hold the line against the rod with the index finger of your rod hand or pinch it between your thumb and index finger. Grab the lure with your other hand and pull it back, loading the rod, until the bait is about even with your side. You really want to load the rod with a big parabolic bend. Grab the lure behind the hook or you will get hooked

[3] Let go of the lure, timing the release of the line with your other hand as you would on a normal cast.

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Originally Posted By: Craigums
whats the slingshot technique?

[1] Squat or kneel so you're close to the waterline, and point your rod at the target, keeping it parallel to the surface.

[2] Open the bail and let out half a rod length's worth of line. Hold the line against the rod with the index finger of your rod hand or pinch it between your thumb and index finger. Grab the lure with your other hand and pull it back, loading the rod, until the bait is about even with your side. You really want to load the rod with a big parabolic bend. Grab the lure behind the hook or you will get hooked

[3] Let go of the lure, timing the release of the line with your other hand as you would on a normal cast.

Jake that must be with a spinning rod then?

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