Flipping: Flipping was developed to allow the angler to saturate cover with a lure slowly and thoroughly.
When To Flip: 1.
When bass are inactive following a frontal passage.
2.
When bass are tight to shady cover on bluebird days.
3.
When bass have been highly pressured, such as on weekends or during a major tournament.
4.
When bass aren't responding to more active presentations like crankbaits, spinnerbaits, topwaters, etc.
5.
When the water is stained or muddy.
6.
In water 5 feet deep or less.
Flipping Tackle: Use a flipping stick (a collapsible 7 to 7 1/2 foot graphite rod), and a baitcasting reel with heavy line (usually 20 to 30 pound test, abrasion resistant mono or any of the new high tech products).
Many pro anglers prefer a special flipping reel with a thumb bar over the spool.
If high tech 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.
Flipping Lures: 1.
Rubber Legged Jigs.
Use jigs from 1/4 to 7/16 oz.
These should have a weedguard and be rigged with a pork or plastic trailer (pork frog, plastic frog, plastic crawfish, plastic lizard, plastic grub, etc.
).
2.
Plastic Worms or Lizards: These should be Texas rigged with the sinker pegged (set in a fixed position next to the lure's head) via a piece of toothpick or section of spinnerbait skirt material.
3.
Spinnerbaits: When bass are holding in dense cover but seem to want a lure with flash as it falls, you can flip a spinnerbait, especially one with a short arm and single blade.
Flipping Tips: 1.
Flipping is 100% wrist action.
Rely on the leverage of the rod and the pendulum motion of the swinging bait to do most of the work.
2.
The importance of a silent lure entry cannot be overemphasized.
A loud splash puts bass on alert.
3.
Since flipping is normally done in murky to muddy water, a bulky, high visibilty lure is recommended.
Dark colors (black, blue, purple) are most visible in murky water.
Contrasting dark colors (black/blue, red/purple) are favorites of many anglers.
Of course, your presentation may be further refined by altering the color of the jig's trailer.
4.
As the lure falls, use your thumb to gently feather the spool.
The lure should drop straight down, so to avoid too much thumb pressure, which will cause the lure to be pulled away from its target.
Pitching: Pitching might be called long range flipping.
It normally is used when bass are on cover, but conditions won't allow flipping.
When To Pitch: If conditions are tough and the bass are holding tight to cover, but the water is clear to moderately stained, pitching is usually the best presentation since it allows you to stay farther from your target than flipping.
Pitching Tackle: Use a collapsible pitching rod, which is usually from 6 feet, 6 inches long to 6 feet, 8 inches long, and the same reel you'd use for flipping.
However, because you'll be working in clearer water, use lighter line (14 pound test is employed commonly).
Many anglers use spinning tackle to pitch light tube jigs and other small lures to bedding bass in extremely clear water.
Pitching Lures: Again, because you'll be pitching in clearer water, use slightly smaller, less bulkier lures than you'd use for flipping.
Jigs with trailers and plastic worms or lizards are commonly pitched, but you can pitch virtually any artificial, including diving crankbaits.
The clearer the water, the more natural your lure should appear to be.
Pitching Technique: 1.
Put the reel in free spool and let out a rod's length of line.
2.
Hold the lure in your free hand so it's even with your reel.
3.
Dip the rod tip toward the water and quickly snap it upward while letting go of the lure.
4.
The lure should swing forward toward the target and starts pulling line off the reel.
Then begin lowering the rod tip to control the lure's height off the surface.
5.
The lure should fall silently down into the cover.
Use your thumb to gently feather the spool as the lure drops.
Pitching Tips: 1.
With a little practice and a properly adjusted reel, it's possible to speed up the pitching procedure by not grasping the lure in your hand.
Merely dropping the rod tip can put the lure back in motion.
2.
Because pitching is used in clearer water, it's a faster technique than flipping.
Once your line has left the cover, reel it in quickly and pitch again.
3.
If the water is murky to muddy but obstructions such as standing timber prohibit you from getting close enough to flip, try pitching instead.