Mercury 250 proxs 2B115089
Practice, practice, practice...and I still struggle cuz I when I get the opportunity to skip is rare since most of the lakes I fish are dockless...I find myself "pretending" as I skip under overhanging branches, into tight spots on laydowns...also, one thing I haven't heard really is a lifting of the rod tip creating drag to slow the cast as well...it's so frustrating to watch the "effortless" work of the Elites/FLW pros...then I remember that I only starting using a baitcaster 4-5 years ago and I'm 53...Those guys started in their childhoods, lol
2012 Stratos 189 VLO/150 Mercury Pro XS/MinnKota Terrova
Casting open water not warrying about obsticals is a good idea as well. Also when you get them skipping it makes an odd noise the fish may think it's a group of fleeing bait and turn them on. I herd this idea from a pro, and I can attest it holds true to my lakes as well
Mercury 250 proxs 2B115089
tltr so I'll add the most frequently missed tip: skipping with a bc is all about thumb braking. i recommend casting in ur backyard at night (once you get a bunch of cast in try closing ur eyes; blind men skip docks best!). this will force you to thumb brake the entire cast b/c if you don't you'll backlash when the lure hits the ground. make sure to virtually turn off all ur reel brakes....then go skip like G man.
The reason most pros skip docks with a BC are many. Greater control and distance on the cast. When hooked up greater power and control to winch the fish out of cover as well as the ability to pick up line faster to keep the fish from wrapping the line around pilings, etc.
I've been focused on learning to skip this past season myself. I have found personally loosening my gear all the way until there is knock in the spool and training my thumb are the keys to being successful without backlash. Also someone else pointed out lifting the rod tip at the end of the cast. As G-man states having everything tight causes you to muscle the bait in order to get the distance. "It is like a baseball player over swinging." You end pulling the bait and causing yourself accuracy problems. Nice smooth roll of the wrist with the proper angle of the rod tip (like skipping a rock) followed by thumb control. Then it is practice to create that muscle memory. I'm at this last stage after an entire season. Started out with a backlash every time. Now I get small loops time to time and the occasional backlash when I miss my target and bang in to an obstacle. I see the value in this so I will continue to work at it. I can't control fish behavior but I can control my casting accuracy and lure presentation.