How To Skip With A Bait Caster? (Curado)

[Bassaddiction]

I just wanted to hear from people on how you guys try to skip with a baitcaster.  I have tried in the past briefly but I usually always get somewhat of a birds nest.  

 

Any particular setups for the reel?  Lure? and on the technique..........

 

 

I am using a curado e7's............

[SGT Rico]

Tighten your drag up, and swing till you figure it out.

[aharris]

I always loosen my brake up a good bit. Or you can always do it with a senko and a spinning rod. lol

[LgMouthGambler]

Tighten your drag up, and swing till you figure it out.

You mean spool tension?

[MarkH024]

You mean spool tension?

That's what I was thinking.

[PondBoss]

Loosen your spool tension so you can create high velocity with minimal effort.  If you tighten it you will just be trying that much harder to get your jig back to the spots you want it.

[craww]

I keep a little spool of tape for when I'm fishing docks. Make a short cast, farther than you expect to skip, and put a short piece of tape on the spool, it doesn't take much. Then retrieve your line over it and go fishing...Keeps the backlashes from going as deep. Nothing worse than ruining $30+ worth of braid/flouro with a Gnarly backlash.

[Teal]

Loosen your spool tension so you can create high velocity with minimal effort. If you tighten it you will just be trying that much harder to get your jig back to the spots you want it.

That what i do. Most of fliippin sticks and my dock rod(much shorter) have the tension set looser than what i would use for a usual cast. I would suggest turning your breaks up a good bit if you are new to it. Keeping the tension low allows the lure to really come offering quickly without throwing your arm and elbow out. It should be a free flowing roll of the wrist and then SLIGHTLY pull up as lure contacts the water.

I do not agree with turning tension up, causes more problems than you need. Thats what breaks are for. I would not suggest wailing the rod widlly. The motion should resemble skipping a stone. One should realy focus on roll casting and getting a REALLY LOW TRACJECTORY. This helps when it comes to skipping. If you can do that, then you are half way there.

Skipping can also be done in a the same manner as a pitch, it just takes practice

Gerald swindle has a video on you tube

[MarkH024]

I think that the reference to the tension knob was to correct the statement about increasing your drag setting, not necessarily to mean that it was the proper thing to do. I can see how that got misinterpreted. 

[PondBoss]

I keep a little spool of tape for when I'm fishing docks. Make a short cast, farther than you expect to skip, and put a short piece of tape on the spool, it doesn't take much. Then retrieve your line over it and go fishing...Keeps the backlashes from going as deep. Nothing worse than ruining $30+ worth of braid/flouro with a Gnarly backlash.

 

 

Excellent tip!  Also try using a tad bit lighter action rod that loads well.  Several pros will skip docks with M-MH rods not the H that you may expect.  I believe the reason for this is to generate rod bend to create speed with less effort.  Combine that with the tape idea, and I think you will be set.

[Teal]

Oh i knew what you were getting at Mark, I was just saying in general because ive seen fiirst hand too many guys will get on my boat and when we start fishing docks, they turn up the tension and starting wailing away trying to get the lure under the docks... those are the guys that end up with a deep back lash. And theres alot of common misconceptions about the technique.

[Crappiebasser]

I learned with top water like LC Sammy and 1/2 oz Rico's. I couldn't get anything else to skip in the beginng but the top water baits were more forgiving. Once you learn to roll cast that way and stop the spool you can skip just about anything.

The tape suggestion is a great idea. I wish I had thought of that.

[LgMouthGambler]

Oh i knew what you were getting at Mark, I was just saying in general because ive seen fiirst hand too many guys will get on my boat and when we start fishing docks, they turn up the tension and starting wailing away trying to get the lure under the docks... those are the guys that end up with a deep back lash. And theres alot of common misconceptions about the technique.

Just titrate the tension to the given effect.

[MyKeyBe]

I just wanted to hear from people on how you guys try to skip with a baitcaster.  I have tried in the past briefly but I usually always get somewhat of a birds nest.  

 

Any particular setups for the reel?  Lure? and on the technique..........

 

 

I am using a curado e7's............

 

Put down the Curado and pick up a spinning reel!   I learned to skip with a spinning reel. After that when I tried with a baitcaster I'd get a couple birds nests and just give up trying with the baitcaster. I do like the tape idea. May have to give it another go this year. 

[Bassaddiction]

I know how to skip with a spinning rod, thats easy.  I just pitch alot and always prefer a baitcaster over a spinning reel unless im using 4-6lb test......i just like the extra control with a baitcaster.  Thats why I asked the question specifically about the bait caster.  im gonna throw on all the brakes and loosed the spool tension.  probably let out 50 feet and put a piece of tape in the beginning stages.....

[Teal]

Good luck bro.

[JT Bagwell]

You can pick up a few tips here and there online but at the end of the day, time on the water will be what helps you perfect the technique.

[keith71]

Skip an old heavy jig 1/2 oz or so and hit the pavement literally. Set up chair in the driveway and practice skipping it under the chair. Loosen your brake up a bit and spool your reel with 12lb mono (cheap stuff) . I do like a shorter rod 6'6" and med action for practice anyways.

[flyfisher]

Skipping with a baitcaster is pretty easy..... You buy a spinning rod

[GoneFishi'n]

Never tighten the spool tension up. I found that out the hard way(worst birds nest of my life). Just set the drag the way you normally would and set the brakes to what you normally would to. When I first started to skip a jig I would have my spool tension to where it was tightens a little bit and would sometimes backlash. Since I have gotten semi decent at skipping jigs, I can set the spool tension all the way off and just thumb the line the entire time it is skipping be it twice or even up to 10 times. When you skip you don't want to swing all that hard. If you do you might backlash. I have not tried to skip anything else such as flukes, worms, or anything like that but I perceive to be the same thing really. This is just the way I do it. Once you get it the first couple of times you will get the feeling of how to do it and it will get really fun trying to see how many times you can skip whatever you are using and all of the structure such as boat docks and stumps hanging over the water you can skip under. Have fun, and be cautious of back lashing.

[new2BC4bass]

Tighten your drag up, and swing till you figure it out.

 

 

I have never tried skipping a lure, but can't figure out what effect the drag could possibly have on any type of cast.  Did you mean brake?

 

EDIT:  Well I posted before reading thru the other answers.  Seems that the brake is what he meant.

[J Francho]

For Daiwa reels, I turn the brakes to zero, and increase the spool tension.  Keep your thumb ready!