Question:
Pat, help me out with this as I am a novice…are you casting sidearm or underhand ?
Pitching is an underhand technique. Maybe I should give a couple of just pitching thoughts… First, if you are going to learn this, and you have to learn it, learn it from the beginning left handed. It’s just as easy to train muscle memory left handed as it is right, and you will be so much more efficient if you do. You’ll miss a lot of bites switching the rod in your hand, and after the course of a day, you’ll be way behind someone who makes just the pitch motion left-handed. It’s a little easier to learn at first with a shorter rod, maybe a even seven foot, but you need to graduate to a regular flipping rod as soon as possible. The longer rod benifits you several ways, first you can pitch a longer distance, and second, your leverage on a hooked fish is much better. I like a thumbar or sidebar button like the 1310 Quantum. I don’t like to fumble around for the free spool. Pitching is mostly about efficiency, putting a bait in the thickest cover and getting it to the next piece of cover quickly, and quietly. I actually try to slide or skip a bait into most places now, I believe the motion and sound of that jig sliding into a brushtop triggers a few extra bites. Don’t go into battle under armed. Sometimes when fishing a really clear lake around here like Travis, I’ll use twenty pound Ande mono, but 90% of the time I’ll use Terry Oldham’s braid. I think in heavy color you could use yellow rope and it wouldn’t make any difference. The braid gives me confidence that I can get that fish out of places that the mono just won’t do the job. Hope this helps, Pat
Response:
If it wasn’t so late I’d be on the deck right now practicing my pitch into The Wife’s flower bed. Thanks. — Early to Bed, Early to Rise… Fish all Day, Make up Lies. Shawn
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Pat, help me out with this as I am a novice…are you casting sidearm or underhand ? Pitching is an underhand technique. Maybe I should give a couple of just pitching thoughts…<snip
Response:
Someone in my former bass club told me about this dock trick… Look for someone standing on their dock telling you that ‘there are no fish around here.’ They are *obviously* telling the truth 
[this actually happen on Lake Murray a few years back]. Gary G. — – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Look for the ones that have lights on the end. A brush pile, which the dock owner has planted, will be nearby! — Go Fishing. And may your fish be as big as your tales. Columbia, SC Lake Murray | So what is your favorite Dock Tactic? | | My favorite dock tactic is to find a dock in fairly deep water that sets low | to the water and made of 6"x6" posts. I like to flip a jig-n-pig of the | shade side of the posts, starting at the post closest to shore and then work | my way out to the deepest post. I flip in and let it slide down the post. | Then I hop it a couple of times and if I don’t get a strike, pull it and | flip to the next post. | | Can’t wait to see all the variations on this one. | | +++<<< Tourney +++ | Hooking’em & Grinning | |
Response:
Pat, help me out with this as I am a novice…are you casting sidearm or underhand ? — — Early to Bed, Early to Rise… Fish all Day, Make up Lies. Shawn
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – At any rate, was told by members of the group that skipping can only be done with a spinning reel. Bob, Ok, I’ll try to explain this in
Response:
Charlie, how do you skip a jig or worm with a baitcaster? — Go Fishing. And may your fish be as big as your tales. Columbia, SC Lake Murray
<<snip | I like to skip a jig or a worm under the dock . I do it with a | baitcaster too . This works best for me in the middle of the day . And | ususally , if I make a good first cast to it , and I don’t get bit right | off , I’m not going to get bit on that dock either . | | Ripsomelips | |
Response:
feather the spool with your thumb it takes alot of practice,when you first try it tighten your spool speed a little,I do it with jigs and flukes all the time.
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Charlie, how do you skip a jig or worm with a baitcaster?
