Learning to skip a baitcaster.

[dodgeguy]

So I watched a bunch of videos about this and started practicing in my driveway. Most pros seem to use 6--10 to 7-3 mh to h rods with fast action tips. At first I tried it on a 6-8 m extra fast with a Lews MP . put brakes on all the way and started skipping a senko across my driveway. Had a few backlashes but not to bad. Next I pulled out my Dobyns Sierra 7-3 heavy fast with my Lews custom lite on it.  Brakes all the way up got no backlash but need more distance. Slowly loosened spool tension until bait dropped. Cast again using thumb and no backlash. Now I backed off adjustable centrifugal brake for a fewcasts and got no backlash with good distance. This custom lite on the Dobyns works. really well. I can't wait to get on the water and give it a shot. Line was Sufix 832 50 lb.what I found was really important was to cast really low like the pros say to. Hopefully I will duplicate my success on the water. It's going to be really nice to get baits way under hanging brush. Dean Rojas can actually skip curves around objects. THAT'S SICK !!!!

[Phil77]

I can barely skip under docks, my future son in law can skip like a pro. Pretty sure lews makes a reel just for skipping and pitching, my future son in law uses an Aldebaran, think it's the older bfs one.

My biggest problem is knocking the senko or creature off the tex posed part of the hook when it skips.

[Kenny Yi]

I would actually recommend a softer tip, a true mod fast action

 

allows the rod to load much easier, allowing for a compact wrist movement, which minimizes backlashes

[FishTank]

I am not expert at it but I tighten my cast control until the bait does not drop, leave the brakes at the current setting, cast low and hard and control things with my thumb (especially stopping the bait).   For spinning reels, I do kind of the same thing.  Except I put my hand over the spool as the line is going out, and then close my hand around the spool and closing the bail in one motion>stoping the bait. 

 

One other thing, that for me helps, is that I max out or come close to the rods upper end weight.  I know these weight guides are not all that accurate but if I over load the rod, the tip can act like a whip.   So for a senko and a 1/8oz bullet weight (around 1/2oz total), I would use a M rod with a fast tip.  For a 1/2oz jig with a trailer (5/8oz+ weight), I would use a either a MH or H (depending on the trailer) Fast or Extra-fast. 

 

And.....calm water is almost a must for me to get a good, accurate cast in. 

[Fastbee]

Sounds like you are well on your way dodgeguy.  I will warn you that the water isn't as forgiving as the concrete driveway but you probably already knew that.  Getting the "stroke" down is the most important part of skipping anything in my opinion.  Maybe the skipping specific rods and reels help but there were lots of us that could do it before any of that stuff was around.  Keep practicing, before long you don't even have to think about it before you launch a jig into the crack between a pontoon boat's motor and pontoon without fear of slamming into something!

[dodgeguy]

3 hours ago, Fastbee said:

Sounds like you are well on your way dodgeguy.  I will warn you that the water isn't as forgiving as the concrete driveway but you probably already knew that.  Getting the "stroke" down is the most important part of skipping anything in my opinion.  Maybe the skipping specific rods and reels help but there were lots of us that could do it before any of that stuff was around.  Keep practicing, before long you don't even have to think about it before you launch a jig into the crack between a pontoon boat's motor and pontoon without fear of slamming into something!

thanks for the encouragement .

[Big Hands]

For a long time, I have largely thought that skipping would be something I wouldn't have much use for given the conditions I fish in (there's rarely anything overhanging the water that I would need to scooch underneath or in between at surface level to present a bait).

 

But I have been reconsidering that position lately and thinking that skipping could help my presentations in a few different ways that could be more effective for me.

 

The first way is that if I could skip the bait the last few feet into the water's edge where the surface disturbance as the bait enters the water would look different than something plopping into the water with a splash. It might be simply different enough from what they see on a daily basis and know to be another attempt to fool them.

 

The second was it that if I were skipping the bait into a shoreline where there is a sheer wall/cliff that there would be less chance to overshoot the spot where I want the bait to fall if it can't get up onto the shoreline from simply casting too far. And that seems to happen even more at night when depth and distance are more difficult for me to gauge when casting to targets.

