dockshooting rods

[crappieseeker]

what are some inexpensive dock shooting rods that work pretty good? I need to get me a couple but do not want to spend much. Does Wal Mart carry any decent ones or will I need to go to a sporting goods store?

[CrappiePappy]

what are some inexpensive dock shooting rods that work pretty good? I need to get me a couple but do not want to spend much. Does Wal Mart carry any decent ones or will I need to go to a sporting goods store?

Seeker ... my fishing buddy uses a Berkley Cherrywood (purchased at WallyWorld) & I doubt he paid over $20 for it. He does alright with it !!

I use a 5'6" ESP UL ... which replaced a 5' Quantum (which is now a backup).

Pretty much any graphite rod in the 5' - 6' length range is adequate for shooting docks. Actions are personal preference. I've found the fast action tip rods to be a little more accurate, and give better distance ... but, was happy with the slower action tip rods, until I switched.

Practicing with whatever outfit you put together, will be more important than brand & price. Just remember to get a reel that has a wide or long spool, and still balances with the rod weight/length.

One of the people that got me started shooting docks, uses a 6' Med action spinning rod (lite Bass action rod). I've seen where members say they use 4' - 4'6" rods !! I'm thinking that "they" are probably getting a lot closer to the edge of the dock, with that short of a rod, than I am. I don't like to get any closer, to the outside edge of a dock, than ~10ft. Reason being, that a lot of the time, the bite occurs just before the jig comes out from under the dock ... and I don't want the boat/shadow or TM turbulence to interfere with or compromise the feeding response of the fish.

Here's a copy of a post I made, about the dynamics of "shooting" a jig :

"You start with the rod pointed at your target ... but, it will end up slightly off center of your target (either high or to one side) when you pull the jig back to shoot. You could even have the rod pointed towards the sky ... pull the jig back & load the rod up, THEN aim towards your target. But, you would still AIM with the line, from the jig to the rod tip. Where the main blank of the rod is pointing, at that point, is neither here nor there (that will all depend on rod length and action). If you are shooting the jig from under the rod, the main part of the rod will be pointing above the target - but in that direction. If you pull the jig to the side to shoot, the rod will be off to the side of the target - but still in that general direction. The more important aspect of shooting a jig, is aiming with the jig (and the line from it to the rod tip) and not the rod ... along with a properly timed release, of letting go of the line at the reel - once the rod has straightened out and the jig is on its way to the target.

If your jig isn't going anywhere, when you release it - you're letting go of the line too soon.
If your jig is shooting stray, like up in the air or above your target - you're letting go of the line, too late. (if shooting sideways, the error will be the jig going too far towards the rod hand side of the target)
If you aren't getting much distance on your shot - you may be using too limber a rod, too small a reel, or releasing the line too soon. A limber rod won't snap back as fast as a stiffer rod ... so the shooting action is a few fractions of a second slower. It has more of a sweeping motion, so you have to compensate for that small time lag. Still, you need to wait until the jig has passed the rod tip, on its way to the target, before letting go of the line from the reel. The same "timing" goes for a stiffer rod ... you just have a few fractions of a second less time to release the line from the reel."


... cp

[Kingfish1]

Seeker ... my fishing buddy uses a Berkley Cherrywood (purchased at WallyWorld) & I doubt he paid over $20 for it. He does alright with it !!

I use a 5'6" ESP UL ... which replaced a 5' Quantum (which is now a backup).

Pretty much any graphite rod in the 5' - 6' length range is adequate for shooting docks. Actions are personal preference. I've found the fast action tip rods to be a little more accurate, and give better distance ... but, was happy with the slower action tip rods, until I switched.

Practicing with whatever outfit you put together, will be more important than brand & price. Just remember to get a reel that has a wide or long spool, and still balances with the rod weight/length.

One of the people that got me started shooting docks, uses a 6' Med action spinning rod (lite Bass action rod). I've seen where members say they use 4' - 4'6" rods !! I'm thinking that "they" are probably getting a lot closer to the edge of the dock, with that short of a rod, than I am. I don't like to get any closer, to the outside edge of a dock, than ~10ft. Reason being, that a lot of the time, the bite occurs just before the jig comes out from under the dock ... and I don't want the boat/shadow or TM turbulence to interfere with or compromise the feeding response of the fish.

