Make, model, weight and length

G. Loomis MossyBack BCR 853 Jig/Worm

Definitely the MossyBack BCR 853 Jig & Worm. Hands down. It's a very lightweight rod with incredible sensitivity, and it has just a little bit of tip to give you superior accuracy when skipping docks. This rod is better than some of the GLX's and NRX's that I own. It's one of my favorite rods. It's at a good price point too.

I like a six ft medium heavy rod. For my heavier baits. I have a six ft medium for wacky rigs and lighter lures

No rod is going to make you an awesome skipper only time on the water.

The loomis listed would have made my top 3 picks

Falcon Carra "Headturner"CC-6-1610S
6'10" short enough to work in tight if you have 2, long enough to generate speed to skip... heavy but moderate fast to have a more parabolic bend. Order the micro guide version if you can. Im a powertackle guy, but this rod and one other falcon really impress me

Imo you DONT WANT anything over 7 foot to skip. Doesnt function well when your in tight/behind stuff... time makes you good and the right rod helps but is less important than a good reel in skiping

I use a 7'3" MH micromagic. put a santone swim jig anywhere I want to. May be a little long for some. Im on the tall side though.

Main thing is to only take one rod with a few jigs with you. leave everything else at home until you figure it out. gonna have some birdnests but eventually it will click.

Great suggestions

Im 6-0

Really enjoying learning this tactic. Been great for fishing jigs into heavy bank cover too. Currently using Dobyns Champ Extreme and Duckett, but theyre all 7.6

You guys find it's easier to skip with 25lb fluoro or 15?

I use mono 20# Big Game for docks.

When experimenting, pay attention to length from reel seat to tip. The same overall rod length between two different manufactures can have a different reel seat to tip length. Finding the right length for your style of flipping / skipping docks (whatever you want to call it) is very important. Experimenting is the best way to figure out what works for you. I am 6' tall and like a 7'rod. The best rod that works for me is a St. Croix Avid, AVC70MHF 7' MH Fast but when compared to other rods, the reel seat to tip is actually about 1 inch longer than most other 7'rods. This rod for my style of skipping has the perfect amount of tip for beavers with 1/4 to 5/16 oz. tungsten. I build custom rods and have tried to build a comparable but lighter rod using different brand blanks and I have been unsuccessful at matching the St. Croix that I like. I did however end up with a rod that will skip 1/8 oz. weighted beavers just as well as The St. Croix. The St. Croix fell off in performance if I went lower or higher in the weight range of 1/4 to 5/16 oz.

How big a role does the reel play with this technique or does it matter?

For Docks ....

A light reel because it can get tiresome if too heavy, and needs a strong drag. The reel needs to be set as free spool as possible with very little spool tension, almost none but enough to keep the spool from wiggling side to side. If it has a break tension dial on the side, I set it to "0". This is why I use mono, you will get backlashes at times, fewer as you get better.

I like a Revo Premier, Revo ALX (just got one) or my favorite the discontinued Chronarch 150 CI4. I'm sure many others are comparable ... maybe even better but this is what I'm used to using. I did not like any of the Lews that I have tried, to me, they sat too high on the rod. I would like to try their new one though ...Lew's Tournament Lite G Speed Spool ACB Casting Reel "Lew�s new exclusive Super Low Profile Reel Platform, making it one of the lowest profile baitcast reels ever created".

nothing over 7', has to have plenty of back bone with a softer tip, 20lb floro on a Diawa tatula, my favorite bait to skip is a 3/8 oz denny Brauer structure jig

The reel means more to me than the rod... that said you CAN force yourself to learn on just about anything

Imo weight means nothing... we are talking ounces differences typically.

What does matter is how smooth is it, how good are brakes and what kind.

You want a reel that can basically free spool at a really fast speed. I have a tatula and the only thing that i really LOVE about it is the twing... I think it helps get the line out quickly and that matters.

I use straight braid, birdsnest happen but they pull out super easy. My suggestion is use either gmma tourqe 40lb or samuri 50lb.

The whole set up MATTERS and you will learn more what matters to YOU.

I recently bought a Tatula that I want to try skipping docks with. I was wondering if it would be better with the T wing.

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I recently bought a Tatula that I want to try skipping docks with. I was wondering if it would be better with the T wing.[/quote]

It is the ONLY thing I like about the reel... other than that the reel feels cheap and is NOISEY.... i really really want to try a metanium mgl

A couple of tips, don't fill your spool all the way, use 20#+ line, set your tension as to how you like it. 7 ft rod or less in my opinion. Seth Feider has a dock skipping video where he talks about the positives of using the t-wing system (he's sponsored by Daiwa but what he says makes sense to me)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRzwkoIJyHE

Brian Thift has a Fitzgerald rod he created for this, it's a 6'9" heavy, his home lake is Lake Norman (pretty sure) and he skips a lot of docks...he know his stuff. Living close to Norman now, I will be getting my skip on soon enough.

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Fitzgerald_Bryan_Thrift_Series_Casting_Rods/descpage-FBTCR.html

Bryan Thrift 6'9" Heavy Skipping Special Casting Rod

Thanks all for the tips!

Not filling the spool up all the way has made a huge difference for me, and not just for skipping docks.

Recently got a Dobyns Champ XP 703 (the new one)and I love it for this purpose. The guys at Fishin World in Dallas helped me out. I didn't even know we had a local bass shop in Dallas. Check them out if you haven't been. It's right near Love Field.