Skipping Rod/Reel/Line (Spinning)

[jalberg]

I need a spinning set-up for skipping docks.

My main questions are about the rod.

How Long? I am about 5'7" tall

What power?

What action?

also:

Best line choices?

Just looking for general ideas, I know everyone will have something a little different to say.

Im hoping Wayne Ek will chime in on this. I enjoyed the seminar at Thorne Bros. but was too busy processing other info to pay attention to the rod you had.

Thanks

[kt]

I am by no means an expert on this. However, here is what i have used in the past. I have used both 6' and 6'6" rods in medium and medium heavy power with a fast action. I am currently using a 6'6" medium heavy rod (although it feels a little lighter) with a fast taper to it. The line i use is 30 lb power pro.

[ducksnbucks]

I use a spinning rod for my dock skipping and I went from a 6'6" to a 7' rod about 5 years ago and will never go back to a shorter rod. My accuracy and distance increased dramatically after the change. I use 10 pound Berkley Transoptic mono for line. Many will say this is to light of line for docks, but I have honestly lost very few fish due to break offs and I feel it is much more managable than heavier equipment and I am able to detect light bites easier. This works for me anyhow!

[Craigums]

Ok, Ill chime in here...Im no expert at skipping and would rather pitch under a dock. BUT, If Im skipping I use a 6'0'' MH Spinning Rod. With 20/30lb braid and about a 2ft length of 8-10lb mono. That way if I get stuck and HAVE to break off I can.

[Deitz Dittrich]

a lot will depend on your boat.. if using a tin boat with higher sides your better off with a 6' or 6'6".. if in a bass boat often times you can get away with a 7'...

I use a 7'MH crucial, 2500 size stradic with 30 lb power pro.

[Tator2k]

Well I have the tin boat. And that's almost exactly what I use. 6-6 MH Fish Eagle II, Symetre 4000 with 30 lb Power Pro. Actaully skipped a Mepps spinner under and out the other side of a dock this past weekend.

[EBass]

7' Med IM8 Gander rod with a Shimano Stradic 4000 and 20lb Suffix braid. I have a lil jon boat with custom casting decks.

[IBFishin2]

I use a 6'8 legend elite with a pflueger arbor 7430 and 30lbs power pro. The wide spool makes casting effortless for skipping.

[TurnUpTheFishing]

6'6" MH spooled with 30lb braid.

[kaine]

i use either a bps im6 graphite 7' mh or a st. croix wacky style 6'8" medium extra fast rod with a 4000 shimano reel spooled with 20lb fireline crystal

[Wayne Ek]

Remember this is just one opinion. I love fishing docks, it is a toss up between docks and deep weedlines when it comes to my fav. First the rods. I fish from a Ranger Z-boat and prefer shorter rods. For skipping I have a 6-foot medium heavy rod that I use most of the time and a 7-foot medium heavy that I use when it becomes necessary to stay back off the docks (shallow clear water mainly). Both spinning rods have size 30 reels on them, I know to most folks that seems to large, but the line flows off size 30 or even 40 reels much better. I spool the both reels with a lot of backing and only have 40 to 50-yards of 65-pound power pro on each. The longer rod (7-footer) has a fluorocarbon leader (17-pound).

The 3rd dock rod is a 5'2" pistol grip bait caster, with 17-pound fluorocarbon, this see's a lot of use later in the season for running shallow cranks or wake baits across the front and down the sides of docks. Dock rods take a beating that most other rods do not receive, because the casts are low it seems that they are constanting hitting something, the trolling motor head, side of boat...So I tend to purchase moderately priced rods for skipping docks as snapping a high buck rod off by hitting something tends to spoil your day. Also, when using braid I believe you still get ample sensitivity to detect light bites. And I still hold with the theory that shallow fish are usually aggressive fish so light biters are not a problem.

[jalberg]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Looks like 6' to 7' MH fast to xfast with various test braid is pretty much the norm.

[TonkaBass]

I really like the st. Croix 6'3" med xfast avid for docks. I casts really nice and has enough backbone to get them out of there. I'm not a big fan of longer rods for skipping docks. Braid can be a headache too if you go 30lb. or smaller. For sure go 50 or higher. Flouro is nice too cause you don't need to cast far so you can use 15 to 20 pound test and be fine. I agree with wayne when he says a larger size spool is needed. Either a 4000 or us reel or arbor would help the casting.