Here's a copy of a post I made, about the dynamics of "shooting" a jig :

"You start with the rod pointed at your target ... but, it will end up slightly off center of your target (either high or to one side) when you pull the jig back to shoot. You could even have the rod pointed towards the sky ... pull the jig back & load the rod up, THEN aim towards your target. But, you would still AIM with the line, from the jig to the rod tip. Where the main blank of the rod is pointing, at that point, is neither here nor there (that will all depend on rod length and action). If you are shooting the jig from under the rod, the main part of the rod will be pointing above the target - but in that direction. If you pull the jig to the side to shoot, the rod will be off to the side of the target - but still in that general direction. The more important aspect of shooting a jig, is aiming with the jig (and the line from it to the rod tip) and not the rod ... along with a properly timed release, of letting go of the line at the reel - once the rod has straightened out and the jig is on its way to the target.

If your jig isn't going anywhere, when you release it - you're letting go of the line too soon.
If your jig is shooting stray, like up in the air or above your target - you're letting go of the line, too late. (if shooting sideways, the error will be the jig going too far towards the rod hand side of the target)
If you aren't getting much distance on your shot - you may be using too limber a rod, too small a reel, or releasing the line too soon. A limber rod won't snap back as fast as a stiffer rod ... so the shooting action is a few fractions of a second slower. It has more of a sweeping motion, so you have to compensate for that small time lag. Still, you need to wait until the jig has passed the rod tip, on its way to the target, before letting go of the line from the reel. The same "timing" goes for a stiffer rod ... you just have a few fractions of a second less time to release the line from the reel."


... cp

+1

I use a shimano clauras 5' 6" ul. It is an IM-7 graphite. A little pricey at about $89 but I like it. Matched it up with a Pluegher President 6725. 4 lb. Hi-vis Mr. Crappie line.

[crappieseeker]

I have owned 2 of those Cherrywood rods and to be honest they were both the worst 2 rods I ever owned. Nothing but junk and bought at seperate times.

[jimp]

I have a Shakespear UL 4.5' or 5' that I like for DS, nd have a couple Bill Dance UL's in the 5' range that I have that work well as well. Do a search on here for dock shooting and you should find some threads similar to this one which might help you narrow it down. GL

[CrappiePappy]

I have owned 2 of those Cherrywood rods and to be honest they were both the worst 2 rods I ever owned. Nothing but junk and bought at seperate times.

Did I fail to mention that that one fishing buddy is "cheap"

You can get a Norsemen Outdoors Inc ESP series 5' Microlite (E50MLS) rod from Grizzly Jig for $55.00 .... or a 6' Ultralite (E60ULS) for the same price (prices quoted from 2012 catalog)

But, you'll have to call & ask them if they have the (E56ULS) 5'6" UL rod (like I use) ... because they don't advertise it in their catalog or website. If not, use this link to find the nearest store to you, that carries the ESP rods : Store Locator | Norsemen Outdoors, Inc. - Home of StowMaster® Folding Fishing Nets, ESP™ Ultra Light Rods, and Fold-A-Way™ Nets (* be sure "ESP" is listed under the store name/location before making a trip there, as the locator checks for Stowmaster & Fold-a-way, as well as ESP rods !!!)

You can also use the store locator link to look over the entire line-up of ESP rods (just click on the ESP button above the map).

That is, to say .... IF you think you'd be interested in this brand of rod. I'm not a rep, or spokesman for them ... I've just been lucky enough to be a fieldtester (of the 5'6" UL & 6'6" Powerlite rods) for the designer. I liked them enough to use them to replace my previous dock shooting rod & my 7' Sam Heaton Signature Series jig casting rod.

... cp

[hawgdog]

I use the browning Ultralight combos from BPS.....I have a 4'9 and a 5'2... There are great for dock shootn. They are 49.99 , but they put them on sale a couple times every year for 29.99

[crappielimits]

I use the browning Ultralight combos from BPS.....I have a 4'9 and a 5'2... There are great for dock shootn. They are 49.99 , but they put them on sale a couple times every year for 29.99

These are great as are their microlites and crappie maxx! I would spend money on a decent rod! It needs to be sensitive for this light bite, but have good backbone for slinging jigs and fighting the fish from cover before they get tangled.

[crappielimits]

I like a little longer than most 6 foot to 6 foot 6 inch for fighting leverage and I also vertical jig the man made brush piles that are out in front of the docks too. These isolated piles get over looked by many dock shooters. While they may not hold the numbers the docks do, they usually are where the bigger slabs hang out. So try different size rods to find your liking.