Flipping & Pitching

       

by Mike Inscore

This is not one of my strengths. However the ability to present lures quietly and efficiently into heavy cover is one of the "must know" techniques (especially in Florida). I have recently been able to see the effectiveness of this technique, and that is the reason for writing this article.

Different situations present themselves during the day. It could be because of boat position or the position of the laydowns. You  never know what you might come across, and it's best to be prepared. Certain situations call for being able to swap hands and still be accurate. When you come across this you dont want to caught with your pants down now do you? Take time to practice with both hands. For this technique you dont even have to be on the water. one of my favorite things to do is set up buckets around the yard at different distances, and angles. then take time just flipping and pitching to each one. Try it, its fun for you and the kids will enjoy it also.

Flipping - good for stained to muddy water or extremely heavy cover. It's quieter and more accurate than any of the other cast, but can not achieve the distance sometimes needed.

Pitching - best suited for clearer water situations. Can achieve the same quiet entry with a lot more distance. Works best in sparser cover.

The Initial Fall - This is the most critical part of flipping and pitching. The fact is that 80 percent of your strikes are probably occurring on the initial fall. now think about that! Knowing this, You can concentrate on the fall more than any other part of the retrieve. The two most common errors made with the initial fall is either having a tight line or having too much slack in the line. With a tight line, the bait swings back away from the cover, and the fish. With too much slack, you lose feel of the bait and miss most the strikes occurring on the fall. You need to fish with a little slack in your line. This allows the bait to fall vertically next to the cover and allows you to visually and physically pick up strikes on the fall. The line might jump to one side, Or your line might stop falling four feet down in eight feet of water. If so hook sets are free swing away.

 

Become A Line Watcher! - As mentioned before pay attention to your line for any movement on the initial fall. With time and practice it becomes easier to know when to set the hook. Remember, Even when your not sure dont take that chance. Set the hook on anything that seems different.

The lures you use are just as important. There are several out there to choose from. Remember your technique, and the cover you are fishing. Most of the time its better to use a smaller bait with less appendages in really thick cover. This will help the lure make its way through the cover easier without hanging up. Other times when the cover is not so thick try a crawwfish or a sweet beaver the action of the appendages on the initial fall really attracts bass.

Use a flipping stick ( 7 to 7 1/2 foot graphite rod ) it can be collapsible. A baitcasting reel with heavy line  usually 20 to 30 pound test, abrasion resistant mono. Many pro anglers prefer a special flipping reel with a thumb bar over the spool, or a reel with a flipping switch. If braided lines are used, use a fiberglass or composite flipping stick to compensate for lack of stretch, since a hard hook set is used with this technique.

 

 I hope this helps if you have any tips send them to me at inscore@TeamM3D.com and i will post them on our tips page. Thanks Mike Inscore