Skipping...Tell What You Know

[krindgen]

This was the video i was thinking of.....

[Fishysam]

3/8ths swim jig, Berkley pitboss 4" cut the front off, 20# mono only half full spool. Best to learn

[Casslaw]

Listening to Swindell say it made sense..somehow...about looking where I want it to go instead of starting at everything I want to miss. It does sound simple but I have spent the last couple days, because of this thread, trying to get better.

I definitely fall fall into the category of throwing my bait WAY too hard AT the spot I want the bait to hit and start skipping.

Once i I started throwing with less ferocity it started to get better...in this case better is relative!

I really wish I could roll my wrist like Swindell, guess that’s why I’m not a tour pro!

[medicpelle]

Almost the same process as skipping a rock. Keep at it and you will get it.

[DrewFlu33]

On the lifting of the rod tip as a sort of follow through on your cast comments: I've noticed that's a big deal as well. I think it accomplishes two things.

First, it keeps line running off the reel and cuts down on backlashes. Second and more importantly, it keeps the line off the water and puts some upward force on the bait to keep it skipping along the surface instead of digging in. It's very counterintuitive as you feel like you're going to pull the bait up and hit whatever you're trying to skip under, but it's definitely a huge difference maker!

[Casslaw]

I have definitely noticed that I’m throwing my bait AT the spot I want the first skip to be so no rod lifting but I will try that. My spro frog skips pretty well and since I have no idea where it’s foimg yet it’s proving to be helpful having no exposed hooks!

This is is something I really want to get right but you’re right, it’s counterintuitive...just like golf.

[Walkabout7781]

Use your favorite Copolymer line. Braid tends to "grab" the water and you'll get about one skip and no more. Fluorocarbon is just too unforgiving and expensive to use for skipping, at least at first.

While I have skipped a spinnerbait on a baitcaster, IMO, a wacky rigged Senko skips better than any other lure out there...and I use a spinning reel for that. My favorite rod for this stuff is a 6' MH that has been out of production for at least 30 years. You want a lot of backbone, but enough tip flex to throw a light bait with some accuracy. If the rod is too stiff for the weight of the lure, accuracy goes in the toilet. I use 8 or 10 lb Excalibur or McCoy's copolymer.

One of my favorite casting methods is an underhand or sidearm pitch, with the lure skittering across the top of the water. Under docks, willows, Russian Olive trees, etc. Up to the front of a bed of Iris, you can watch as the bait approaches the front edge and apply the brakes (thumb for baitcaster or index finger for spinning) to stop it just before getting hung-up in that nasty stuff.

[JeffG374V]

One tip I saw when I started skipping was to pull a couple casts lengths of line of the spool and then lay down some electrical tape across the spool. This will reduce the severity of backlashes when you are learning.

[Twells]

This was the video i was thinking of.....

Very good video on skipping docks, and Brett is a solid guy! Give it a look

[slaunch]

I don't know if Swindle mentioned it in that video posted but I know I've heard him say before you can practice on concrete. Just get something to stand on like you would be on the deck of a boat. Smooth concrete like what's in a garage will work, brushed concrete tends to grab the bait and won't let it skip. It won't perfect it but it's definitely a good place to start in the evenings after work or if you can't get out on the water.

[SoonerFan]

I have been doing a lot of practicing since starting this thread back in August. I can't say I've got it down perfect but I know what to do...just need to train the brain and the arm to do it the same way every time. Several things I've learned the past couple of months about skipping.

As someone else mentioned, skipping a wacky rig stick bait on a spinning reel is the easiest way to learn this technique. It skips so easily, if you're not careful the bait will end up on the bank. With the spinning reel, you're not so mentally focused on "DON'T BACKLASH".

I have learned that if you put the mental image of "skipping a rock" in your mind it will work every time. I even hold my right hand like it's holding a flat rock instead of a rod handle. Think, "casting a jig" and it will either splash down next to the boat or become a decent side arm cast to somewhere near the target but it won't be a skip. I say to myself,"Skip a Rock"....like that old country song, "Skip a Rope". Stupid but it helps.

Start your skip cast low with the rod parallel to the water. Don't over power it.

