5bites

Back in the day when docks had actual foam they'd purposely try to make their lures bounce off of it as it went back in. Sound like a recipe to backlash to me. I've had fish come eat a skipping lure so I know it can be an attraction as well as a method to reach low to the water targets.

For sure. I have a tendency to end up to close or come in to hot. Slowing down and looking ahead to your next position helps a lot. But you know how it is when you get all keyed up.

I'm not arguing that in the least. There are good ol' all around setups that cover lots of techniques. I say the same thing about a 7'mh. It's just a good do all rod. I in no way meant to imply anyone was wasting there time with whatever current equipment they had. Like anything though there are proper tools for the job. If I'm going to try to teach someone though I'd rather tell them what works best. By all means use what you got but since this is a fishing forum to help others we might as well give people the best information possible if we truly want to help. It's not opinion or just chasing gadgets. Those things are factual advantages to skipping and pitching.

It's not subjective in real life at all. A spool that starts up sooner will let the bait get lower faster and lift less. A lighter spool not only starts up sooner but is more responsive to changes during the cast. No way around that. Now I'm not doubting your skill at all. If you can skip jigs with a deep sea reel then that's awesome. There is a mechanical advantage to the equipment I described though. Not hard to figure out. Same thing with a slow action rod. They tend to lift the bait into the cast. The faster the better. Again if you've overcome that great. I imagine you'd be quite a bit better with a light spooled reel and a fast rod though. Length, that's getting into the subjective part. Speed gets distance and length gets speed but there's more to it than that so that's why length is more of a comfort thing. I like a 7'ish rod. I know a guy that uses nothing under 7'6" which for me is to long. I'll go 7'3" sometimes but it's not my favorite setup. Action is more important than length. So so by all means use a Calcutta 400 on a 6' moderate action rod. All I can say is good luck. The impressing people part is a jab? I fish with my kids, or usually someone that can skip also. I enjoy dock fishing and it's an advantage to know. It's got zero to do with pleasing others. Not sure why that was even brought up in a discussion trying to help someone that might be new to trying it. I sure wish I would have understood things better starting out!

I could see this being a fun grand bait. The gizzards have hair on their chest down there.

What works and what works best are two different things. I can do it with slower rods and deeper spools but the actual physics of it forces it to perform better with the right equipment. You can drive a nail with a crescent wrench but why?

This guy has a classic excellent choice for a skipping rod and reel. 844's are fast. As in true fast not the fast most rods are rated. The 854 is even better imo because it's even faster but the 844 is an awesome tapered and powered blank. I badly wish loomis still sold the blanks. More faster is more better for skipping, pitching and roll casting. The reel is great too. Shallow light spools start up quick and that's what you want. Not only that, they stop quick when the lure stops moving. They don't have the inertia of a heavy deep spool that keeps going after the lure stops whatever the reason may be. I prefer magnetic brakes of a Daiwa but have used and owned many shimanos and they work fantastic. It's just a preference thing. In fact I'm trying out a 13 Fishing concept a right now. It's not magnetic braking but so far I really like it and will probably buy more! Anyway the half filled spool thing is a bandaid in a way to achieve a lighter spool but won't perform as well as a larger diametered shallow spool. The smaller the diameter the spool center is the worse the line memory is just for one. Imo a spool that is rated at 12lbs/120 or less is ideal. The one reel I've found that beats this is the Daiwa t3 1016 reels. They carry just a little more capacity but the fantastic braking and light weight of the spool lets it cheat the standard I use. I have several of these reels and love them. They can do everything and it's hard to find a reel like that. They have an insane amount of adjustability.

