What technique is “shooting”?

[Shinmothy]

I’ve been reading up on some JDM tackle and techniques and one thing I’ve been coming a lot across is “shooting” of lures and “cover shooting”. What exactly is this? Is it pitching to cover? Or simply just precise casts into cover?

[islandbass]

Woh. Never heard of that. Looking forward to seeing what this is about. Maybe it involves using a 5’6” or 6’ pistol grip rod, lol. 

[Shinmothy]

17 minutes ago, islandbass said:

Woh. Never heard of that. Looking forward to seeing what this is about. Maybe it involves using a 5’6” or 6’ pistol grip rod, lol. 

It probably isn’t anything revolutionary, I was mostly just curious as to what it was exactly. I’ve been using Google translate and iPhone auto translation so it could also just be a translation error. It generally involves jigs, Texas rigs, free rigs, “leaderless down shot” (jika/tokyo rigs, or something along those lines. But maybe finally I’ll uncover what those pistol grip rods are for

[GRiver]

Could it be another name for skipping? 

[Mike L]

It could possibly just be a local or regional term for something that we’re all familiar with. 
 

Something like in my world a fishing competition is called a tournament, but some on here call it a “derby” which I’ve never heard it called that before 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[ironbjorn]

4 minutes ago, Mike L said:

It could possibly just be a local or regional term for something that we’re all familiar with. 
 

Something like in my world a fishing competition is called a tournament, but some on here call it a “derby” which I’ve never heard it called that before 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

Where I'm from it's only called a derby for kids. Tournament is used for any half serious competition.

[Mike L]

3 minutes ago, ironbjorn said:

Where I'm from it's only called a derby for kids. Tournament is used for any half serious competition.

That’s my point. 
Some don’t make that or any other distinction 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[Mobasser]

I have heard crappie fisherman talk about " shooting" docks. I haven't heard this term used in bass fishing.

[ironbjorn]

5 minutes ago, Mike L said:

That’s my point. 
Some don’t make that or any other distinction 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

I know. I was just adding another regional variation. Some call it a derby, some call it a tournament, some use both for different kinds of events.

[Choporoz]

Hold the bait and use the rod and line like a bow and arrow for skipping under docks.  Gene Larew marketed some baits and heads a few years ago for shooting docks for bass.  I bought a few but never found it any better for me than traditional skipping.  With more practice, I did think it had potential but I didn't work at it.  

[Catt]

Down here it's used by Crappie fisherman as a method to get light weight lures under boat docks. 

 

Don't know any bass fisherman that use it.

[Tennessee Boy]

 

[Functional]

I've heard it used for exactly like @Tennessee Boy just posted. Some people are really fancy with it, I tried it for half a day and got worried some dock owners were going to sink my boat. Regular skipping for me with bass lures. 

[fishballer06]

2 hours ago, Mobasser said:

I have heard crappie fisherman talk about " shooting" docks. I haven't heard this term used in bass fishing.

Was going to comment the same. This is my best guess. They're flinging small baits under docks and into cover. 

[Choporoz]

2 hours ago, Choporoz said:

Hold the bait and use the rod and line like a bow and arrow for skipping under docks.  Gene Larew marketed some baits and heads a few years ago for shooting docks for bass.  I bought a few but never found it any better for me than traditional skipping.  With more practice, I did think it had potential but I didn't work at it.  

Six years ago, apparently.   I still have them, but never went back to it.  I do recall the vid of that bait in action is what sold me

 

[Big Swimbait]

I bought a bunch from a member recently. I use them on a Free Rig now with great success. I understood the "shooting" process and gave it a lot of TOW. But the rod needed to shoot did not work well getting them out.

[king fisher]

It's what happens when I get to my favorite fishing hole at first daylight and there is already someone else in my spot.

[MN Fisher]

1 minute ago, king fisher said:

heir is already some else there.

Sounds typical for south of the border, King.

[RRocket]

I am familiar with this term as I'm a big JDM fan.

 

The above answers are correct. It's a method to get bait into/under cover.

 

Ultra or light fishing on spinning is popular there and these baits/rods typically don't skip very well due to their size/design/weight. Imagine trying to skip a 1/16th ounce anything accurately! 

 

So they use shooting to get into tight cover. It's essentially flipping but really loading up the rod while doing so.

 

It's also most often done from shore fishing (Okappari), in tight confines, where swinging a rod to skip is all but impossible.

 

Hope this helps.

[MN Fisher]

I kept thinking to myself - 'This sure sounds familiar...kind-of.'

 

Then @Choporoz's post hit and I knew...I'd been using it since my fly fishing days...there it's known as the 'bow and arrow cast'. That's what I've always called it...it's another of those 'fifteen different names for the same thing' making it difficult to understand.

[Bazoo]

I do it. I didn't know it was a thing or had a name.  I figured it out when fishing tight bank cover. Often times I'll fish in trees, and I can't cast.  Works great once you get the hang of it. I've hooked a finger once, wasn't pleasant. I didn't think of using it in place of skipping, good idea though.

[Alex from GA]

Mudhole has a series of 6' blanks just for shooting, MHX Shooter Dock Skipping & Finesse Rod Blanks.  

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