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been flipping & pitch'n jigs around docks for years so I know some nice slabs hang out under 'em- but keep hearing bout shooting docks so went on youtube-:scratchhead- man why didn't I think of that!?!:Doh: that'll reach them spots I couldn't! went & bought me a rod this evening for shooting with - cut the hook off an old jig & been outside tearing up an 8" pie plate out to 12-15 yrds in the semi dark of the patio- this is gona be fun!! :biggrin- any suggestions?
Search the forum for dock shooting threads to get some more info/tips. Some plastics will bounce/skip back further under the docks, so aim right at the front edge of the dock and it will skip back further where they hide from the heat.
no where near an expert in this type of crappie fishing however, my learning curve has sharply spiked with time on water shooting...head weight is critical and if you shoot marabou or soft plastic..plastic is the best for skipping Waaaaay under the docks and some flat sided baits do better than others...1/24th head I found is the perfect weight!!!for me!
low docks,4 lb test,i know you like the pink head white hair,but as said ,go to plastic like a bgss or something like that for skipping and rod low to water,the aim is in the line from jig to rod tip and not as many say in rod,i do not let it skip much beause at bugs if it boune it many times will hang on ribbits on docks,you know that I use my skinnie white stinger which do not skib as good as bigger baits but when fishing is slow it will out fish any bait I seen,1/32 round head,minnow head dig into water.maybe we can go soon after dr find my problem,if not my head:Rofl it is a few docks that is 1 to 1 1/2 inches that I shoot that has good fish under it but if you skip it will bounce up and not go far so have to put jig at water and then shoot
The biggest mistake people make in shooting docks is the angle of the line on release. Remember that when you bow your rod to pull back the bait before release, look at your line from the tip to your hand and make that line your direction and aim for your jig. In other words the imaginary line that extends out from your hand to the tip of your rod. It will always be a straight line release to the point where you want your jig to land.
People make the mistake and try to aim the rod instead of the line.
oh by the way,what length rod did you get,i use 5 1/2 cheerywood,have use longer rods ,have watch a few that use longer rods and and with their age could not hold it steady enough for accuracy,also as I said also learn how to shoot low without hitting water on those days when water is a little choppy because it will bounce to the angle of the chop of water it hit and may bounce straight up.by you still being a young and steady hand guy a 6 will be fine.learn to shoot slip also,this spring I was shooting a dock with a lift and had to shoot over first lift and stop before second lift,could not get a bite beause before it went down muh I had to wind up to not catch second lift so I decided to use a slip float and first go I shot it to second lift and let it sink,wamb the biggest fish of the day,shot back and caught more,wife could not shoot float enough to get back there,so practice,pratice,pratice,i even shoot much of the time at bp to keep me in pratice
keep the hook point aimed away from your finger/hand. :hatchet:
Practice practice and practice and all of the above
thanks guys worked on the patio last nite & this morning gona do some more this afternoon- its kinda like instinctive bow shooting & I used to be pretty good at that- gene I bought a mr crappie im6 5 1/2' light action put 6 lb on it last nite- think I out change to 4 lb? use 4 on my jigging poles but figured 6 might be more durable rubbing agint docks- I believe this is gona be fun!!
you want hold that jig hook incorrectly but one time, i promise....
also I got a ton of plastics & that makes sence- got several color jig heads that are flat sided not round shaped kinda like a little fish head I figure would skip good - got em in 1/32 & 1/16 - figure the 1/16 would shoot farther but the 1/32 would sink slower which would ya'll start with?
lol yea that's why I cut the hook off the one im practicing with figure it inevitable tho!!Quote:
Originally Posted by windstone
Good info, so far !!
Definitely, practice helps !! Aim with the line, not the rod.
I started dock shooting with 4lb test, but I'm currently using 6lb test & seeing no negative results.
Whatever rod you use, between a 5' & 6'6" length, the dynamics of the "shot" are the same ... except for the timing of the release of the line at the reel. Practice will teach you the correct timing of your release for whatever rod length you choose.
I use 1/32 & 1/16oz ballhead jigheads with solid plastics ... & have had no problems. They are also weedless jigheads, so I can crawl them over the cover beneath the docks.
I also like to follow up my dock shooting, especially on a productive dock, by Vertical Casting around the outer poles on the deep side or front of a dock. This article explains that method : http://www.crappie.com/articles/crappiepappy.htm
Dock shooting is a blast, and it can be the most productive method you can use at times.
... luck2ya & happy shooting !!
... cp :kewl
im finding out (in the backyard) its better to not aim just look @ where you want the jig to go & put it there- like I said makes me think a whole lot of when we all shot recurves in the 70's & instinctive shooting- I helped some boys get into archery back then & use to tell em - do you aim where you want to throw a baseball? no you just throw it there- that's a powerful computer we got sitting on top of our shoulders if you'll trust it- im already hitting individual leaves & clumps of grass out to 20 yrds- when I miss its coming from my release @ the reel like you said but time will take care of that- heck just did it last nite @ 8:00 for the first time!
Can someone post a picture of how to hold the jig before releasing it.I'm really wanting to try this method but dont want to hook myself. ...LOL
aint done it yet with a jig w/a hook- bet ill figure that out tomorrow- probably the hard way - lol!
I hold the head with the hook pointing away from me,with some baits it is better to hold hook and shoot dock for example a tube jig that the head is in jig will tear easy if you hold by head,but I rarely use tubes but they are good.the flat minnow head is not as good for shooting,also 6 lbs is good if it is not a low dock that need to get to the back,have tested them and retested both lines a few weeks and could not get far enough back under low dock to get some of the fish out,i was using vicious 6 and 4 on 2 cheerywood 5 1/2 and was losing some 6 to 8 feet of distant,could not get to them with the 6 but got to them with the 4,so if possible have 4 and 6 loaded if you are shooting low long docks