It's just a confidence thing. Nothing wrong with that unless you're paying an arm and a leg for it like people were for underspins. Those were funny because they've been out forever already and people were paying stupid prices for a stinking grub head with a blade. The arig thing was new so ehhhh I kinda see the prices due to lack of availability but still I'm glad the prices aren't stupid now. Ill probably buy a whopper plopped because I've never had one and honestly dismissed them as kinda goofy. I mean goodness the name alone makes it hard to take them seriously. I almost but one earlier this year after reading about some guys having success on them. This recent deal on a lake I frequent has given me the confidence to go ahead and try it. I in know way think it's a silver bullet but another tool for the appropriate time and it'll be fun trying a new thing. Who of us doesn't enjoy new fishing toys and gadgets? As long as it's in perspective of its usefulness then go for it even if you're accused of jumping on a bandwagon. Are you going to not buy one because you're concerned about the opinion of others? I'd hate to think I might miss out on a fun tool (wobble head!) because of an opinion.

The half full spool thing depends on the reel. I never personally do this but I'm very selective on my equipment for short line fishing.

What outfit are you using? Heres the Getald Swindle video. There's a part one also but this one talks about wind. I'm not the biggest Gerald fan but at times I do like what he has to say. http://youtu.be/MPNa2U1AarY

3/8-1/2 jigs are a great skipping bait. The Eakins Flippin jig is a great one to buy off the shelf. I usually use ones I make. I almost always have a paca chunk trailer. A few weeks ago at table rock I was skipping a swim jig around 1/4-5/16 with a swimming fluke trailer and it skipped like a rock but it would have done even better had it weighed 3/8. It was still fun though. In rough water it's just tough period. Nobody is exempt from that. Even Gerald Swindle who is a fantastic dock guy says it's almost not worth it sometimes and has had days were wind killed his dock pattern. You have to beat this by using cables as levers. You aren't necessarily skipping but putting the lure under the cable and the cable holds the lures trajectory if that makes sense. It's tough on line but buy good line like Sunline Shooter and you're gtg. Same with skipping between foam You can use the angle iron to lever the lure under there. I do those with a roll cast when I can because of the distance advantage but I do it pitching too. The right reel and rod are key (!!!!) to this!

Seth I won't say I'm good at skipping but I do it a lot. If my feeble effort can be of any help let me know.

What I don't know is since you can drive right into eagle rock can you camp there? The guy that takes your money is gone for the year so I have no idea how it works.

how does a person go about camping in them in the off season? Just show up and use it?

I appreciate the compliment but my paint slapping is chicken scratch compared to the other talents on this board.

Those look great! Makes me want to make more stencils.

It just allows that much more freedom for the bait. It's just what I do. If anything I hate tying to split rings and I like the handiness of snaps. I'll occasionally run without one or the other but not usually. That hat bait is a 5bites custom The day after that photo I wedged it in a rock and broke it off. I was bummed... If the water is ever low again I'm going after it!

Sold

$30 shipped

Good deal. Glad you had a good day. Here is a good reason for the long pinchers. It is laying on an iPhone 6 for size reference.

He definitely looks like a glutton! When we was catching the schoolers this weekend I kept thinking how awesome it would be to just once land on a school of keepers and bigger. I never have but I know it happens.

yessir. I love snaps. It may not be a huge importance but probably more of a confidence thing. In a book kvd wrote years ago he said he ran that combo so it started there.

Bigger line

Here are some random screens from the weekend. One is a log I found on the flat up the creek. It's a big guy. I got bit twice on it with a worm but again the bite was weird. I'll be back to it. I found it and a few others by watching my side imaging while heading to laydowns I could visibly see. Some debate about the importance of si up front but times like this it's very helpful! Sometimes I leave it on while going down the bank fishing so I can see stuff you would normally miss on either side of the boat. Very handy. The blue screens are from my console unit. I assume this is a sunken pontoon? Sure looks like it.

Thanks guys. If my rambling somehow helps one of you catch a fish then I'm glad to report. I wish we would have had better quality but everyone was having fun. I didn't keep track but we just caught a bunch of fish both days. Here are some screens of the fish we were chasing on top. Sure I could have spooned some but I like being on the ready and waiting to fire a cast into the boiling water.