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Looking for the best dock shooting rod for distance. Seen video of Wally Marshall using 7' rod, 4lb mono, 1/16 oz jig that he could shoot 60 to 65'. Best I can do is around 43' with my 6' rods. Looking for info on what distance anyone on here can shoot and what model rod, also what model rod Wally was using. Thanks!
Roy, I just want to ask you 1 thing. If you shoot a deer, what is most important? I think accuracy is and distance is second. Not that distance isn't a consideration, but I think hitting a 4 inch square hole is my first concern. Some of the things that contribute to that are larger eyes and the right line. I use several rods of different length but the favorite is a rod that says medium but has a light tip and it's 2 piece. The 6'6" older lightning rod does everything I ask of it with a 2000 series reel and 4 lb hi vis line from BPS, offshore angler store brand. I also have a 5' UL that also does a good job in tighter quarters. The best I can tell you is to try what catches your eye, never know what might be the best ever. I also have a 7' Shakespeare Micro light (18$) and another 2000 series reel with 6lb line that does well with 1/16 but is a bit short with a 1/32.
Never tested the distance of any rod I've used for shooting docks, but if I had to shoot a jig over 40' then I'd be shooting from some different angles or from a different place on the dock to get my jig where I wanted it to be.
You got good soft/limp line and a long or wide spool reel, then just about any 5-7' rod of med to med light power and a very fast action tip, and you're gonna shoot about as far as possible with that size line and jig weight.
And I'll go Skeetbum one further ... not only is accuracy imperative for narrow/small openings, but also in order for your shot to cause the jig to skip across the water quite a ways.
I've used rods from 5' to 8' long, UL to MH power, and Slow to Very Fast action tips for dock shooting. They've all been made to work, but I've settled on my 6'6" ESP PowerLite rod & Okuma Stratus STX20 reel, spooled with 6# Vicious Panfish hi-viz copoly line .... the same outfit I use for most of my "jig casting" purposes.
Thanks guys for the responses. I agree with the accuracy part as well but have a couple of unique situations where I really need as much distance as possible. In most cases my 6' rods serve me well, just looking for some input if a longer rods could get me a little extra distance.
Roy I do feel like you get a longer reach with a longer rod. I agree being able to hit the mark is just part of the deal. Sometimes you need that jig to travel to the entire opposite side of a dock wen there aren't other gaps. Best thing I know to tell you is get down real low, pull the jig straight back under the rod to about the 2nd guide so that the rod and line are more or less parallel to the water and try and get that thing to sail above the water instead of skip. Seems to be how I get the most distance.
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ROY IS MY PARTNER IN TOURNAMENT AND IT IS NOT THAT WE NEED MORE ACCURACY,CAN SHOOT UNDER DOCKS THAT IS ONLY ONE INCH ABOVE WATER BUT WE HAVE A PLACE THAT IS OVER 80 FEET WIDE AND SOMETIMES THE FISH WILL GET FAR BACK UNDER IT AND CAN NOT SHOOT FROM OTHER SIDE,NOR FROM FRONT OR BACK,I HAVE A DI WITH DUCER TURN SIDE WAYS AND CAN SEE THEM BACK THERE,AT TIMES THEY WILL BE AT EDGE WHICH IS NO PROBLEM,MY 5 1/2 FOOT SHOOTING ROD GETS ME ABOUT 45 FEET ,FOUND A 6 1/2 THAT I CAN GET 51 FEET BUT SEEKING ONE THAT WILL DO BETTER WITHOUT BUYING OUT THE STORE ,SO WE ARE TURNING TO YOU GUYS THAT HAVE GOT GOOD RODS TO TEST THEM FOR DISTANT AND LET US KNOW,TRY THEM IN YOUR YARD AND MEASURE DISTANT ,THANK YOU
Gene explained our situation better than I did. We appreciate any feedback.
Thanks,
Roy
6'6" Duckett micro magic paired with a Shimano stradic CI4 2500 6lb test MR. Crappie or Bass pro line . A little pricey for most ~$150, but the best I've used..
kel,but how far can you shoot,that's our big question,not looking for just a good rod
I use a 5'6 lighting rod and a zebco delta reel. I can shoot further than most. It's more technique that the length of the rod in my opinion. A short stiff rod will give you distance and accuracy.
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Must be strong. Must resist temptation.Quote:
Originally Posted by lowe175
Really appreciate all the feedback. Anybody willing to go out in your yard and measure how far you can shoot a 1/16th jig on 4lb test with your best dock shooting rod. Looks like I can shoot one around 43' with my best rod. Thanks again, Roy
This Skeet Reese drop shot rod is amazing on accuracy and distance. We shoot a lot of tight spots and need distance to let the jig drop deep enough to get to the fish.
