Bass Fishing Articles

Articles

Flip of the Stick

By Jim Crowley
Jim@hookandhunttv.com
www.HookAndHuntTV.com

There are numerous ways to catch a bass. There are also numerous lures to use with the numerous techniques to catch those bass. And the list goes on and on. When asked how most fisherman likes to catch largemouth bass, they usually seem to answer that a top water lure of some type is their favorite. Others cherish the spinnerbaits and some seem to think you cannot beat a crank bait. I on the other hand am one of those guys whom if I had to choose one way to catch bass, it would have to be with a flippin stick. When fishing for any species of fish, I use what I need to complete the job. As I have always said, lures are merely tools to get a job done. However, when it comes to catching largemouth bass, the long rod, heavy line, large hook, and a plastic creation of some kind is where it's at for me. Being able to precisely place a lure in the heart of the cover to make a fish react and engulf my offering entices me. To feel the "thump" of the fish inhaling my lure, and/or to see my line jump and start moving off is proof that a fish was convinced to strike. I also like the closeness of the technique. It almost feels more like hunting instead of fishing. Cast by cast, I am probing and picking apart the cover to figure out where my opponent is. In the world of fishing, this part of the battle is more or less, hand-to-hand combat!

EQUIPMENT

The flipping and pitching presentations require a long rod, heavy line and it's also beneficial to have a reel with a high-speed gear ratio. I'll explain that in a minute. The Pflueger Trion PTCA4766-1MH is a 7'6 extendable rod that is well-balanced, extremely sensitive, handles lures up to ¾ ounce lures and is complimented by a Fuji guide system. For flipping and pitching, I choose monofilament line because of the closeness of the techniques where some stretch and shock absorption is needed. I have used Trilene 20 pound Big Game fishing line for years and that is where my confidence lies. My hook of choice is the Gamakatsu EWG super line hook in either 3/0 or 4/0. Earlier I alluded to the fact that a high-speed gear ratio on a reel is important for both these techniques. My reasons for that are as follows. First of all most of the time these techniques are for heavy cover, the long rod combined with the high gear ratio of the reel, allow you to pick up line quickly after a fish strikes. This allows you more time to get the fishes head up and coming toward you, away from the denseness of the cover, which could lead to losing that fish. Fish also tend to head toward deep water after the hook is set, and the higher gear ratio allows you to again pick up line faster and keep you in control of the fish. The Pflueger Supreme and or President reels both have 6.3:1 gear ratios, are light, strong, and both have soft-touch thumb bar spool releases with exceptionally strong drag systems. Either is an excellent choice.

LURES

The top two choices for flipped and pitched lures are weed less jigs and soft plastics. In most cases, I like to use soft plastics, mostly because that is what I have confidence in. My number one lure is a salt impregnated tube made by Big Bite Baits. www.bigbitebaits.com Big Bite makes a lot of colors, however some of my favorites are green pumpkin with copper flake which has worked on every body of water I have been on and tubes with contrasting colors for stained or muddy water including, black neon and junebug.

There are basically two types of presentations, horizontal and vertical. Horizontal presentations, such as spinner baits and crank baits are mostly used to cover water and find more aggressive or active fish. Vertical presentations like flipping and pitching are used to present lures to somewhat neutral or inactive fish. These vertical presentations must be learned in order to consistently put you in the position to catch fish. Flipping and pitching are two different types of cast that require the rod actually becoming an extension of your hand, wrist and forearm. Flipping is a more close in style that is better suited for dense vegetation and or highly stained or muddy water. The distance is actually controlled by how much line you have out and boat positioning. Hitting your target with to much line out and your boat being to close and you have to take up line to set the hook. To little line out and your boat being to far from the target and your lure may be short lined and swing short of the intended target. Pitching is probably used more throughout the Midwest and requires some distance from your target. With your arm next to your body, rod in your dominant hand and lure in your other, the rod will lift as the lure swings down 90 degrees from the tip of the rod. Your rod should start in the 3'oclock position and end up between 1 and 2'oclock. As the lure gently lands, I usually strip off a foot or two of line so the lure falls vertically to the intended target. If you immediately engage the reel and lift the rod tip, the lure will swing away, missing your target.

Both techniques definitely take some practice. When I first started learning these cast, I stood on a chair outside with a ceramic cereal bowl some distance away. I put my wife's houseplant behind it. I would practice pitching and flipping into the ceramic bowl until I could not hear the weight hitting the ceramic and making a sound. I knew than that my lure was landing gently as it should. Just so you know, when I started, I killed several of my wife's plants in the process. I was then told to practice with artificial plants!

Flipping and pitching are two techniques that definitely catch a lot of quality fish. They are both exciting casts that take patience and practice. Once learned, they will become essential parts of your growing arsenal of ways to catch bass. When the hook is set and that large fish heads for deeper water, your heart will race, your adrenalin will pump and your confidence with soar, all because of a flip of the stick.