# Skip Jack



## AEFISHING (Apr 25, 2004)

Anyone know where I can find some skip jack near Cincinnati??


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## 1badmthrfisher (Apr 4, 2005)

Since no one has responded.... try the meldalh.... this time of year i have never caught them but i know they are out there. In the winter i caught a bunch


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## LittleMiamiJeff (Oct 1, 2005)

I was at Meldahl Sat. AM, guys were catching them right at wall w/sabiki's, wieghed down pretty good. KY side. I'd say they caught a dozen or so a foot give or take.


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## ChrisB (May 13, 2004)

We fished at Racine Dam yesterday. WE saw a ton of skipjack feeding up against the walkway. Dindn't have small enough jigs to catch them and couldn't get any inthe throw net.


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## flypilot33 (Feb 9, 2006)

How big are these things? I want to try to catch one on a fly rod if they fight good. Sounds like they wouldn't be super hard to catch.


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## Ken G (Apr 9, 2004)

I've caught some in the past above 2 lbs. The largest I've heard of were in Tennessee a little over 3 lbs.

Its not that they are hard to catch, they are hard to find. You can tear them up one day and the next day you may draw a blank. They seem to prefer moderately clear moving water usually near dams in the spring and warm water discharges in the winter. Where they go when the water is muddy is still a mystery to me.

If you luck into some they seem like they would be a lot of fun on a fly rod. They are running, jumping little buggers.


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## BuckeyeTom (Apr 6, 2004)

Save your gas and time. Spent the morning casting for nothing. I did have three bump my jigs in an hour and a half of casting at Racine. Construction crew blocking the good fishing at Eureka. Tons of nice sumo shad working the walkway at Racine. Pick and choose your throws wisely, those rocks will eat a castnet.

Has anyone saw any small skips yet? Last year by mid-July we had all we wanted.

I had some shad in my bucket while casting for skips, when I heard this scratching. I turned my head to see a nice mink trying to get an easy meal.


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## UFM82 (Apr 6, 2004)

They are the ghosts of the river. One day they'll black the screen on the finder and the next you'll see nary a one. I have found that a bluebird sky, light or no wind and clean, green water are the three "must-haves" for skipjack success. I have rarely caught any when all three conditions weren't present. I went an entire year without catching one two years ago- the water just never cleared enough due to the rain. Last fall I got into them with a buddy at a warm water discharge and we caught 3/4 of a 5 gallon bucketful in about 2 hours. However, of those we caught two around 10" and the rest were 5" or so. 

Yes, they are a blast on a fly-rod. Aerial machines like a tarpon when they are hooked. If one throws the hook, another will usually eat the bait. I've had them chase and bite a rig all the way to the boat. It's a real hoot when you get a school of skips slashing at your rig as it dances across the top of the water. They are ferocious little beasts when they are on a feed. On the other hand, they stink something fierce and you WILL have tiny scales all over you, your gear and your boat. They shed as soon as you touch them and they die almost instantly if you try to keep them alive in a tank. I toss them on ice and fish them cut usually. 

Great bait- the caviar of cat baits. And fun to catch too. 

UFM82


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## Mean Morone (Apr 12, 2004)

Hey flypilot33, you have to give that flyrod a shot on those skippies. I watched my buddy hook one after the other one day. They weren't hard to get to bite, but they were hard to land. They jump something fierce. I had spinning gear but I was wishing I had a flyrod on that day. Sure looked like a blast.


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## truck (Apr 12, 2004)

they are not hitting very good at Meldahl right now


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## dig_doug_l (Jul 25, 2005)

What's a skipjack? Some kind of shad or chub??


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## LittleMiamiJeff (Oct 1, 2005)

http://www.geocities.com/yosemite/rapids/9007/skpjk.html

Check this site out, pretty good info on what a skipjack is
LMJeff


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## dig_doug_l (Jul 25, 2005)

So it's a herring. Who'd a thought... Thanks LMJeff.


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