Testing dock shooting rods

[genec]

I shoot with a 5-1/2 foot cheerywood and can shoot well ,so I am not asking about accuracy .I tried a 7 foot rod that I had around the house and notice that with a 1/16 jig and 4 lb line I can shoot at and adverage of 53 ft and with 6 lb line I lose 6 to 8 feet less,so I was wandering what rod you shoot and how much distant do you get out of 4 and 6 lb line,you could test it in your yard, my cheerywood with 4 lb in low 40,s. I know most docks do not need that distant but a few do .I also have one real long pontoon that the fish stay in middle and can barely reach them from either end ,about 80-90 feet long and I first see them on my SI in the middle and only when I make a long shot will get a hit.

[JohnPaul]

I myself use a 6ft Ozark dockshooter. I use 4lb test. I have Pleugar Trion reel. I can get shoot it easily 60-67ft in my back yard but while on the lake. Due to angles I myself can hit 40 ft with no problem. I love this rod!

[CrappiePappy]

Gene ... I shoot with either my 5'6" Esp UL or my 6'6" ESP Power Lite rod. I used to use 4# test Mr Crappie Super hi-vis, but recently switched to 6# Vicious hi-vis. I haven't had the opportunity to shoot docks with the Vicious, but I doubt it will make a significant difference. I rarely shoot from farther away than 5-10ft from the dock ... and hope to get a skip distance of 15-20ft beyond the edge of the dock. Either of my ESP rods will shoot the jig for whatever distance I generally need to go.
I haven't measured any actual "open field" distance with either pound test line, or rod length ... so I have no idea how far they'd go. I wouldn't think 40ft would be any problem, though. That would be as much a factor of what reel you were using, as it would what rod or line test.

Most all of my dock shooting has been done on Watts Bar & Weiss ... and the water level is usually within a foot to 18" of the dock edge, so I don't worry as much about distance, as I do accuracy ... which is why I'm generally so close to the dock when shooting. I'm almost always using a 1/16oz jighead with a 1.5"solid plastic body, so I'm confident that I'll get a good skip distance.

... cp

[skeetbum]

Around here a 1/32 and a BGBS is a common jig for shooting. The flat sided BGBS skips very well. I use some 5' light action rods, no longer available, and a 6'6" lightning rod I got as a gift, and is also now a different rod than what I have. It's best attribute is a soft tip and a bony middle making control of a good fish easier. Accuracy is paramount with distance a very close second. I'm seldom disappointed with the delivery if I can hit the opening. 4lb hi vis usually unless there's brush close by and then 6lb gets the nod. I usually stay buttoned up with #6 sickle hooks on the 1/32, even bigger with fish.

[Crappiegirl1]

genec, i havee asked vic many times how u r doing? please PM and let me know1st hand. tell the other half hello. i practiced dock shooting jus ta little the other day with hope youll be down this vwinter to finish my lessons.

[Don G]

I started years ago learning how to dock shoot with assistance from Don York & Crappiepappy. That was when Crappiepappy & I were fishing Watts Bar a lot. I had won a B&M Dockshooter (5 1/2') at a crappie tournament and that's when I started. I then went to a 5 1/2' UL Bass Pro Micro Light . From there I started using St Croix 5 1/2' UL. Then went to St Croix 6' UL. I then changed to St Croix 6' L. the past couple of years I have pretty much stayed with that model until a week ago.

I left my rods at home to help my fishing partner drop a couple of trees in our local lake. After dropping the trees he wanted to fish a little and loaned me one of his rods. It was a Bass Pro Tourney Special 6 1/2' ML. He had been after me to try it for some time. After using it for an afternoon, I went to Sportsmans Warehouse and purchased a St Croix 6 1/2' ML. If it does as well as the Bass Pro rod I will be happy.

As a bonus, I found that I got better control lifting my line on long retrieves.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it. I'm staying with the ML

Don't say it, Pappy.

[genec]

Thanks for your answered, I was just wandering about trying a longer rod and what type may be good for that. I shoot a 1/32 at least 95 percent of the time ,it falls slower and hangs less,I also use my own made stinger bait and I try NOT to skip because most of the docks are low to water and if it bounce will hang the cross bars ,I also make a stinger bait that will skip real easy because the head is dip in plastic also,as for accuracy I shoot under docks that are only 1 inch high ,that is where I got one of my 3 pounders,those low docks I have to put my jig almost on the water to get far under it. Hey crappie girl ,I am doing ok have not fish in a while ,the Harmon shots makes me so hot that this time of year I stay under a fan and air right much,my radiation start tomorrow for each day of this month and all of Oct,hope to come again this year if I am doing ok

[Huntalivesh23]

Pro angler tackle 4.5 footer is what I have and it works great

[jackie53]

We fish a gin clear lake (greers ferry) We fish bass tubes under docks,pontoons' will win money any time of the year!!! Started crappie fishing reading all the articles about shooting dock's even asked Wally (mr crappie) at grizzly jig for some pointer's!! Tried everything,read all I could had trouble hittng spots under pontoons(crappie you have to hit the exact spot) went to my Bass pro extreme 7' ML,10 lb test,4 lb dia berkly nano-fill line,shimano 1000,reels!! 3/32 oz double barb jigheads,midsouth 2 in tubes!!! this has worked for us!! Thanks again Wally!! You got to hit the dark spots under the dock's and toon's!!! hope this helps!!

[jusanothajoe]

ESP 6' power lite, Best all around shooting rod I have found. I use 1/32 heads with BGBS 50% of the time hand tied 1/32 the other 50% some times you have to go to a little heavier jig to "get down" to the fish in the middle of that toon.