Fast Or Extra Fast For Flipping'/pitchin'

[n8cas4]

I think I'll always like a faster action tip for almost any rod that's not throwing a treble hook. But I wanted to see what people say about how they like their rod tip for flipping and pitching. I currently have a crucial 7'11" AND 7'6" ...both have an extra fast tip/action. How does shimano's extra fast tip compare to other rods ?? Should I still look for a pitching/ flipping rod with an extra fast tip or will fast do the trick?

[MarkH024]

Fast tip. With the nature of flipping and pitching, the jarring hook sets and heavy line used, you're bound to snap a tip at some point. I suppose it would depend on how thick of cover you flip but still, Fast action is perfect in my eyes. I only use an XF on a spinning rod for light finesse/senko fishing. Other than that, I do not use XF.

[K_Mac]

I can't answer the question regarding Shimano's actions compared to other manufacturers, but in my experience an XF action on a Medium or lighter power rod (whether baitcast or spinning) is great for pitching. For heavier power rods a little slower action works better for me. For MH a fast action is good, for a true Heavy power a Mod Fast action may work better IMO. As MarkH024 says, when up close and personal, esp in heavy cover, a little slower is not a bad thing.

[LgMouthGambler]

Fast

[TrippyJai]

I can't answer the question regarding Shimano's actions compared to other manufacturers, but in my experience an XF action on a Medium or lighter power rod (whether baitcast or spinning) is great for pitching. For heavier power rods a little slower action works better for me. For MH a fast action is good, for a true Heavy power a Mod Fast action may work better IMO. As MarkH024 says, when up close and personal, esp in heavy cover, a little slower is not a bad thing.

Agree.

I have 2 Shimano Crucial MH in Fast and XF. The Fast action is the one I prefer most of the time. The softer tip is just overall better to fish with. I cannot find a situation where I find the XF is better for me. The XF feels nicer to fish heavy spinnerbaits with, but other than that, the Fast action gets the job done.

If I were to fish heavier cover, I would buy a heavy power rod or a longer MH rod. I just can't get used to the XF tip action.

[Mike L]

Agree.

If I were to fish heavier cover, I would buy a heavy power rod or a longer MH rod. I just can't get used to the XF tip action.

Me too...I just don't see the need for a XF rod. However I can see where a XF may work well for working a jerk bait, but the trebels would worry me. Other than a mod action rod for crankin all my equipement is fast.

Of Couse living here in Fla and fishing the mostly shallow grassy lakes a MH/F rod is what i have the most confidence in.

Mike

[n8cas4]

Thanks, guys. I guess I perfer the XF tip because I like finesse fishing so much, and Sensitivity is obviously important. Why then is shimano making flip/pitch rods with XF?

[ww2farmer]

Neither. Moderate Fast is the way to go.

[bassinbrian]

Thanks, guys. I guess I perfer the XF tip because I like finesse fishing so much, and Sensitivity is obviously important. Why then is shimano making flip/pitch rods with XF?

I like XF for light trigs and small jigs ( around the 1/4 oz range ) 3/8 and above I like a F action. Then only time I like a Mod F would be punching in some thick cover or on a crankbait rod

[deep]

Bub Tosh seems to recommend a moderate action (NOT power) for punching. He says it seems to keep them hooked better. Just some food for thought. (I know the original post alluded to pitching/ flipping.)

For what little pitching I do around sparse cover, my jig rod (Powell 753 MH/XF) works fine.

[dave]

True flipping rods were usually parabolic. (slow) Pitching is another rod.

[n8cas4]

"a lot of thought went into the new G. Loomis GLX Flipping Series Casting Rods. Flipping is an oxymoron of sorts. It’s considered to be a finesse technique, yet it requires brute strength to make it work. The finesse part comes in the presentation. You want your bait to enter the water very quietly because this is close-quarters combat fishing, and you need it to drop straight down to make sure you get into the sweet spot next to that piling, bush or rock. But you also need heavy line because you’re after big fish, and you need a rod with some guts so that when you do get bit, you can literally yank it away from the cover, quickly and with authority.

Flipping Sticks used to be a lot stiffer, especially in the tip-section, to allow anglers to “swing” the bait accurately - depending on that stiff tip to help set the hook, but as techniques evolve and styles change, anglers have discovered they have more control and better accuracy with a fast-action rod with a more dynamic tip. They can use the flex in the tip to help accelerate the bait towards the target and they can “mend” the line with their free hand to control the lure’s entry into the water.

G. Loomis used to make their flipping sticks with telescopic handles, but boat designs have improved and now, most have rod lockers that will accommodate an 8-foot rod, so they changed the GLX Flipping Series to a one-piece configuration. This allowed them to create a stronger, more sensitive stick that is noticeably lighter, and it also helped them increase tip speed during the hookset, and that means more positive control and more power when you need it. The G. Loomis GLX Flipping Series Casting Rods are so light for having such extreme power, there’s only one word to describe them… Astonishing!"

Found that helpful in my research. Wanted to share. It's straight from TW

[MrSwimJig]

I also use Shimano Cumara and Crucial rods and I have both Fast and Extra Fast actions and I prefer Extra Fast action over Fast action rods for fliipin and pitchin.

[Hooligan]

Flip sticks and pitching rods are two entirely different beasts. Pitching rods are most generally Xfast- not a fast tip, or a fast action tip- That's completely beside the point. The speed of the blank does not relate only to the tip. You can't have a moderate rod with a fast tip, nor can you have a fast rod with a moderate tip. It's a complete misnomer. What you're after is the taper, or speed, of the blank in its entirety. A Flip stick most often is going to be best suited as a Mod Fast because of how much reserve power you have in the blank on such a taper. You simply haven't got the power and lifting strength in the vast majority of Xfast rods. Case in point= Shimano Cumara 7-2MHXF. There's no WAY I would even begin to think of flipping with this rod. You'd be breaking the tip after every hook-set from the shock of it. You need the energy absorption of the mod-fast blank to account for it.

#2- The rods taper has little to do with the sensitivity. There are many, many mod-mod fast rods out there that are just as sensitive as rods in the Xfast taper. Saying that Rod X is more sensitive because it's XF than Rod Y because Y is ModFast is like saying an orange tastes better than a grapefruit that you expect to taste the same because it's a citrus.

In terms of how the Crucial compares to flip sticks in the same category, the XF is a fast, the F is more akin to St Croix's Mod fast. The Crucial XF and the Cumara XF are two entirely different tapers, and cannot be comapred on the same scale.