I like a spinning rod that has a little whip in the tip,, I ues a 7' TFO rod and it works good for me ,, it just takes practice,, and the mistake most people make is getting to close to the dock u need the bait to have a little momentum when it arrives at the edge of the dock,... Just practice u will get it..

I'm surprised no one said flukes yet! Those things skip like they were designed to do it! I also like skipping with a spinning rod so I don't backlash, and I can throw those flukes a little further weightless. Rattle traps also skip. Just look for flat sided baits

10lbs line is asking for "it". That is if "it" is 3 times as many bites as 17lbs line.

I love all the responses! Just shows there's more then one way to do something! The other day I was blanking out so i just parked the boat and practiced skipping with a t-rigged tube. I'm determined to learn this technique! So I'm off to go buy more line....and electrical tape!

a lighter action rod is easier to do this with as it will absorb some of the impact if you hit the water with your bait too hard initially. imho

One of the hardest things for anglers learning to skip a lure to remember is lure speed. The lure must be moving along at a good pace with a flat trajectory. Many people learning skip are able to keep the lure low to the surface with a flat trajectory, but the lure speed isnt there and the lure hops once or twice and stops or hits the water and digs in causing a back lash.

Skipping a lure with a side arm cast or roll cast is the easiest way to learn because you can load the rod up nicely during the cast to generate good lure speed. Trying to skip a lure when flipping is where I see most people have trouble. You must load the rod up slightly before releasing the lure to generate enough rod action to propel the lure at a rate of speed great enough to deflect the lure off of the waters surface.

Like everyone has mentioned already, a low trajectory is a must, but so is lure speed.

A second item to note when skipping is lure profile. Start with a lure that is shaped well for skipping: arkie style jig head with a chunk trailer, or a beaver. NOT with something like a spinnerbait or crankbait. Best of luck to you!

oh just wait until you try to learn Pitch skipping! your welcome.

Don't skip, learn to pitch 10' under the dock, knock the dock support leg and richochet off with a nice soft water entry.

I skip with my eyes closed and fingers crossed.

Me too. I can skip in open water fairly well now (a skill I learned this fall/winter). But put the pressure on--an actual horizontal obstruction? The above technique works about half the time.

It is all about keeping the bait close to the water with enough speed to get it back up under the dock.

Physics 101 liquid becomes a solid at a certain amount of force (F=ma)

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