Winter - Dock Shooting

[speck chaser]

nice fish and boat

[ad1974]

Nice catch!

[Bob # 1]

Didnt know what dock shooting was, until I saw DVD101
excited to give it a try.

PS
Nice slabs

[FisherMike]

I've never did any shooting at all.
I started practicing last Friday in my garage and have ruined a few jig heads. I decided that's kind of silly so I just used split shot. Works good and much cheaper.

Do any of you shooters want to share some of your techniques to us beginners?

[deathb4disco]

Do any of you shooters want to share some of your techniques to us beginners?

Mike, it's not hard. It's the same thing as the "bow and arrow" cast used by fly fishermen. Did you check out the video I suggested?

[FisherMike]

As a matter of fact, I sure did. Thanks.
While practicing in the garage I was thinking about different methods I use when shooting my bow. About the only thing I could come up with is I don't use different methods. I want to do every shot exactly, or as close a exactly as possible.
I'm slowly making progress but I haven't been at it too long. I'm sure it will come to me.
At least I haven't knocked out a lightbulb yet.

[Guy Skinner]

MDCrappie,
Good going on the dock shooting. We have a lake down here in TX, Cedar Creek, that is famous for it's dock shooting. Ernest and I have shot those docks for years and probably pulled thousands of crappie out from under them. And you got the right rod. The 5.6 Wally Marshall is the best that we've found for shooting. It's parabolic for easy, accurate shooting, and will handle a bigger fish very well. We use the BassAssassin 1 1/2" straight tail almost exclusively for shooting, as you can 'skip' it under the lower docks to reach some 'virgin' spots. Anyway, good going and stick with it, cause if you learn all the nuances (sp?) of shooting, you'll definately have a leg-up on the guys that don't.

[TacoBender]

Nice catch! Some docks hold fish year round. I see that you're in Maryland, what lake are you on and what's the water temp. I lived in Lexington Park, MD. for a while when I was younger.
GoodLuck

[camo john]

The art of dock shooting can be used in more ways then one. its good for getting a jig back in a small pocket in hydria.also good on windy days when its hard to cast a jig . john

[TreednNC]

Biggest thing that has ever helped me came from the Mel Gibson movie, "The Patriot"....."....aim small miss small..." Practice with little bitty targets. It will be frustrating at first, but say a Dixie Cup laying down facing you from 20-30 feet. Shoot to get the jig in the cup. You'd be surprised at how big those spaces are between pontoons and the dock, or pontoons and the motor are after shooting at small targets.

Another thing....CONSISTANTCY. Especially when first starting out, Id try to make my drop length (length from the tip of your rod to the jig when you get ready to shoot) consistant each time. I generally let out enough line to a specific guide on my rod so I am consistant each time. With me, going shorter than that length makes me shoot higher than aimed point, and longer makes me shoot lower. Once you get the hang of that specific rod with that particular length, play around some, I found that where I practiced at on my current rod was comfortable and suitable, but I got a little more distance if I used a longer drop and loaded my rod more. So then I had to comphensate for the longer drop in my aim until I got comfortable with that.

I know I made it sound complicated, but it's really not. Short learning curve. I sit around and watch TV and shoot between two flower pots in the living room. A little high I get hung in the 'brush', same with left and right :D. Just a couple minutes here and there and stop if you get frustrated and walk away.