 

And, of course, there is the occasionally an opportunity to employ the technique to slide underneath overhanging vegetation, rock structures and maybe even a dock if/when I get the fish somewhere other than my normal haunts.

[dodgeguy]

1 hour ago, Big Hands said:

For a long time, I have largely thought that skipping would be something I wouldn't have much use for given the conditions I fish in (there's rarely anything overhanging the water that I would need to scooch underneath or in between at surface level to present a bait).

 

But I have been reconsidering that position lately and thinking that skipping could help my presentations in a few different ways that could be more effective for me.

 

The first way is that if I could skip the bait the last few feet into the water's edge where the surface disturbance as the bait enters the water would look different than something plopping into the water with a splash. It might be simply different enough from what they see on a daily basis and know to be another 

 

The second was it that if I were skipping the bait into a shoreline where there is a sheer wall/cliff that there would be less chance to overshoot the spot where I want the bait to fall if it can't get up onto the shoreline from simply casting too far. And that seems to happen even more at night when depth and distance are more difficult for me to gauge when casting to targets.

 

And, of course, there is the occasionally an opportunity to employ the technique to slide underneath overhanging vegetation, rock structures and maybe even a dock if/when I get the fish somewhere other than my normal haunts.

Where I fish there is a lot of low hanging vegetation. That's my primary reason for wanting to learn.

[jimanchower]

I recently fished a quarry that had a pretty well-defined brush line in the middle of the water, with plenty of brush jutting up. I knew there were a lot of bass set up on that line. A skip shot on a weedless rig lets you fish through that stuff without getting your actual line hung up the way an overhand cast would.

[Derek1]

I skipped my jig twice by accident. It was awesome. 

[Hammer 4]

Also, skipping can imitate a fleeing bait fish. I often skip in open water, you would be surprised at the action you can get by doing it. 

[J Francho]

4 hours ago, Hammer 4 said:

Also, skipping can imitate a fleeing bait fish. I often skip in open water, you would be surprised at the action you can get by doing it. 

On SML during an Elite event, I watched Rojas skip a frog around where skipping was totally unnecessary for getting the bait out there.  I asked him, and he said it was part of the demonstration.  More attractive than just a plop in their face.  He did pretty well that weekend, and it caused me skip just about anything that was skippable, like senkos, traps, sammies, and frogs.

[Cody28]

Best advice I was ever given: Use max centrifugal brakes, almost no magnetic brakes, and slightly loose spool tension compared to normal. Magnetic brakes and spool tension slow the bait throughout the entire cast, while centrifugal brakes stop the extreme speeds which are often involved in skipping. You want a loose spool to allow the bait not to slow too much as its hitting water. This allows you to avoid big backlashes while also not needing to overpower the cast during the skip. From there it is just a nice and easy circle cast, keep the elbow tucked into your side, and release the bait with a slightly upward direction of force. The bait released downward does not give any lift that is required to skip (or maybe it's a mental thing to correct release point). Many people release downward and many people crank the mag brakes/tension too high in fear of backlash. Both will hinder your skip. Additional Tip: Use a jig 3/8 to 1/2 oz. The extra weight provides the bait momentum limiting the effect of water on the bait. Jigs also skip much easier than senkos when learning. Any trailer with a wide flat bottom helps too. 

On 10/3/2021 at 12:12 AM, Kenny Yi said:

I would actually recommend a softer tip, a true mod fast action

 

allows the rod to load much easier, allowing for a compact wrist movement, which minimizes backlashes

Soft tip yes, deep load into the blank no. You want an almost whippy tip section and strong backbone. Some companies will label this differently. 

[scaleface]

I went from someone who was a pretty poor skip  caster to decent really fast . The secret ,  Z-Man Pop Shadz . You want to learn how to skip cast ,get some of these things  . Let about four to six inches of line out  , parallel your rod tip four to six inches above the surface , and this lure will skip like a flat rock . My jaw dropped when I skipped this thing  "deep" inside a culvert that was  mostly covered with over-hanging vegetation . Learn on this lure then move onto others .