crappie dock shooting does the reel mater spinng i know but wide spool are small

[bassman harris]

Thumbs Up does it make a difference what spinning real ya use for distance and such thanks

[baitman]

small reels dont let the line fall of like it needs to, but big reels are heavy and sometimes the drags are not ment for light line. a small reel with a large arbor works great.

[Alphahawk]

Throwing 1/64 ounce baits this is something I have tested extensively as I need all the casting distance I can get. I have found that with 1/64...1/32...1/16...1/8 ounce baits the large arbor ads no advantage. What I have found is that certain brands of reels cast farther than others. I use Shimano Stradic series 1000 and Pflueger Supreme XT 25 series reels for my Crappie fishing. The Shimano reels cast quite a bit farther than the Supreme XT...but....the Supreme XT is my go to Crappie reel simply because it takes in 10 inches less line on a turn of the handle than the Shimano reels. I can fish my baits slower with the Pflueger but I do lose casting distance. I have tried the larger arbor reels and do not get anymore distance with them....if I could I would most certainly use them. Now having said that we all cast different. The rod action and line play as big a part in this as much as the reel.


Regards

[luv2wade]

I would say rod action and type of line are more important than the reel. A slow action tip will cast different than a medium or fast action tip. Also line that is stiff with lots of memory will cast different than smooth line with little or no memory. I also like to spray line conditioner on my reels to help get more distance.

[Crappie Buster]

I bought a big spool U.S. Reel last year, but I haven't used it yet. I use a BPS microlight elite right now with 4 lb test Wally Marshall high vis line. I like that setup a lot, but I have to drag the line out the back of the boat with no jig ever couple trips to take memory out of the line. I heard that the big spool reels help in reducing memory and that's what I bought it for. Just haven't got around to changing anything out. If it ain't broke don't fix it mentality has taken over for me right now.

[CrappiePappy]

Guys ... Harris asked about "dock shooting", not "casting" Doh Rofl

In the years I've been shooting docks, I've found LINE limpness and rod ACTION to be more of a factor than reel size. I'm still using Shakespeare UL Alpha XT reels for shooting docks, and along with 4lb test Mr Crappie Super Hi-vis (USA made version) mono, I can shoot a 1/16oz weedless jighead w/1.5" plastic body about as far under a dock as I care to. I mostly use my ESP 5'6" fast action UL rod ... but, I've used longer & stiffer rods (w/bigger reels). Timing the 'shot' & practice is key to successfully shooting a dock.
Since I don't try & shoot the jig through the air, all the way to splashdown ... a fast action rod allows me the launching power to send the jig skipping across the surface, and well back underneath the dock. Most "shots" are less than 20' from the rod tip, so widespool or longspool reels aren't a major necessity (to me). Now ... when talking "casting" ... YES, they do help with distance, since I'm usually trying to cast well beyond the spot I'm trying to put my jig into. If I can't get/shoot my jig into the far reaches of a large dock ... I simply move the boat to another vantage point & shoot from there.

That's just my opinion, though.

... cp

[bdorman]

...for distance and such...

It's the "and such" part of your question that is important. That "and such" is accuracy.

Almost any rod/reel combo is going to give you more than enough distance. I mean, how far away from a dock can you be and still shoot it?

My best dock shooting rig was a 4'6" ultralight. The ultralight gives you plenty of "whip" but at a controlled pace that IMHO makes it easier to time your release. And the shorter length is easier to point. (I say it "was" my best rig because a bass dragged it off the dock one time when I laid it down to take a cellphone call...dumb and dumber!)

My light and medium light 6'6" rods are much harder to control. They shoot the jig way too fast for my release finger to have good timing.

[skeetbum]

I shoot with whatever I have in my hand, but the shorter rods are the norm. When I use a longer rod I'm usually 10 or 15 feet from the dock and I'm trying to get a shot at them before I get too close and noisy. Most of my reels are 1500 or 2000 series reels for the slightly larger loops from the line memory and a drag that I feel is a but smoother due to larger drag discs. I use 6 lb and get a lot more of my jigs back when I hang up over 4lb.