Spinning Rod For Skipping Docks

[Kyle46N]

I've been thinking alot about skipping docks with a medium heavy spinning rod.  I admittedly am pretty sorry when it comes to skipping with a baitcaster.   It's kind of the final piece of my learning curve with baitcasters.   BUT, I grew up skipping docks for crappie with ultralight rods.  So I am VERY good at that, and still do it to this day.   I've been so hung up with learning how to skip with a baitcast, that it never occured to me to play to my strength.  The reality is, it could take years before I'm able to skip a BC as well as I can skip with a spinning rod.   Any thoughts on this?  Does anyone else use a spinning rod to work docks with?   If so, what are your experiences?  Is it effective?   Do you feel you are at a disadvantage with spinning vs baitcast?   I'm just looking for opinions and discussion specifically on this application, spinning rods for skipping larger lures, jigs, senkos, spinnerbaits, large plastics.  I fully understand the benefits of baitcast vs spinner for other applications, flipping, pitching, etc.  

[georgeyew]

Anything that I skip will be with the spinning rod. Mostly I skip senko worms, so they work well with my medium powered rod.

[ABW]

Practice, practice, practice. Eventually, you'll get it. Use 40-50 lb braid when you are skipping with a baitcaster. In my experience, 50 lb braid was easy for me to learn because of its manageability. Backlashes weren't hard to pick out. I have tried using mono and fluoro and I had a bit more trouble.  

 

Skipping is good with spinning tackle if you're throwing lighter lures, but if I'm skipping a jig I want to have the power to pull that fish out quickly.  A baitcaster also comes in higher IPT, which is important in picking up slack.

[TommyV]

I talked to a man in Dick's about this. He told me about his last tourney in the summer and his co in the back was using a 5 foot spin and was nailing them with senkos. Hearing that, this is a technique I'd like to try.

[ClackerBuzz]

I only use baitcaster. just kidding, i wanted to beat someone to it.

skipping docks with a spinning rod is one of the easiest and most fun techniques out there.  i taught a buddy last season and he is completely addicted. i only skip a baitcaster when I have to. i can tell you this: skipping a baitcaster is all about the thumb brake. don't remove ur thumb from the spool for even a second. keep steady gentle pressure on ur spool the whole cast and you'll have lots of success and few if any backlashes.  for some reason i rarely see this tip mentioned. maybe b/c veterans don't realize they are doing it?

[War Eagle 44]

I too am still in the process of "perfecting" my skipping with a baitcaster, I can make a couple great skips in a row and then BANG blow up on the next so I'm still working it out. Anyway on to your question. I do, and have, done plenty of dock skipping with my spinning gear. My current rod is a Crucial 7'2" MH Fast 8-14# 3/16 - 5/8oz. lures, I fish it with 20# PP main line tied to a 15# fluorocarbon leader. I feel very confident in the rod's ability to get the fish safely away from a dock, it has plenty of power for me. I know it's a little long for most guys looking to fish this way but I've gotten used to it and never have any trouble. I own my own boat so I always get to position the boat exactly how I need it so that might play into it if you're going to be fishing out of the back of someone else's boat.

 

I've always been able to skip any bait I've wanted to on this line combo. I tried 30# once, just to experiment, but found no advantage over 20# because I always tie on a leader. I've gone as heavy as 20# and as low as 10# for my leader but 95% of the time I'm using 15#. Just to help keep things simple those are the only three pound tests of leader that I keep on hand. One of the three has always worked for me.

 

In my opinion if you're already comfortable with spinning gear then I say absolutely go for it. I love fishing this way and I've never felt that I was "under gunned" just because I was using spinning tackle. I'm just trying to learn to skip with a baitcaster simply because I want to, no other reason. I enjoy the challenge. I'm sure there are plenty of rods to pick from that will be great for exactly how you want your setup to feel/fish.     

[DocNsanE]

I don't many jigs yet, that's my goal for 2015, but I've had a lot of success skipping soft plastics with spinning tackle. I think the b/c might allow you to get more casts done in a shorter period of time and might help with heavier baits, but for plastics, skipping with spinning tackle was pretty easy to pick up for me.

[kschultz76]

I should start learning to skip with a baitcaster. Haven't attempted that yet.

I do however love to skip a weightless 5" senko under anything I can - mostly trees and overhanging brush but plenty of docks as well. Have had great success and caught some of my biggest fish skipping that senko up under dense cover into just inches of water. My rod of choice is a St Croix 6'8" M/XF spinning rod, a Legend Extreme version. The tip just loads up perfectly to get the tip speed need for a smooth skip.

Haven't tried it on spinning with anything heavier then a senko.

