| 08 May 2008
Getting your lure up under structure pays off
Skip Your Way to More Fish
Reach Snook Where No Man Has Gone Before
You've been there, I'm sure. We all have. You're standing on the bow of a skiff, arm cocked, lure dangling, ready to cast. A moment before, you heard a smashing hit around a bend in the shorelines, and as you approach the general vicinity of the strike, you hear another. But it's strangely muffled, and you know what that means. A big snook has burrowed his way far back under the overhanging branches, and he's rooting around, stacking bait into corners and wolfing them down to his heart's delight. The problem? He's so far back under the "junk" that there's no way to reach him. So you sit there with a wistful look on your face, listening to that big fish ravage bait within feet of your lure, but as unreachable as the moon. So...what are your alternatives? Well, you can drift a live bait on the shadowy edge of the shoreline. You can try to sneak your plug a few inches under the overhanging leaves, knowing that a hang-up is likely. You can chug a big topwater lure through the open water and try to make enough noise to lure that fish out. If all else fails, you can jump off the skiff screaming bloody murder and claw your way back between the branches using a few carefully selected adjectives. Hey, I've been tempted. But then I learned about skipping lures, a technique that – while not always practical or necessary can change the way you approach shoreline fishing. Simply put, "skipping" provides access to fish that once seemed unreachable. If that doesn't get your attention, what will?
Docks are ambush platforms for snook (photo by Hornet Bear)
When and Where to Skip Lures
Skipping works best when fish are far under some sort of structure that prohibits conventional casting methods. Mangrove shorelines – especially at higher stages of the tide – are a perfect place in which to skip a lure, but docks in residential canals make great targets, as well. Any place that offers structure, shade and some semblance of protection to snook – as well as an overhang that seemingly negates the chance of standard casting methods – qualifies as a good spot to skip lures.
How to Skip Lures
The premise behind skipping lures is easy. It's accomplished using the same philosophy used to skip a stone across a lake's surface, though that feat is a bit more challenging when accomplished with a rod and reel. The idea is to get the lure moving toward the intended target on a very low, flat trajectory, so that it hits the water at such an angle that it does not "dig" and sink; rather, it touches the water's surface lightly in a series of hops, and comes to rest where the angler intended. To skip a lure, leave it hanging a couple of feet from the end of your rod – or about the length of your leader line. Start with the rodtip low and pointing toward the water, "load" the rod with a short backswing and cast the lure – again, with a low trajectory – toward your target. As the lure moves through the air and across the surface, feather the line with your free hand. The object is to get the lure to contact the surface a few feet in front of the opening so that it skips back under the overhanging structure and comes to rest as far back into the open area as possible. Sound easy? It's not – until you get the hang of it. This technique calls for quick reflexes and a tight drag. Snook that pounce on skipped lures hold most of the cards – they're already far back in the structure and a second or two of slack line is all they need to wrap you around roots or a dock piling. Your reflexes need to be sharp and your vision and hearing acute, and you must, be willing to engage in short, dirty brawls that usually end – one way or another – very soon after they begin.
Best Skipping Tackle
While some anglers can skip lures effectively with baitcasters, the rest of us mortals will do much better with a spinning outfit. A 7-foot, medium to medium-heavy action rod works fine, along with a medium-sized spinning reel loaded with 10-17 lb. test (depending on the density of the structure and the size of the average fish). 20 to 30 lb. leader line is ideal. Remember, the lighter line you use, the more accurate your casts will be, but go too light and you're bound to lose those mano-a-fin battles. I tend to use 12 lb. test for most of my shoreline skipping, but I'll quickly switch to 10 lb. test if most of the fish seem to be on the small side.
A Word About Tides
Skipping lures can work well at practically every tide stage, with the notable exception of very high tides that literally push the water surface up flush with the overhanging structure. Very low tides often force fish into deeper water, so – to have your best chance at skipping success – check your tide charts and try to fish the middle stages of each tide. Keep an eye open for signs that betray feeding snook – like those maddening pops far under the mangroves that used to drive you crazy until you learned this cool little trick.
Happy skipping.
