Skipping for Bass

[fishingtx]

Do you skip baits?

What is your favorite bait to skip?

What structure do you look for when you do skip?

 

[Bird]

The best bait I've found to skip is super flukes on spinning......under docks and overhangs. 

My fishing partner does well with wacky rigged Senko's. 

 

[HaydenS]

3/8-1/2 Chatterbaits on a medium heavy baitcaster.  Skipping under trees, water willow, docks, everything...

[Catt]

Jig-n-Craw ?

[Mike L]

Stick baits and frogs 

 

 

 

Mike

[FryDog62]

All weightless or weight buried in the plastic... nothing to clank off a pontoon or dock post.  Spooks the fish and/or ticks off the homeowners. I typically skip:

 

• Caffeine Shad on weightless Owner Twistlock Light hook
• Neko rigs with 1/16th oz nail weight buried in the plastic
• Weightless wacky worms

 

All on baitcasting equipment (SV spools). I find it easier to get the fish out and away from cover, posts, etc with b/c equipment. 

[GRiver]

I use like to use stick or senko style worms, three favorite colors; green pumpkin, June bug & bubble gum.
My pitching skills are the worst anybody’s seen, so I try and use a heavier rod and size 35 pflueger spinning reel, just slightly bigger. My accuracy is horrible trying to skip, so I stay away from people’s boats… I do docks and tree cover only. 

[gim]

Primarily weightless wacky worms here under docks here with a MH spinning setup. I have done quite a bit of it the past couple seasons and gotten to be pretty good.

 

If the homeowner is present, I move on. Don’t need that kind of trouble or confrontation.

[Finessegenics]

Does anyone else skip ned rigs? I’m talking with a 1/16 head. For some reason it skips really well. If not a wacky rig is real easy to skip too. 
 

On a casting rod, I still can’t skip properly ?

[Columbia Craw]

Jigs

[Trox]

21 minutes ago, gimruis said:

If the homeowner is present, I move on. Don’t need that kind of trouble or confrontation.

I always ask if it is ok that I fish their dock if I think it may be an issue. 9 time out of 10 they are like "sure! no problem! you having any luck?", and if you catch one under their dock they are typically pretty fascinated...

I've forgotten to charge my trolling motor batteries once before a trip and they finally died next to a boat dock that the owner was hanging out on... Next thing you know, he's running an extenion cord to my boat so I can get enough of a charge to save my day. I could have just called it a day, but instead I was like "what the hell, I'll ask"...

 

so yeah, always ask if you feel like it's a good dock!

[gim]

48 minutes ago, TroxBox said:

I always ask if it is ok that I fish their dock if I think it may be an issue. 9 time out of 10 they are like "sure! no problem! you having any luck?", and if you catch one under their dock they are typically pretty fascinated...

I've forgotten to charge my trolling motor batteries once before a trip and they finally died next to a boat dock that the owner was hanging out on... Next thing you know, he's running an extenion cord to my boat so I can get enough of a charge to save my day. I could have just called it a day, but instead I was like "what the hell, I'll ask"...

 

so yeah, always ask if you feel like it's a good dock!

The problem is getting snagged with someone around. It’s a simple fix with no one present. I’m pretty good about avoiding hang ups around docks but it does happen on occasion. Technically you don’t need their permission to fish the water around or under their dock. Should they give you permission to fish there and then you get hung up, I am not sure what kind of reaction you might get. So I just avoid it all together. I just go past, wave, and move on to the next dock.

[Kenny Yi]

Yes.

 

Jigs, but the easiest will always be a worm or stickbait.

 

Anywhere I can't pitch or cast under.

[Deephaven]

Some dock owners are fine.  I have unhooked people a few times from mine.

 

As for skipping, almost always a jig.

[WRB]

Watch Dean Rojas skipping frogs video’s. Dean can skip and make it curve. 

Tom

[papajoe222]

About the only bait I skip is a tube. Probably because I'm awful at the technique and they almost naturally skip with a sidearm cast. Add to that, they are fish catchers so I really don't feel the need to experiment with other baits.

[rtwvumtneer6]

49 minutes ago, WRB said:

Watch Dean Rojas skipping frogs video’s. Dean can skip and make it curve. 

Tom

Had a guide that was a marshal on Rojas' boat.  Said the videos are cool but don't do it justice.  He couldn't believe what he was seeing in person.  

[rtwvumtneer6]

4 hours ago, HaydenS said:

3/8-1/2 Chatterbaits

I threw bladed jigs for a while before even considering skipping them.  The blade on the head didn't make sense to me.  Heard about it and tried it and IMO one of the easiest baits to skip.

 

The lakes I fish have a lot of overhanging trees.  The pitch skip with a jig comes in handy.  Still working on that one. 

[Hammer 4]

I skip any bait that is skipable...is that a word  lol

[schplurg]

42 minutes ago, Hammer 4 said:

I skip any bait that is skipable...is that a word  lol

 

It is now!

 

I usually skip under tree branches where casting or pitching it would be risky. Love scooting it up under a tree like that.

 

I'm not good enough to skip under someone's pontoon boat, not even my Dad's when it's lifted out of the water. I've only been off the banks for a handful of trips so I'm not comfortable doing it near parked boats. I'm even a bit nervous pitching near them.

[Hammer 4]

Keep at it, try to get the bait say under 4', once your good at that, keep going lower. I use to fish a salt water harbor, that had a boat repair dock that at high tide was about 2' off the water. Lot of good sized spotted bay bass hang out to the rear, so getting your bait to the back of that dock was key if you wanted to hook some good fish. I was skipping that dock from a float tube..with a 7' rod.

[Catt]

9 hours ago, gimruis said:

If the homeowner is present, I move on. Don’t need that kind of trouble or confrontation.

 

Down here it's illegal for the land owner to say anything. The dock belongs to the land owner but the water & fish belongs to everyone.

[scaleface]

I didnt think I could skip until I did it with a Zman Popshadz . I can skip those things way up under objects . So now I know I can do it , I need to experiment with jigs and trailers to find the best one.    When you watch experts do it they  always follow through by raising their rods . I recently viewed a video where the guy explains why . This is to keep the line out of the water . If the line is on the water it creates drag .

[T-Billy]

10 hours ago, Finessegenics said:

Does anyone else skip ned rigs? I’m talking with a 1/16 head. For some reason it skips really well. If not a wacky rig is real easy to skip too. 
 

On a casting rod, I still can’t skip properly ?

I skip a TRD Bug under docks and pontoons all summer. All the docks on our lakes are floating with just a few steel posts. I can normally get the fish out from under them on 6# XT without issue. 

 I'm mediocre at skipping with casting gear, but that's gonna change in 22. I really dialed in a shoreline brush bite last summer that lasted clear up into Nov. when they draw the lakes down. There's lots of low overhanging trees along with the brush. Upping my skipping game will allow me to fish this stuff more efficiently/productively. 

[HaydenS]

9 hours ago, rtwvumtneer6 said:

I threw bladed jigs for a while before even considering skipping them.  The blade on the head didn't make sense to me.  Heard about it and tried it and IMO one of the easiest baits to skip.

 

The lakes I fish have a lot of overhanging trees.  The pitch skip with a jig comes in handy.  Still working on that one. 

Yeah, a lot easier to skip than a regular jig.  Nice little side arm cast will get it way up under a dock.