The easiest way to start, just fill the spool half way. This keeps the enevitable ‘lash down to a minimum,and makes it a lot easier to skip. Start with a 6′6" fairly stiff rod, you don’t want the tip whipping back at you when the jig hits the water the first time, that will really mess you up. Ok, here’s how to start: It looks and feels similar to a golf swing, you’re sweeping the rod as parallel to the water as possible, then releasing the bait almost when you start your "upswing", this will propell the lure maybe three inches above the water, and it can’t help but skip and slide across the water. In no time you should get confidence to put that bait 50-60 feet back into the deep dark heart of those docks. You’ll be catching fish no one else ever gets a shot at. Nowadays I mostly use my standard flippin rod, ( 7′6") and 50lb Oldham lynch line. I’ve gotten it to a basic pitch motion, but can consistently skip that jig 40′ or so with just maybe an inch or two of clearance. I’m fair at it, but there are a couple of hands around here who make me look bad. I suggest you start with a 1/2 oz. Jig, or a large tube bait on a jig head, that’s the two easiest to skip. You’ll soon graduate to lighter jigs, pegged sinkered plastics, and soft jerk baits. I’ll guess I’ll have to retire now, you guys are gonna catch ALL my fish now. Pat
Response:
Devote the time and effort required to come to the realization that spinning or spincasting work a heck of a lot better for this. Bob
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Charlie, how do you skip a jig or worm with a baitcaster? — Go Fishing. And may your fish be as big as your tales. Columbia, SC Lake Murray <<snip | I like to skip a jig or a worm under the dock . I do it with a | baitcaster too . This works best for me in the middle of the day . And | ususally , if I make a good first cast to it , and I don’t get bit right | off , I’m not going to get bit on that dock either . | | Ripsomelips | |
Response:
Pat, thanks. Some time back, when I was a newbie to the group, I related how I saw some film about 10 years ago where a pro was demonstrating how to skip a lure. Didn’t have a boat at the time, and it is not a technique that comes in handy for a bank angler. At any rate, was told by members of the group that skipping can only be done with a spinning reel. How about expanding on your secret and giving us a FAQ? Maybe others who do this, such as Chugn4bass, could contribute. I still love my Mitchell 300s, but when I want to put something in a tough, tight spot, I reach for one of my baitcasters. — Go Fishing. And may your fish be as big as your tales. Columbia, SC Lake Murray
| | Charlie, how do you skip a jig or worm with a baitcaster? | | | The easiest way to start, just fill the spool half way. This keeps the | enevitable ‘lash down to a minimum,and makes it a lot easier to skip. | | Start with a 6′6" fairly stiff rod, you don’t want the tip whipping back at you | when the jig hits the water the first time, that will really mess you up. | | Ok, here’s how to start: It looks and feels similar to a golf swing, you’re | sweeping the rod as parallel to the water as possible, then releasing the bait | almost when you start your "upswing", this will propell the lure maybe three | inches above the water, and it can’t help but skip and slide across the water. | | In no time you should get confidence to put that bait 50-60 feet back into the | deep dark heart of those docks. You’ll be catching fish no one else ever gets | a shot at. | | Nowadays I mostly use my standard flippin rod, ( 7′6") and 50lb Oldham lynch | line. I’ve gotten it to a basic pitch motion, but can consistently skip that | jig 40′ or so with just maybe an inch or two of clearance. I’m fair at it, but | there are a couple of hands around here who make me look bad. | | I suggest you start with a 1/2 oz. Jig, or a large tube bait on a jig head, | that’s the two easiest to skip. You’ll soon graduate to lighter jigs, pegged | sinkered plastics, and soft jerk baits. | | I’ll guess I’ll have to retire now, you guys are gonna catch ALL my fish now. | | Pat
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At any rate, was told by members of the group that skipping can only be done with a spinning reel.
Bob, Ok, I’ll try to explain this in writing, but believe me, it’s sure easier to demonstrate in real life. First, there is no doubt skipping a bait is far easier with a spinning reel. However, when you are chasing those big ol’ green trout that live deep under a nasty dock, you gotta have the equipment to yank em out. I have two setups that I use, depending on the size fish, and the nature of the cover I’m working in. My "lightweight" outfit is a 7′6" Quantum tour edition flipping rod with a Quantum Iron reel. I spool it with 50 lb. Oldham’s lynch line. My "scrape" outfit is a 7′6" Waterloo double wall tuna blank. I have a quantum tour reel, spooled with 75 lb. lynch line. Anyway, down to business. I always try to target the darkest, deepest part of the dock. My experience has been that if you concentrate on the hardest spot to hit, your success will be much higher. The execution of the pitch-skip is fairly simple to explain, but it is a skill that will take a while to perfect. My favorite lure is a 1/2 to 5/8 oz. Oldham jig, I prefer the faster fall of a heavier bait, because we are dealing mostly with a reaction bite, and I don’t want the fish to get to good a look at it. I’ll set the boat up about ten to fifteen feet from the dock, then my target is about eight inches in front of the opening I’m trying to go through. It’s a much snappier pitch than just tossing a bait at a bush, it’s pretty much a "fling" The secret is, to raise the rod as the bait is approaching the target. This "lifts" the jig a bit and makes it slide and skip without getting too high, and hitting the bottom of the dock. It takes a very loose spool, and you will throw some world-class backlashes untill you get the feel for it. But, you will start to catch fish that no one else will ever get a shot at. When you start cutting the heart out of a dock, sliding that jig thirty or forty feet under a two inch opening, you will start to catch fish that you never knew existed. I’ll usually don’t mind fishing behind most knotheads throwing worms and junk at docks anymore. Most of the time, they just put the fish back into places that make them easier to locate and catch. Anyway, I hope this helps. Pat
Response:
So what is your favorite Dock Tactic?
