How To Skip A Lure With A Baitcaster – Just Like Skipping Rocks

How do you skip a lure with a baitcaster?

That is a common question I get here on the blog. So today in this post, I want to teach you how to do it.

But first….

Why Choose A Baitcasting Reel In The First Place?

If you have ever tried to skip a lure before you will notice that it is much easier to do so with spinning tackle than with baitcasting gear. So, that leads to the question: Why choose a baitcasting reel in the first place? Why not just use spinning tackle to skip lures under docks? It really comes down to one thing, power.

One of the biggest advantages baitcasting reels have in this situation is they offer more power.

This is important because in most cases when we want to skip a lure it is because we are fishing around cover. We need that extra power to horse that fish back to the boat before he has the opportunity to get tangled up in the structure.

Of course if you aren’t fishing around heavy cover and you feel more comfortable using spinning gear, than obviously the better choice would be to use your favorite spinning reel.

However, in most cases we are going to be fishing with heavy line and meaty rods. For that reason, it is always beneficial to learn how to skip a lure with a baitcaster.

How To Skip A Lure With A Baitcaster?

Now that we got that question out-of-the-way, let’s talk about the equipment/settings.

Adjust your baitcasting reel properly. The first step before you even get out on the water is to make sure your tension knob is set properly.

To do so, hold out your rod and slowly loosen the tension knob until the lure on the starts to fall down. If the lure hits the ground, but the reel keeps spinning, it is too loose and needs to be tightened. Do it again until the tension knob is just right.

Keep in mind that if you try skipping with a reel that is too tight or too loose and you are going to get a lot of backlashes.

It is all about the short rod. Having the right rod can make skipping much easier. With that being said, choose a rod that has a soft tip. Much like a sling shot, a rod with a softer tip is going to load up better on the cast and assist you in sending that lure across the water.

Lastly, choose a short rod. Shorter rods tend to be easier to control. The more control you have, the better.

Which reel should I use? I have seen anglers skip docks with all types of baitcasters. With that being said, not too much emphasis should be put on the reel itself.

Instead, you need to dedicate more time thinking about the technique you will be using (more on that in a little bit) and then take the time to master that technique. Practice, practice, practice.

Choose the right lure. Do you remember skipping rocks as a kid? Some rocks skipped really well and others well, they just didn’t skip at all. The same is true when it comes to choosing the right lure.

You want to choose a lure that isn’t too heavy and has a flat surface. A few lures I would recommend would be a senko, a hollowbody frog, or jig setup such as the Arkie jig head with a creature bait like this.

Finally, we are ready to talk about technique….

There are basically two different techniques that can be used to skip your lure. You can choose either, a low side arm cast or a roll cast.

With the side arm cast, you basically want to keep the rod as low as possible, much like you would skipping stones. The roll cast basically follows the same principles, but I call it a roll cast because you roll your wrist increasing the velocity (not to be confused with a fly fishing roll cast).

Regardless of the technique you choose, one thing that is most important is speed. Even if you are fishing with the roundest lure, throwing it at the right speed will make it skip at least once if not more.

With that in mind, you don’t want to use your thumb on the spool as much as you would on a normal cast. Yes, it is important to always keep it on the spool, but keep in mind that speed is going to be what determines how many times your lure skips.

Let’s see how we can put this into practice in the following video:

Additional tip. Always keep your eye on your target. If you are watching the dock, chances are you are going to hit the dock. So instead, focus on where you want the bait and that will help you hit the target.

Final Thoughts….

Sometimes the bigger bass are in those hard to reach places. Many anglers if they don’t know how to skip a lure will avoid these areas. Don’t be that angler. Learn how to skip a lure with a baitcaster and start catching more fish.

I hope you have found this post to be helpful. If you have, please feel free to leave a comment below.