Skeet Reese S-Curve Rods | Wright & McGill
aight den ... you asked for it :
6'6" ESP PowerLite rod (IM6 High Modulus Graphite - very fast action tip)
Shimano Stratus STX20 reel
6# test Vicious Panfish hi-vis copoly line
1/16oz marabou Roadrunner
Distance average was around 43ft (after 4 "shots") rod tip to Roadrunner, no line straightening (lure left where it landed & measurements taken from rod tip to RR) Rod was bent to my normal dock shooting point, and not taken to near breaking point max.
Crappypappy, thank you very much. Just the kind of information I'm looking for! Anyone else want to give it a shot, lol
Get a little remote controlled boat and put a planer board clip on it. Problem solved! If the clip was strong enough you could tow them out with it too.
Good idea on the boat but it is a low floating platform with only 3 or 4 six inch wide openings.
HAD THOUGHT OF A LITTLE BOAT BUT ALL THE STUFF UNDER DOCK IT MAY GET HUNG:dono
Wow! 60 Feet! I think I do a decent job of shooting, but I don't think I come close to that, shooting under docks or in wells. I've never got out my tape measure, but maybe a little over 30 feet tops. I shoot from around 10 ft away from the dock and can get to the back of the well. So maybe 40' is more like it.
I use a Ozark 7' dock shooting rod. 6lb test mono, and 1/16oz jig. I guess I need more practice. Seems like when I am trying to shoot long distances, I load up that rod and my accuracy is crap! I've used shorter rods, but for me it sacrifices distance.
Any tips?
WHARFRAT,HOW ARE THE OZARK DOCK SHOOTER,ARE THEY GOOD RODS,CAN YOU TRY IT IN THE YARD WITHOUT BREAKING WINDOW AND SEE WHAT THE BEST YOU CAN DO?I MARK A LINE AND STOOD BEHIND IT AND MEASURED FROM THERE
I have 4 dock shooting rods. 6'6" st Croix, 6' bass pro extreme,. These two does ok mabe 30'. I have 2 gander mountain guide series 5'6" that will shoot over 50' and dead accurate!! The only reason I don't have 3 of these is they don't make them anymore. Wife and son gets them and I'm stuck with the others. Still trying to find another short rod with that kind of distance and accuracy.
Planning to get you some distances soon bud. Stay tuned. Got no idea what they will really measure.
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Love the Ozark rod, good backbone, fast tip, med-lite action. . Started with a shimano rod 5'6", (not sure the model) when I started shooting, it was a lite action rod. Then "Mr. Crappie" himself turned me on to his signature Lews 7 footer, and I've been hooked on 7 ft rods since. Though, as I got better, the Lews didn't seem to have the backbone, especially when you loaded it up. I actually stepped on it.. It was lite action. Then I bought a Med-lite BPS micro lite. Again, it was ok. But I snapped it in two when loading up. My kids bought me a St. Croix Premier, for Fathers Day a couple years ago. It was really nice for shooting. But a couple weeks later on 4th of July weekend, someone broke in my rod box on my boat and stole it along with others. Replaced it with Cabelas Eagle 50 (???), Med-Lite, and that's turned out to be a great rod. I now use it along with my Ozark rod.Quote:
Originally Posted by genec
Well after talking to Mr Crappie himself I went out and bought one of his 7' medium light Pro Series rods. Used the same reel and jig I was testing before. The distance I can shoot with this new rod is great. I went from being able to shoot 43' now up to 58' in my yard. Can't wait to try it on the water! Thanks Wally and Tony for advice and help. Also thanks to all for your input and testing!
WOW,15 MORE FEET JUST BY CHANGING ROD ,THAT'S GREAT.MAY CAN ADD TO THAT ,FULL SPOOL OF NEW LINE,BIGGER REEL
Well I'm not going to come out and say that the Wally Marshall 7' Pro Series rod is "the best" rod out there for getting maximum distance for a crappie dock shooting rod but so far no one has been able to go out in their yard and shoot a 1/16oz jig over 58 feet! :) Really I do believe there are other rods that will shoot that far (or more) but I guess most are happy with their current setup and distance must not be that important to them.
Man 58' is a long ways .thats great . looks like I may have to spend 50+ bucks I just came in from shooting my b&m 4'6" sharp shooters only could get 36-38 ft 1/16 jig .i guess it's back practicing with a long rod .I have seen folks within 10' of the dock shooting long rods .but I haven't ever been able to do that accurately .I guess its back to school for me.thanks for the post.
Sorry for the delay. 1/16 head with a bg baby shad, 8lb nanofil, 5'6'' light action cherrywood. I got an average of 50ft.
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Thanks guys, I really appreciate you going outside and taking the time to do this.
Oh and how much do you think that nanofil helped your ddistance?
Roy to be honest I think it would be better with some fresh good quality mono. Braid seems to snag a tiny bit coming off the spool sometimes. I just use it for its sensitivity and strength to pull them on out from under the docks.
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