Ok, on my lake the water level does not vary much so the boat docks do not have much room between the water and the bottom of the dock. I would say probably 1 to 1.5 ft is the norm. If I only have that kind of space to work with, how do I go about getting the jig up under the dock very far? Or am is it just wishful thinking? I have not every tried dock shooting but I am itching to give it a whirl after reading about it on this forum.

You might try scooting back a little ways and skip it under there.

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

Search you tube for technique and then practice to perfect your skills

Ok so it is possible to shoot that kind of gap. I guess I should practice in the back yard before I head out on the water. With that small of a window do you still shoot from your seat in the boat or do you get down and sit on the deck with your legs hanging over the side to give yourself a better angle at the gap?

I have only been dock shooting one time and the best dock we found probably had less than 6" clearance to shoot. We did alot of shooting at that dock from our knees.

depending on what type of baits You use jigs don't skip or slide very far some plastics do ok I'm coming out with a new plastic and head in a couple of months that I've been using for the past couple of months in it's final design I like to be 10-15 foot back on low docks and land the bait right in front of the gap I can normally get 15-40 feet of skip under the dock if You hit to far out You'll go up on the dock or to steep of angle You'll fly it on to the dock. It's something that takes alot of pratice I respect peoples property and don't wont to damage anything You just don't go out and do-it it would be like Deer hunting with a rifle You sighted in 3 years before and You never checked it I learned from fishing the rivers when I was young couldn't cast so We fliped or shot Our baits to good water areas. get You 2 5 gallon buckets set on Your drive way with a 2x4 on them put You a split shot with cheap braided line on a pole and pratice till You can go right under the board do it underhand and side hand You don't always get the perfect setup for this type of fishing.

I was shooting standing in the floor behind the front deck the other day. Partner was running the TM and was sitting.
The lower or closer to the water you can get helps on distance.


Oh yeah, respect the property (boats and docks). Don't train around somebody's $60k ski boat

You will also need a heavier action rod to produce the needed speed to make the bait plane I use special med. heavy rods that are 5 foot in length and suffix 10 lb. braid You don't need to set the hook very hard with this setup just lift or drag the pole about 1 foot and their on also it will help You get alot of the bigger 2 lb up fish out when they run in behind pillars or a sneeky catfish!

Is there a video on dock shooting?

You tube, Ernest Paty and Mr.crappie has one on there.

I have to disagree with some of the information here. I've been dock shooting for over 10 years now, and find that the less space between the water and the dock, the better the chance of crappie holding under it. Also, I have found that if you use a parabolic rod (bends from tip to handle in one arc) instead of a non-parabolic rod (only bends in the last 25% of the tip), it's easier to shoot...and the Wally Marshall Signature Series 5'6" model in a light action is the best for this use.

And practicing in your back yard will not help you at all, as you're not usually shooting at a target and you usually don't have a large body of water to skip the jig off of.

Dock shooting can only be mastered one way....time on the water.

Use what work's the best for You try different rods as You fish with other people I only stated,that I preferred a med. heavy rod because this is what I started with in the early 80's on the Pro-Am bass trail shooting docks with, when most Folks were still trying to learn how to pitch or flip.Will You master it ? depends on how their building docks 15 years from now You've only got it mastered when You know which ones to go to and which one's to pass up there will not be fish at all of them I promise You and don't pass up piers We pulled 35 keepers off one yesterday that had a 6x6 foot platform on it ,it's not always a shade thing.

I will also have to disagree with some info. First you dont need to spend alot of money on some signature rod, walmart sells a rod that in my opinion is perfect for shooting docks. Look for the berkley cherrywood series in 5'6'' with a mitchell reel also sold at walmart for the combo you will be out around $50. with the others the rod alone will cost you that. Yes plastics do have more skip and you can be a little less acurate with them because if you can get it close it will skip under the dock. and in my experience if you are shooting docks you are most of the time on a large body of water, remember you are shooting from the lake under the dock not the other way around. I am not trying to stir anything up it just seems like when someone ask for some info to many people think that there way is the only way. I belive you should get use to your equip. before going to the water, then hone your skills at the lake. you are better off to waste an hr at the house shooting under a 2x4 than to be hung on someones boat house or boat seat, ect..There have been post in the past from dock owners upset with all that goes on with dock shooting, in my opinion you should think about there property before you sling a jig at there boat house if you cant keep it were it needs to be you should fish brush piles or bridges. good fishin to all of yall.

Mr Crappie has a video out that features dock shooting techniques, he also has a 4'6" "dock shooting" rod that I like, although im sure its not neccessary. The one tip I can give is, you have to get low enough to the water to obtain the right angle, the jig will leave your rod much like the trajectory of a bullet leavign a gun, if your rod is too high or at the wrong angle it will hit the water before it gets to the dock

I've been using a 5'6 Berkly Cherrywood with an Abu Garcia cardinal. It worked pretty good to me. Now Im getting a 5'6 BnM Sharpshooter. Most people would use rods around that length or shorter.
Now while a trip with chuck back in September we were shooting with 7' Wally Marshall signature series rods. I loved it, the bait skipped so beutifully (<-No Homo!).