[RSM789]

Skipping unweighted, wacky rigged Senko's (4" & 5") under docks is a go-to technique on my lake following cold fronts and during the middle of the day in the summer & fall. I want to be able to keep the rod as vertically straight to the water as possible all through the cast in order to keep the lure as low as possible.  Many of the docks on my lake have clearance of 12" or less from the water or I am shooting a small gap between multiple boats & the more angle the rod has to the water, the more difficult it is to be accurate.  I have also found that be keeping the rod as vertical as possible, backhanded casts & inside-out casts (like hitting a baseball to the opposite field) are easier to accomplish with accuracy.

 

Therefore, I choose a 5', 5" medium heavy spinning rod because I fish from a pond prowler which puts me low to the water.  If you fish from a boat with a higher hull a 6' 0" or 6" may work depending on your height.  I prefer a spinning reel with the fastest ratio possible because a good percentage of the fish will grab the lure & swim towards you, making line pickup speed crucial.  I used to have issues with monofilament & fluorocarbon eventually twisting up coming off the reel until about a year ago when I tried some Berkley Nanofil.  That line flows off a spinning reel like butter.  I know many people have concerns with its abrasion resistance, but I have pulled fish as big as 7-6 out from being wrapped around boat props with 12 lb Nanofil & a 12 lb. fluorocarbon leader.  It may not be the correct line to work around areas with real nasty snags, but most docks in my lake are pretty clear because the boat owners don't want to foul their props.

 

As far as horsing fish out from under the docks, I have found that many of the fish tend to swim out on their own anyway, at least until they know they are hooked.  If I skip a particularly nasty spot and am worried about getting a fish out, I will often give the fish an extra five or six seconds before I set the hook.  By that time, they have usually cleared most of the obstacles on their own & are pretty much in open water.  Occasionally this does result in a gut hooked fish, but the method shown on this forum how you turn the hook around by going through the gill works like magic to remove those deep hooks.

[SirSnookalot]

I use spinning gear 100% of the time for any fishing technique and species.  The rod and reel only delivers the lure to the intended target area, use the system that you are most comfortable with.

[Bluebasser86]

I skip with both but it's far easier with a spinning rod. I use a 6' 6" MH/F with 20lb 832 braid to skip tubes and Senkos way back under docks. 

[riverbasser13]

If you already have the hang of it with an UL set up then you should be good to go. If you don't already have a reel in mind to go with your MH rod, I would suggest something in a 3000 or 4000 size, that way you could spool it up with braid and get a few more inches per turn as well. I always felt like the best way to get a bass out from under a dock is to "steer" them out rather than just drag 'em straight back to the boat. So spinning gear has always worked well for me at skipping docks overhanging trees, etc. Plus its fun to practice when your not catching fish.

[Kyle46N]

Thanks for all the advice and comments.   It re-enforces what I was already thinking but at the same time advice like ClackerBuzz gave will keep me trying to skip that baitcaster.   Definitely haven't kept my thumb on it the whole way through.  Makes a lot of sense.  

[buzzed bait]

i bought a 6'10MF *** spinning rod for this very purpose, spooled with 20lb powerpro braid..  skipping small plastics and 3/8oz arkie head jigs.  MUCH easier than the baitcaster and it just works.  you'll be amazed at what you can skip (pencil style bait, jerkbait, crankbaits).

[ColdSVT]

Skipping is good with spinning tackle if you're throwing lighter lures, but if I'm skipping a jig I want to have the power to pull that fish out quickly. A baitcaster also comes in higher IPT, which is important in picking up slack.

My stradic 2500 pulls 34 ipt...pretty comparable imo

My stradic 4000 pulls 37!

I plan to mess with skippin this year...looks fun and productive!

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Developing a  new skill like skip casting a bait-caster is part of the fun, but when I'm out to flat out catch some I don't see any advantage in forcing the issue as far as tackle choice. I don't care about ultra-finesse bait-casting, skipping with casting tackle, or punching with spinning tackle at these times. I grab for the setup I personally find best suited, easiest to use for the immediate task. Once I've got it out of my system, I'll experiment with techniques, tackle and baits. I don't go out of my way to add frustration (even though it's inevitable sometimes) to what should be relaxing and fun. 

[Felix77]

I have a 6' M spinning which I use for skipping docks.  Love it!

[ww2farmer]

I skip with both but it's far easier with a spinning rod. I use a 6' 6" MH/F with 20lb 832 braid to skip tubes and Senkos way back under docks. 

Same here, except my "go to" skipping spinning rod is M, I find I can get better and more accurate skips with a rod that will load a little bit. With Casting gear I use a MH.

[0119]

I enjoy using St. Croix "Skippin' Special" spinning rod. It's 5ft. 8" med. and it's a fun technique. Old docks are better than new ones, more algae growth brings in more bait fish.