Do you set up your reels loose or tight. I can't skip either way. I can skip with a spinning reel.

Do you set up your reels loose or tight. I can't skip either way. I can skip with a spinning reel.

I keep mine real loose, but some others may say differently. If you're just getting started or trying to improve (which I definitely needed), here a few things that helped me.

1) Strip off about 25-30 yards of line and put on either some electrical tape or painters blue tape (I like it better) on your spool so if, sorry, WHEN you get a backlash it's not all the way down in the spool.
2) If you're just starting try to practice when it's pretty calm and in relatively open water so you don't have to skip your bait under something right away. Less likely to hit the dock and cause a backlash until you get the feel of it.
3) Remember what skipping a rock in a pond was like? It's mainly about the rod angle. If you were trying to skip a rock and it hit 3 feet in front of you...it didn't skip at all. If you got your arm angle low and parallel to the water it would skip pretty good. If you threw it out 15 or 20 yards (unless you threw it really hard) it was too far away and wouldn't skip. So there's kind of an optimum distance from where your rod tip is and where you want the bait to land.
4) This was probably my biggest error. Don't get too close to the dock or whatever you're trying to skip under. Again, the rod angle makes all the difference and if you're too close usually you'll either hit the dock or it won't skip well enough. The better you get at it, the closer you can get to your target and make it work, but at first this should help.
5) Try to learn on an docks that have a couple of feet (or more) between the bottom of the dock and the water. Until you get dialed in that's just another way to learn without having to be so precise and getting overly frustrated about it. Don't worry about getting all the way to the back of the dock at first. Learn to skip it without back lashing and focus on hitting your target. Once you get dialed in getting it further back will come naturally.

I am by no means a skipping expert, but I've gotten a lot better by doing those five things.

If you choose to skip with a bait caster try out the Tatula SV TW. You can set it up to skip well without getting backlashes. Awesome reel for skipping.

rod set up?
LMH fast 7'0?

Set up a skipping rig based on what bait you CAN skip. If you can’t get the bait there you can get bit. I tried lots of baits and set ups until I figured out what I could skip best. Like any other rig, match the bait weight and hook to the rod and line needed for that bait and keep experimenting with brakes and spool tension until you get it dialed in . The best advice I got was using electrical tape on spool after about 40 ft of line so you can practice a ton and not spend so much time picking out backlashes

I can’t skip a spinning rig for sheet. Zero accuracy and just as many line issues as a bait caster. A medium 6’8 to 7’1”should get you started on 3/8 - 1/2 jig , mail weighted fluke or stick bait