Thread: Never skipped under a dock! Can you tell me how it’s done?

A bit off topic ........ and I have not done it but would assume boat control would also be a big factor when shooting and when you get the fish on especially with any wind. I would probably end up in a mess and scare all the fish away..

Originally Posted by rufishn

A bit off topic ........ and I have not done it but would assume boat control would also be a big factor when shooting and when you get the fish on especially with any wind. I would probably end up in a mess and scare all the fish away..

Indeed !! Boat control is a big factor in wind or current, and may dictate how many times you get to shoot your jig under the dock or even where you get to shoot it ... especially if your boat tends to drift with the slightest breeze.

Reminds me of a Spring Fling we had down on Watts Bar many years ago. Sustained winds of nearly 30mph made for some tough conditions. The winning team shot docks, but they pulled their boat in "behind" the dock rather than shooting from the front or sides. At least that was what they told me they did.

Learn to roll cast then you won't have to shoot much. Boat positioning is everything. Good luck


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Originally Posted by DockShootinJack

All manner of things under docks ready to snag, cut, or break off a line. Getting hung up and having to retie is frustrating especially when the fish are biting, but is the reality of fishing under docks.

Which is why I always had more than one rod rigged to shoot docks, plus always using weedless jigs. That always helped, but still wasn't 100% effective. But like you say, that's the reality of shooting docks !!

Originally Posted by rufishn

A bit off topic ........ and I have not done it but would assume boat control would also be a big factor when shooting and when you get the fish on especially with any wind. I would probably end up in a mess and scare all the fish away..

Spotlock and spotlock jog features on the new type trolling motors certainly make boat control a whole lot easier. Being able to control the boat remotely from anywhere on the boat is also a good thing when shooting. I can spotlock the trolling motor with the baot pointed into the wind blowing at the dock and then shoot off the back of the boat. Before the new type of trolling motors that would have taken one person to control the boat the other to shoot the dock

Originally Posted by DockShootinJack

Spotlock and spotlock jog features on the new type trolling motors certainly make boat control a whole lot easier. Being able to control the boat remotely from anywhere on the boat is also a good thing when shooting. I can spotlock the trolling motor with the baot pointed into the wind blowing at the dock and then shoot off the back of the boat. Before the new type of trolling motors that would have taken one person to control the boat the other to shoot the dock

That's a good point. I spend a lot of time shooting from the back of the boat.

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I can walk the boat around the dock with a few pushes of the bottons to activate spotlock jog. The days where the wind is swirling from every direction can be the most difficult on boat positioning

A spincast reel is a great tool to skip docks. I can throw a jig with pinpoint accuracy with the same mechanics as skipping a rock. It's hard to explain but you flip your wrist during the casting motion. I would suggest anyone pull out the old spincast reel and try it. It really works.