Dock Shooting

I know lots of you are dock shoots, that's the reason I came here...lol I'm wanting to learn to shoot docks. I have two rods that came from Walmart made by Shakeseare they are Mico Graphite 5'6'' light action, 4 to 8 pound line. The reel I have on it is a Pflueger Trion also a 4 to 8 pound.
I can't hit squat with this rig. I set a 3 gallon bucket on it's side about 15 feet or so from me while I'm sitting in a chair.
I've shot like this for two evening about a hour each time, and I might have hit the bucket 3 times...lol. I've read every thing about how to do it, but I can't get the timing down on the release with line and jig. The jig always hit the ground in front of me. Can someone help me? The rod seems to limber and whippy to me, but what do I know. Any help would be appreciated very much....:fish

I have used the same rod. It has always worked for me. It is all about release timing. Load the rod. Release the jig a split second before you release the finger holding the line. Sounds like you are releasing the line at the reel to soon if it's hitting the ground in front of you. Hope this helps. It does take practice. And you do get rusty if you don't shoot for a while

Our club had a "learning / teaching " day last summer. One of the sessions was on dock shooting. In teaching, he cut the hook point off the jighead. This allowed learning to shoot without fear of being hooked, which was a fear of some learning this technique. I have a rod that is pretty whippy, and it will really sling a jig. The problem is, when I "cock" it to shoot, it sways back and forth. In summary, I am not very accurate. Last year I bought a BnM Sharpshooter 6. It has a firm tip and I am fairly accurate with it. My other choice is a 6'6" Lightning Rod. What DSJ just said about releasing the jig a split second before releasing the line is spot on. I am far from an expert, but I do enjoy fishing this way.

Another trick I used was a small clip on orange float, weighted or not. You could see it's flight path better and it didn't get snagged when reeling it back. The deck on the house makes a great place to practice. It's like a dock over land.

Very simple: say the word "fire" in your head at a fast talking pace when you shoot the lure. Release jig head on "fi" and the line on "er". Done deal.

Thanks guys for your help, I need all I can get. I'll be out in the yard tomorrow trying again. I've got to learn this...:banghead

Just an idea but take a video and post it - I bet you will get more help - I have watched a few videos on this. This forum will get me in trouble and cause me to spend more money.

Keep trying you will get it .maybe tilt the butt end of your rod up just a bit.

See if you can get any tips from my replies on this thread : http://www.crappie.com/crappie/main-...ecnique-2.html

Specifically ... aiming with the line, not the rod --- not releasing the line from your finger until the jig clears the end of the rod.

There are several good YouTube videos. Have you watched any of them? Before March of this year I had never tried to shoot. After 4 or 5 trips out and practicing by myself so as to not aggravate anybody else I have become pretty dang accurate.