Skipping Rod - Short or Long?

[Tizi]

I have purchased a Daiwa Tatula SV TWS for skipping.  I want to pair it with a Tatula rod.  I am deciding between these 2:

 

6'10" MH/F

7'1" MH/XF

 

Any insight is greatly appreciated.

[A-Jay]

Admittedly not the best skipper in the north woods, I went with the 6'9" H.

I really like it - shorter definitely helps me out quite a bit. 

And I need all the help I can get.

A-Jay

 

[Tizi]

What rod is that A-Jay?  Why did you go heavy vs medium heavy?

[Bassinislife]

I use a 6’ 4” rod for skipping and I think it works and it’s really accurate if I was u I would go with a shorter rod 

[A-Jay]

30 minutes ago, Tizi said:

What rod is that A-Jay?  Why did you go heavy vs medium heavy?

It's the TAEL691HFB - Andy Montgomery - Skippin' Jig Rod.

 I have 'several' MH sticks ranging from 6'6" to 6'10" 

 And most all of them worked OK for me for skipping. 

But I wanted to try a shorter blank that had a decent tip but more at the back end. 

Turns out - I like this better. 

A-Jay

and here's a pretty killer deal on it right here ~ (wish I had got in on this) 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Daiwa-TAEL691HFB-Tatula-Elite-Rod-6-9in-One-Piece-Skippin-Jig-Rod/303255700533?epid=719885555&hash=item469b72c435:g:bYsAAOSwX7BdV8eK

 
 

[Fried Lemons]

Personally I would go with the 6'10, mainly because I have a harder time skipping with XF action rods. I like a tip that loads up so I don't have to impart much force.

[Dirtyeggroll]

1 hour ago, A-Jay said:

It's the TAEL691HFB - Andy Montgomery - Skippin' Jig Rod.

 I have 'several' MH sticks ranging from 6'6" to 6'10" 

 And most all of them worked OK for me for skipping. 

But I wanted to try a shorter blank that had a decent tip but more at the back end. 

Turns out - I like this better. 

A-Jay

 
 

I have the same rod paired with a Tatula SV and I have developed a ton of confidence and skill using it to skip.

 

I feel that the tip is a bit softer than other Heavy/fast rods I own. It’s great for loading up to skip a bait and  the shorter length allows me to attempt acrobatic casts without hitting as many things with the rod. The backbone is beefy on the rod which makes it easy to horse fish out of cover. The only downside I find with the softer tip is that I really have to make sure I drive my hookset through the tip and into the backbone of the rod. I lost a handful of fish on my first couple outings with the rod due to what I attribute to not getting a good hook on them. I have since conditioned myself to pull the hookset through the backbone and haven’t had any issues. I also use the rod as my primary jig rod (for offshore fishing) due to its top notch sensitivity. The length and blank of the rod however are not ideal for long casts.

 

So, to answer your question, I find a shorter rod with a little give in the tip and a solid backbone to be optimal for skipping.

[FryDog62]

I started skipping with a baitcaster 5 years ago.  A couple very good fisherman told me the process I would go through... that I’d start with a shorter 6’-0” to 6’-6” rod for accuracy sake and then gravitate to somewhere between a 6’-10” to 7’-1” rod.  Logic is as you get better at skipping the accuracy will naturally come and you’ll wish you had a longer rod to get fish out and away from cover...

 

They were right..

[bagofdonuts]

Another vote for the longer one. Two reasons:1. I like to use the same rod for flipping, pitching, casting and skipping because I'll be doing all of those while fishing a jig. Didn't want to have to pick up a different rod at each piece of cover so I learned to skip with a flippin stick. 2. While skipping you want to keep the line out of the water for as long as you can and a longer rod helps.

So, I say learn with the longer rod and you'll be more versatile with the jig.

 

 

[Tizi]

Thanks for the input all!  I just pulled the trigger on the 6'10" Tatula MH/F.

[FryDog62]

1 hour ago, Tizi said:

Thanks for the input all!  I just pulled the trigger on the 6'10" Tatula MH/F.

Good rod, one of the other rods I use and really like for skipping is a Tatula Elite Ehrler 7-0 Medium-Medium Heavy.  

[Smalls]

I think the balance of a rod/reel combo is more important than length. It has to feel “fluid”. So no matter what length your rod is, if it’s too tip/butt heavy, it’s going to be awkward. 

[MittenMouth]

On 8/19/2019 at 1:46 PM, Dirtyeggroll said:

I have since conditioned myself to pull the hookset through the backbone and haven’t had any issues.

What exactly did you. Hangs on your hookset?  

 

I have the same setup and usually lose a few every tournament when I’m skipping dOcks and I usually have a strong hookset with jigs. For some reason I can’t always seem to get the hook to dig enough in- I even switch out jigs every week now to keep them sharp but still notice it. 

 

Love the setup- I can skip forever and the shorter rod gives me some good accuracy too. For what it’s worth, Andy said the 6’10” was designed for shorter people intentionally, not necessarily skipping beginners...especially at an msrp of $180. I’m 5’10” and this is a good fit. 

[Frog Turds]

is that a secret bait for those big girls? ??

[Dirtyeggroll]

4 hours ago, MittenMouth said:

What exactly did you. Hangs on your hookset?  

 

I have the same setup and usually lose a few every tournament when I’m skipping dicks and I usually have a strong hookset with jigs. For some reason I can’t always seem to get the hook to dig enough in- I even switch out jigs every week now to keep them sharp but still notice it. 

 

Love the setup- I can skip forever and the shorter rod gives me some good accuracy too. For what it’s worth, Andy said the 6’10” was designed for shorter people intentionally, not necessarily skipping beginners...especially at an msrp of $180. I’m 5’10” and this is a good fit. 

It’s combination of a deeper swing on the hookset and a kind of pulling motion.

 

its not just a ‘harder’ hookset

[scbassin]

I use 2, 5' 6"  older Shimano rods with pistol grip handles that I have had since the mid 70's. They work well for me.

[MittenMouth]

6 hours ago, Frog Turds said:

is that a secret bait for those big girls? ??

Hahaha- oooops!