I like to skip a jig or a worm under the dock . I do it with a baitcaster too . This works best for me in the middle of the day . And ususally , if I make a good first cast to it , and I don’t get bit right off , I’m not going to get bit on that dock either . Ripsomelips
Response:
So what is your favorite Dock Tactic?
it depends on what kind of dock it is, and how deep, but usually in the morning I like to skip a fluke way under to the back and then work it pretty slow. if its one of those docks that touches the water and you can skip, I like to fish the posts and out in front of it with a split-shotted worm. I also like suspending a lightly weighted worm all the way around the dock, it brings bass out from everyone under it, its exciting too. Tyler Brinks (TTB) Henderson, NV Lake Mead
Response:
I like docks on or very close to deep water, which are a little isolated from other docks. Unless some kind of pattern has already been established, I will start in the morning with a Spittin’ Image or floating Rapala minnow. If no luck I will immediately switch to and slow roll a spinnerbait and keep increasing retrieve speeds until something happens. If still no action I will go to a tube and then crawl a worm or lizard as a last resort before moving on.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – So what is your favorite Dock Tactic? My favorite dock tactic is to find a dock in fairly deep water that sets low to the water and made of 6"x6" posts. I like to flip a jig-n-pig of the shade side of the posts, starting at the post closest to shore and then work my way out to the deepest post. I flip in and let it slide down the post. Then I hop it a couple of times and if I don’t get a strike, pull it and flip to the next post. Can’t wait to see all the variations on this one. +++<<< Tourney +++ Hooking’em & Grinning
Response:
I enjoy flipping around the docks in marinas, especially along bulkheads with some deep water close by. If there is brush or some other type of cover along the pilings, obviously this is a plus. I use a 5" Kalin grub in Chart. metal flake in stained water, and smoke in clear. I also use a 7" red shad power worm when I feel the need! Good luck Fishin’ in Maryland DOM
Response:
So what is your favorite Dock Tactic? My favorite dock tactic is to find a dock in fairly deep water that sets low to the water and made of 6"x6" posts. I like to flip a jig-n-pig of the shade side of the posts, starting at the post closest to shore and then work my way out to the deepest post. I flip in and let it slide down the post. Then I hop it a couple of times and if I don’t get a strike, pull it and flip to the next post. Can’t wait to see all the variations on this one. +++<<< Tourney +++ Hooking’em & Grinning
Response:
So what is your favorite Dock Tactic?
Flipping, cranks, topwater…whatever dock tactic that puts fish in the boat the quickest! I love docks too…especially the old wooden ones. I have also found that the shady side is "usually" the better side. I find that I tend to concentrate on the bigger posts, the ladders, underneath the motors, out from the front of the dock which often has a deeper hole and anything next to the dock (ie. rock, stump or weeds or maybe all three!). And here’s one for you: The mere fact that there is a dock doesn’t mean that one should only fish the dock. I have often found bass nearby (5-50 ft away) the dock…as if they were cruising the area and used the dock as a reference point or safety place. Last fall on Lake Weiss in Alabama, I pulled up to a nice looking dock (that had relatively good water underneath it) on a point and flipped one nice keeper bass from underneath it. I backed off of the dock just a tad (10 feet or so) and threw a crankbait out from the dock…and proceeded to catch 36 largemouth and spotted bass (14 keepers) in a lil’ less than 30 minutes off a lil’ rockpile at the tip of the point. — Dwayne E. Cooper, Attorney at Law Cooper Legal Services Indianapolis, IN Web Page: http://www.cooperlegalservices.com
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I like a jig on a dock to, but I try to use the bottom part of the dock as a way to slng my jig farther back up under the dock. I pitch the jig under the dock, so the line hits the dock at a fast speed, after the jig has went under the dock. Feather the line, and the jig will get 6- 10 feet up under the dock. Then if I get a strike, I pray I get ‘em out. I JIM CROWLEY PROMOTIONS www.jimcpromotions.com Bloomington,Illinois
Response:
Look for the ones that have lights on the end. A brush pile, which the dock owner has planted, will be nearby! — Go Fishing. And may your fish be as big as your tales. Columbia, SC Lake Murray
| So what is your favorite Dock Tactic? | | My favorite dock tactic is to find a dock in fairly deep water that sets low | to the water and made of 6"x6" posts. I like to flip a jig-n-pig of the | shade side of the posts, starting at the post closest to shore and then work | my way out to the deepest post. I flip in and let it slide down the post. | Then I hop it a couple of times and if I don’t get a strike, pull it and | flip to the next post. | | Can’t wait to see all the variations on this one. | | +++<<< Tourney +++ | Hooking’em & Grinning | |