Your skip should hit the water fairly close to you to get the longest skip. If it stays in the air and only touchs water after 20 or 25 feet, it may only skip a time or two and won't go as far.

I have found that the real secret of success with skipping a bait casting reel is the Dawia Tatula SV TWS reel. Without a doubt, if not for that reel, I would have given up and gone back to pitchin'. I have tried skipping with some nice reels...Curado E-7, Cronarch E-7, and Chronarch Ci4...none will skip without backlashing like the Dawia does. You have to act real stupid to backlash that reel and even when you do get a professional overrun, it's easy to pull out...not a tangled mess that has to be cut out with the scissors. I did buy the 6'9'' Andy Montgomery skipping rod and it's a nice rod but I have found I can skip a jig just as good on my 7'3" Cumara, or 6'4" Falcon Lowrider, as long as that Dawia Tatula SV is on it.

[Black Haze]

[SoonerFan]

GREAT video That guy has got the part of skipping a jig down that I don't....catching.

Enjoyed the Deep Purple as well. Reminds me of the very first time I was ever exposed to truly high end audio equipment...Klispch speakers driven by Crown tube amps. I'll never forget it, after a lifetime of listening to AM radio through the speaker in the dash.

[Black Haze]

GREAT video That guy has got the part of skipping a jig down that I don't....catching.

Enjoyed the Deep Purple as well. Reminds me of the very first time I was ever exposed to truly high end audio equipment...Klispch speakers driven by Crown tube amps. I'll never forget it, after a lifetime of listening to AM radio through the speaker in the dash.

lol. That is Actually me.....i did have a couple deep purple 8 track tapes back in the day playing through my Jensen coaxial speakers and my power booster cranked up.....probably why im a little hard of hearing lol

[1fejj]

On the lifting of the rod tip as a sort of follow through on your cast comments: I've noticed that's a big deal as well. I think it accomplishes two things.

First, it keeps line running off the reel and cuts down on backlashes. Second and more importantly, it keeps the line off the water and puts some upward force on the bait to keep it skipping along the surface instead of digging in. It's very counterintuitive as you feel like you're going to pull the bait up and hit whatever you're trying to skip under, but it's definitely a huge difference maker!

Coming from the skipping capital of the world, I will say the above is true. Everyone around here skips with 17-20 floro. The bigger the line the easier. You also need a rod that matches your height. Typically sub 7 ft mh. I'm 5'10 and a 6'9 rod is perfect for me. My buddy is 6'4, a 7' rod is good for him. Lots of practice and repetition and you'll get it.

[fluke1987]

Your bait choice, thumb and casting technique I feel are the biggest factors. I'm not all that great at it but I do get some nice skips in every once in awhile...and they usually produce a good fish. Practice it as much as you can. Helps also when there isn't a ton of chop on the water...once that happens you are kind of at a disadvantage.

[1fejj]

My thing now is not to skip because SO many folks around here skip jigs and buzzbaits. Our fish are so pressured I believe the fish are now conditioned to it. I've developed a technique that places the bait ever so gently at my target with no splash or noise at all. I do still skip spinnerbaits in the fall because I want the disturbance but skipping spinnerbaits isn't easy.

[SoonerFan]

My thing now is not to skip because SO many folks around here skip jigs and buzzbaits. Our fish are so pressured I believe the fish are now conditioned to it. I've developed a technique that places the bait ever so gently at my target with no splash or noise at all. I do still skip spinnerbaits in the fall because I want the disturbance but skipping spinnerbaits isn't easy.

I just set a new life goal.

[SethRstein]

I fished a BFL tournament as a co-angler and my boater was amazing at skipping under overhanging trees. He was fishing a swimbait and skipping into laydowns with an exposed hook in places I wouldnt have imagined. Watching his technique helped me a lot and gave me the confidence to get it right. Listening to Gerald Swindle helped too. You have to practice a lot though. Im pretty good skipping with my right hand and can even skip back handed. Im not learning to cast and skip with my left hand. Thats another good thing to learn. My boater in that same tournament had left and right hand reels and was good with either one.

OAN I absolutely struggle skipping a spinning reel. I dont know why it just doesnt work.