Pitching and Flipping

[bigmac1984]

Hello Everyone,

 

Already planning on trying to add a new technique to my fishing arsenal next year, flipping and pitching. I know this is a proven technique but have never tried it, so better late than never.

 

I was thinking about buying something that is relatively multi-purpose. I am thinking about buying a St. Croix Mojo Bass Slop-n-Frog which is a 7' Heavy action fast tip and pair that up with a favorite reel of mine the Abu Garcia Revo S.

 

What is everyone's opinion on this set up? Will it do the trick?

 

Thanks in advance.

[Garry2Rs]

The Slop rod sounds like it could multi-task as a flip/pitch rod.

Don't overlook what you already own. Any medium or med.heavy casting rod will work. I even pitch light jigs with a 7ft. crankbait rod. The soft progressive action is great for smaller baits in clear water situations.

[bigmac1984]

Thanks Garry,

 

I have a 7' MH Fast as well in the MOJO line, but what worries me the most is all the shows I watch where they pitch/flip and they seem to be using some seriously heavy gear....

 

What is your opinion on line to use? I've tried floro before and I just can't seem to cast it on the baitcaster without a birdnest.... Perhaps the line brand isn't the best, I'm not sure. XPS 20lb floro

[MCTFisher9120]

That sounds like a find combo. This summer i used the Slop N Frog rod out of the Legend Tournament lineup by st croix and it was fine for piching jigs as a 7'H. But if your looking for jig flipping/pitching specific go for the 7'6MH....cant go wrong, i ust bought a 7'6 Pitching rod out of the legend tournament lineup, sick rod.

 

try 50lb power pro

[mercman]

Good thread ! Christmas is coming and i was looking at asking Santa for a good Multi-task rod.This year has been a reintroduction to fishing for me, next year i plan on getting serious.Got a few good ideas so far from here. Narrowed my species down to Muskie and LMB. That shoud keep me busy around here.

 

 

[bigmac1984]

Thanks for all the suggestions....

 

Does everyone recommend Floro?

 

Mike, I use braid now on all my baitcasters. Made the switch from Floro because i had trouble casting it. It seemed to birdnest and just didn't cast nicely. It seemed to be very stiff and didn't come off the reel nice. Couldn't get much distance, and when I tried, I got the birdnest.

 

It may sound like I don't know how to cast a baitcaster, but I have no problems with braid or mono.

 

Perhaps I just need to give Floro another shot, and get used to it before I rip it off and put braid on.

[Pigeontroller]

The 7'11" St.Croix Mojo Flipping rod is nice(sick). Try 40-50 Braid.

[mercman]

Thanks for all the suggestions....

 

Does everyone recommend Floro?

 

Mike, I use braid now on all my baitcasters. Made the switch from Floro because i had trouble casting it. It seemed to birdnest and just didn't cast nicely. It seemed to be very stiff and didn't come off the reel nice. Couldn't get much distance, and when I tried, I got the birdnest.

 

It may sound like I don't know how to cast a baitcaster, but I have no problems with braid or mono.

 

Perhaps I just need to give Floro another shot, and get used to it before I rip it off and put braid on.

 

I was under the impression that floro made great leader material, but was too stiff to use as a main line So much to take into consideration and so little time.

[OhioFisherman]

Like Garry mentioned what you have may work, it`s more technique than tackle. I used Abu Garcia Ultra Mag Pluses for years, old Shimano reels like the 251 black magnums. I even used some semi closed face reels for casting really light lures. I do like a longer rod, a flipping stick rated for at least 3/8 to 1 1/2 ounce lures. I even have some flipping sticks that were made for a spinning reel for the semi closed face spinning reels.

[Garry2Rs]

I think most southern flipping guys are now using 65 pound braid, but remember that they fish a lot dirtier water than most people in Ontario.

 

Too many folks never stop to think about what the rod is telling them...3/8 to 1 1/2 ounce baits is a huge range!

 

You can pretty well guess that it won't really handle 3/8oz. jigs very well. So, are you using a lot of one ounce jigs? If not then you may have a lot of headaches with such a heavy rod. Just because it says Flippin' Stick doesn't mean that it's right for you.

 

Kevin VanDam pitches a lot of jig in the 3/8's range on a garden variety 7ft casting rod. But, what does he know?

 

Denny Brauer suggests 25 pound Fluoro in clear water and 65lb braid for water with a little colour. He also suggests that 7'4" is a good length of rod to learn on and 7'6" is the best all-around length.

In each case he says you need a flexable rod tip, a stiff tip will turn your pitch into a lob.

 

The reason for the heavy tackle is that in the southern states there are many reservoirs with flooded brushand in Florida there are huge floating mats of Hydrilla. Punching through this growth requires weights in the 1.5 ounce and up range. The fish that live in the heaviest cover are often 5 pounds and up. When you hook-up you have to winch the fish out, before it can turn and snag you.

