Rod and reel for dock shooting

[NavyAngler]

what is the best rod and reel for boat dock shooting? length action etc

[genec]

Navy angler ,I bought 6 Cherrywood 5 and 1/2 ft ,you can get the rod from Walmart for about18 dollars,their are some more high price ones that some are going to recommend but in my opinion they are as good as you need ,I love them and I think I can use them and shoot with most anyone with them. Today the water was high and had to shoot under docks that was less than 1 inch and I could get under it more than 1/2 the time,some prefer a rod a little stiffer but in low places if you do not fully load the rod the bait will go under it better and a stiff rod will lose some of its up and down accuracy , as for reel I like a wide spool but I have both type on these rods, I like the 1500 series ,may curl a little more but not much with me, much lighter

[jim.b]

Hey Mike I would listen to the master. Vic and I tried to do a little dock shooting at the bash. I was good at shooting the jig over the dock. The only problem is we do not have docks on the lakes around here.

[jimp]

depends on how much you want to spend, any UL outfit will work, whether from BPS/Cabelas/walmart/etc. B&M has a dock shooting rod for about $55, then the reel. I've got a BPS Crappie max 5' UL set up that is good, and a Shakespear 4'6" UL rod and UL reel that I like, the rod from walmart, and I've got a BPS crappie max UL reel on it.

[Slabby15]

Just don't get a rod with to much ultra light action. I mean like a very noodle rod, you need a little back bone to shoot with. Other than that any rod and reel will do at first. The rod should be 6 foot or less. It seems to me from a little less than 5 foot to 5 and half feet is the best length. If you shoot docks a lot, you will learn to watch your line, most of the bites you don't feel, you just see your line jump. So learn to watch your line and if it goes slack or moves set the hook. I also use hi-visibility line so you can see your line jump. You don't have to spend a lot of money to get started. If you like shooting docks you can always upgrade later. I love to dock shoot because every dock is a adventure. It might be the one with 60 giant crappie under it (that is our limit in Georgia.) The most crappie I have caught under one dock was 87 and we kept a 60 fish limit. That was fun. Good luck with your dock shooting.

[NavyAngler]

The line watching part is something that I do fishing jigs anyway so that part i dont think I will have much problems with but I havent shot docks in since I was a kid except for about 30 min 3 years ago when I went fishing with Keith. Got to work my technic. Just closed contract on a vacation house on Buggs so I am definately going to have to learn. Thanks Gene I had a cherrywood rod a few years ago and liked it until daughter broke it on a 20lb cat LOL!! She was trying to horse it and it snapped.

[genec]

Hey NavyAngler, the best advice I can give you is to do something like I did, I set in a chair while watching TV and sat a chair with a low crossbar at bottom and put it on other side of room and shot at it until I could get under it good which will not take long at all. I use a 1/32 jig and put a grub on it and cut the point half off.If using a grub with head bare then grab head to shoot but if using tube with head in it then grab by hook, the reason for grabbing hook is when you shoot a tube with hook inside it then the pressure of holding tube will tear the jig up quick unless you are fishing where the bait get hung up a lot and lose them quick ,LOL. Also a 1/32 jig will not hang as easy as a 1/16 in shallow as it will stay near top while slowly reeling, I also found this to be a general rule to start with each dock to let bait only drop 1/2 of the dept you are shooting in then adjust as nessesary. On TV the pro,s let it fall to baton then wind which is crazy even if they say it, more hang ups and the crappie almost always come up under a bait to sneak up on it and attack ,whereas a bass will chase down his prey, just think of a crappie like a cat and a bass like a wolf, ad serve your prey

[NavyAngler]

Thanks Gene this is great info easy to follow, hope things are going good for you. I am headed that way tomorrow so i think I will try it when the sun is high. Fish still in buffalo and bluestone?

[fishdoc]

I've settled on a Shimano Clarus, 6 ft UL action rated for 2-6 lb test. I use it for all castin an shootin applications. Paired with a Shimano Stradic C14 2500 size reel, its the best combine I've found. I tried 4 1/2, 5 an 5 1/2 footers, none came close to the results I get from the 6 fter, especialy in the wind or tight places. And Gene is rite about the practice, I can sit in the livin room, shoot thru the dinin room, up under the table or any chair in the kitchen!!LOL!! Yes, we done great in Buffalo an Bluestone this past w/e. had our best day so far this yr, Thurs. had 81 keepers! we used 1/16 oz with Bobby Garland Baby Shad bodies in Chartruese Sparkle.