Skipping Baits Under Docks

[MNfrogger10]

Hey guys! I am having a horrible time trying to skip baits under docks with a bait caster. I have watched (well what I believe) almost every YouTube video on skipping with a Baitcaster imaginable lol. I have tried all sorts of reels, from a Abu Garcia silver max all the way up to a Quantum Smoke. I have also tried rod lengths. I know the reel is set up right. I'm lost:( please help!!

[bmlum415]

Pitch or cast side arm, aim to hit the water closer to you than directly hit your target and using plastics works better for me than jigs, btw its hard to explain without showing in person, it's like skipping a rock

[MNfrogger10]

Okay. How much line should I have out and what would the rod angle be at. I have heard that some people lift there rod tip up towards the end of the skip to help prevent backlashes.

[bmlum415]

I personally lift my tip very slightly, as for angle and line I couldn't tell you I just side arm it and skip it on the water, if you know how to flip you can also go up to docks pretty closely, flip it and hit the bottom of the dock and the bait will flip under a few feet or so, sorry if this isn't too helpful, it's hard for me to explain.

[aharris]

practice practice practice....and then practice some more. Dont tighten your brake bc that will cause a mess. You want to kinda roll your wrist when you do it. My bait is usually three or four inches from my rod tip. (it works better for me).

[ww2farmer]

The tape on the reel spool trick is your friend when learning to skip with casting equipment too.

[J Francho]

Or grab a MH/F spinner, 20-30# braid, and skip away.  Use a leader, if you must. 

[MrPeanut]

I'm more inconsistent than my beloved Bears when it comes to skipping baits...it's a goal of mine to get better at it this summer.  Practice makes perfect, or at least makes it better than it was, whenever there's calm water around I try to skip a few, even if there's no docks or anything around to skip under 

 

the bait itself can be a factor too, at least for me it's a lot easier to skip something with broad, flat sides like a tube than anything else.

[tbone1993]

Hard and fast is normally what I do. I am still learning how to do it and am not confident doing it under low docks. With spinning gear I can skip under anything, its just how that works out.

[senile1]

Practice every chance you get.  It will come to you, though once in awhile, you will still create an overrun.  I don't find docks to be too difficult now, but skipping under overhanging brush can still be tough even though I encounter it the most.  My eyes aren't quite what they once were and I can't always tell if there are twigs or limbs hanging down a bit lower behind the front edge of the tree or bush.  It isn't fun to skip a lure and have it hang up two or three feet back in brush.  So far I have been lucky and haven't encountered any snakes when freeing these hangups but it definitely crosses my mind.

[MNfrogger10]

What type of rod should I use for skipping jigs? I usually skip plastics with one of my spinning set ups. I was thinking about throwing 1/4 ounce to 1/2 ounce jigs around wood and metal boat docks. So what length power and action should I use?

[Teal]

A shorter/lighter rod to start with until you get good at it. A 6'6M fast is perfect for 1/4-3/8.

I can skip with just about anything now, but i still use a 6'6M for 1/4 and 3/8.

[Danarchy]

There's so many videos out there of Pros showing us their skipping skills, but none that I have found mention what you should be doing with your thumb. As soon as your bait hits the water it loses some momentum, but the spool is still spinning at mach 9 from that quick low cast.

Should we be applying light pressure to the spool the whole time, or should accurate thumb pressure be applied to the spool the moment the bait hits the water?

I like the idea of just keeping a spinning rod with but sometimes as a co-angler I don't bring one with me.

[DiabeticJimmy]

I find that keeping moderate pressure on the spool the whole time works for me. Even with the pressure on the spool there is enough force and speed to have it skip but keep it from birds nesting when it starts sinking.

[hatrix]

Well I am not a super pro at skipping like some people on here are but i can do it well enough to get it where I want it. I use a super short lead on the bait and do a roll cast with it. I find the longer the lead you do the bigger the chance of it swinging to  high above the water. The best adivce I can give is like if you ever beat a bank making a million short roll casts to every little spot you see. It is like doing the same thing for me ecept I am not trying to completely stop it when I hit my target if you get what im saying.

 

The way I learned is by making tons and tons of low and fast roll casts to little spots along the bank from a boat. Then I just apply the same technique to skipping. It is the same cast just with lees thumb.

 

Hope that helps some.

[ClackerBuzz]

x2 all about the thumb brake.

make sure you keep ur thumb on the spool the ENTIRE cast.  engage the reel and then focus 100% on feathering or 'thumb braking' the whole time.  go outside in ur yard at night and practice casting and thumb breaking into the yard in the pitch black. if ur lure hits the yard w/o ur thumb on the spool you will obviously backlash. it will force you to brake till the end.  short casts will force you to keep ur thumb on the spool even in the middle of the cast. the darkness really puts you in touch with ur spool like a blind man. not only helps for skipping but all around BC cast control.

also alot of vid's say to focus on the target ie 12" space between the water and dock.  i found this to be initially bad advice.  focus on the first 'splash down' spot ur jig is going to hit. focus on the dock space after you get better.  ie  think about skipping a rock across a pond as a kid. you'd focus on ur first skip location and let it rip.  you wouldn't focus 50ft ahead and ignore the initial 10 ft splash down spot.  after you're better you'll instinctively line the whole cast up, back to front, front to back, several times like a pool shot. you'll evaluate ur cue ball, sink ball and pocket inside out...but always focus lastly on the cue ball when executing.

[jkarol24]

The biggest thing is practice and gaining the "feel" of it. 

 

My gear consists of a 7' MH Ex-Fast rod and a quality baitcaster (i prefer a Shimano Curado 200E7 for skipping and pitching).  I go with 40-50 lb Power Pro braid as the PP seems to be a bit rougher/more abrasive than other braids, as well as mono and fluoro. I feel as if I can control the spool a bit better with that extra grab from my thumb on the line/spool.  I can also pick backlashes better with braid. 

 

I start with about 12"of line out and the cast is more of a wrist roll than a cast.  I make the lure do a near 360 degree revolution to load the tip.  The rod tip loads up to fling the bait, but you dont need to or want to load the entire rod like a normal cast.  When you release the lure to make the cast, you want the rod tip to be close to the water and the lure should have a trajectory as low and as paralleled to the water as possible.

 

Tips on the cast: 

• You dont need to cast it as hard as you think
• Loose brakes are better than heavy brakes
• Use your thumb throughout the entire cast (this is where the "feel" comes in) 
• Focus on making the lure do a bunch of short, sliding skips as opposed to 3 or 4 long jumpy skips
• I raise my rod tip up at the end to provide lift, and also to get a bit more line off the reel so I can follow the bait down
• Focus about a foot in front of where you want your lure to slide into, or the first skip 
• The lure should normally be skipping before or right as it gets under the dock
• Dont try to skip when there is wind and waves, its not gonna happen

Lurewise, I prefer to skip a 3/8 oz jig more than anything else.  I use an alien/ brush style head, while others prefer an arky head.  Go with a trailer that isnt real bulky and wont catch a bunch of water.  I use a simple craw trailer most of the time. 

 

And of course, PRACTICE! The way I learned is that I used skip casts any time I was making a normal cast.  Lets say I was out in 15 FOW making short pitches to a weed edge or grass clumps.  Instead of making a pitch, I would do a skip cast.  Got the same distance, the lure got to the same place, but I was practicing my skipping on every cast.  And its easier in open water with no pressure to make that perfect cast.

[dustin11]

I find it a lot easier to do with spinning gear and you get heavier gear for heavier lures. I prefer spinning gear so I don't have to worry about backlashes and its a lot easier to learn on in my opinion.