 

If this is where and how you are fishing go for the semi-musky tackle...If not, think about what size baits you actually want to throw and use a rod that is proportionate.

[bigmac1984]

I was under the impression that floro made great leader material, but was too stiff to use as a main line So much to take into consideration and so little time.

 

 

That is what I thought as well, and certainly seemed to experience that as well.

[bigmac1984]

Thanks Garry,

 

I have a Medium Heavy, I'm not fishing overly thick - although summer time on Lake St. Clair can get some thick growth....

 

I may just try my Medium heavy for a year to get the technique down, and then go from there.

 

I run 50lb braid on it which should do for most of the applications.

 

Are floro leaders a good idea or no?

[Garry2Rs]

You will have about 12 feet of line out to flip or at least 6 to pitch, so what can 3 or 4 feet of Fluoro hurt. I'm guessing that the water will be pretty clear most days. If wave action muddies it up, I would just use straight braid.

Edited December 1, 2010 by garry2rs

[EC1]

I suggest Dobyns Champion 764 / 765 for the lighter duty stuff. A $239 price tag, but I love it so much.

I have a 766 and absolutely love the feel for it, but it is quite stiff and almost at 9oz by itself. Balance is awesome with it though. Right now you can give me any weedbed to pitch/punch through, a relatively gentle hookset will bring that fish right home.

 

Not disagreeing with garry you can't pitch with a broomstick, it's just a little bit harder. A winter of practice and some on water practice will have you pitching it like any other stick. I do switch back while practicing at home and do find pitching with the softer tip becoming much easier.

 

I just am not too much of a fan for flipping. Pitching can get to the exact same spots, with even more distance.

[Garry2Rs]

Okay... Here's the deal. I have often thought that any fish that I caught on a jig would have taken a Senko. That's my opinion and I can't prove it...

[singingdog]

IMHO, most folks use gear that is waaaay to heavy when pitching/flipping. Most of that, as Garry says, is driven by the southern US or California Delta market. Tackle selection for those situations has less to do with the technique of pitching/flipping than it does with getting big fish out of heavy cover quickly. Match the power of your equipment with the lures you are throwing and the cover you are fishing.

 

There really isn't anything tackle specific about those techniques. In fact, the reel matters less when pitching/flipping than probably any other technique. Russ Bazzdozer (another guy that knows something about catching bass) often says that spinning gear is better for pitching/flipping than casting gear.

[Garry2Rs]

Spinning gear is a good point!

Setting a casting reel up to pitch is a PITA!

Having done it you can't through a normal cast, if the opportunity presents itself...

[OhioFisherman]

http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-ABU-507-FISHING-REEL-VERY-NICE-/280596610112?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4154dc7c40

 

A very popular reel for flipping and pitching in this area, no longer made and in demand, the price reflects that. You can toss out a 1/16th ounce lure on 20# test line ( mono ). No line twist and durable.

[SRT8 smoker craft]

I fish a resavior that you can see the bottom in 15 FOW and pitch with a 7'6" MH fast action PT tour edition with a curado 201d on it with red 65lb test braid and have caught some huge bass out of it this way I beleive that this technique is a reaction bite and it doesn't matter even in crystal clear water what line you use I could prolly go bigger but it's not needed I have seen big bass come 4-5 feet out of a laydown in 2-3fow and smash a 1/2ounce jig on the drop in crystal clear water so IMO I don't think flouro is necessary in most situations but if it gives you more confidence you will catch more fish and that's what matters .

[msp]

Right now I am using a 7ft2" Extra heavy Shimano Crucial. I love this rod. Its paired up with a 200 Curado. I can pull big bass out of the nastiest fallen trees with ease. Contrary to the advise that has been given on this thread, I say go big. You wont want to throw into the nasty stuff with a wimpy rod. Stick with the braid and dont use a flouro leader with this style of fishing. Way to much shock on the hooksets. Go with 50-65#

[bare foot wader]

if you do choose to run braid with fluoro...i've found an albright to be the quickiest and easiest to tie and most shock absorption...honestly never had a break off on my albright

 

a few saltwater knots that have great shock absorption but albright IMO is by far quickest and easiest and stands up great

[Dan668]

I use the dobyns 765, heavy action but its a power less imo, I love the rod. like everyone said, most of the gear from the states is too heavy. Have you tried any of the other rods from the dobyns lineup ec1? Preferably the dx743? (Sry to post this in the thread)

[EC1]

danbob, I wish I've tried others. I bought the rod second hand and paid more than retail after brokerage...It is too heavy for Canadian fish, but I feel I can handle anything anywhere almost now

 

I just think that Dobyns overall produce awesome rods that balance much better than what's out there for the most part.

I don't think you can go wrong with any Dobyns rods actually.

 

The next Dobyns rod if I do get enough money for a for it will be a DX702SF for dropshot (I hear it almost feels fish before they hit)...Then I wouldn't mind getting Champions to replace all my other rods.