Need help with picking new casting rod & reel

[PAfishing]

Hi guys, I'm new here and was wondering if someone could help me with a flipping and pitching rod and reel set up. I'm reading some people recommend rods in length of 7' 6'' Do I really need a rod that big? There are just so many options when it comes to rods for flip and pitch, just looking for some help. I love St Croix rods and was thinking the Avid X series? Also as far as baitcasters go, I have my eye on an Abu Garcia Revo SX in 7.1.1 ratio? Any help would be awesome, thanks!

[Josh Smith]

Sounds like a good combo. I prefer 6'6" length.

Josh

[JLWoodman]

29 minutes ago, PAfishing said:

Hi guys, I'm new here and was wondering if someone could help me with a flipping and pitching rod and reel set up. I'm reading some people recommend rods in length of 7' 6'' Do I really need a rod that big? There are just so many options when it comes to rods for flip and pitch, just looking for some help. I love St Croix rods and was thinking the Avid X series? Also as far as baitcasters go, I have my eye on an Abu Garcia Revo SX in 7.1.1 ratio? Any help would be awesome, thanks!

Rod length is your preference, but if it was me I would go no less than 7 ft.  Med-heavy to heavy action with a fast tip, maybe moderate fast tip.  Lots of good rods out there.  For reels I would go no lower than 7.1.1 and I'm really liking the Lews Speed Spool.  Some nice heavy line, stained water low visibility I would use braid.  And clear water I would use fluorocarbon or some nice low visibility line.

Flippin and pitchin is quite a bit of fun, just get out there and try different things to see what works best for you when it comes to lines and lures.  If you can try your rods and reels out before you buy your set up, I would do that if at all possible, cost a lot more than line and lures and I feel you get what you pay for in most cases when it comes to rods and reels.

Happy lunker hunting and good luck!

[Onvacation]

I currently use a 6'9" MHXF and always consider getting something longer.  Every time I do though, I think back on days like today where I am ducking tree branches to get to the spot I want to fish and a longer rod just wouldn't work. If the water you fish is more open, add some length. If you like getting into tight spots, I would (and do) go short out of necessity. 

I am normally working a jig in heavy vegetation areas, so I use braid. I just like the way it slices the vegetation. 

I use a BB1 pro reel ,7.1:1 I think, which seems like overkill considering the short distance I am pitching. Still, it is a nice reel and I am comfortable with it, so I see no reason to change other than freeing up the BB1 pro for other uses.  

[GORDO]

16 hours ago, PAfishing said:

Hi guys, I'm new here and was wondering if someone could help me with a flipping and pitching rod and reel set up. I'm reading some people recommend rods in length of 7' 6'' Do I really need a rod that big? There are just so many options when it comes to rods for flip and pitch, just looking for some help. I love St Croix rods and was thinking the Avid X series? Also as far as baitcasters go, I have my eye on an Abu Garcia Revo SX in 7.1.1 ratio? Any help would be awesome, thanks!

Its all personal preference when it comes to rod length. I used to use a Mojo 7' MH/F. I had absolutely no problems with that rod. I started getting into heavier rigs so i felt an upgrade was necessary. Not necessarily in quality but I grabbed a 7'4" Dobyns Fury H/F and I definitively prefer the longer rod for the jigs. I feel more accurate with my flipping and pitching game now than I ever did but it took a while to get used to skipping them again. If you have never used a rod longer than 7' I would say stay with that and you will be 100% okay. From what I hear the Avid X is a glorious rod and would definitely be an excellent choice. 

As for reel, I have a Lews MB in 7.6:1 and I absolutely love it. Super simple, great breaking, even better price. Do not go any lighter than 40lb braid or 20lb flouro ever if youre planning on being in any sort of cover. If the lake is extremely clear you can go braid to a flouro leader as well. Then entire set up I have been using you can get for about $250. 

 

 

[PAfishing]

Lots of great information here, thanks for all the responses! 

[smalljaw67]

I'm in PA too, so maybe I can help. I'm not sure which part of PA you're fishing but it is probably similar no matter where. I use a 7'6" XH-F for flipping but it gets used very little, most of the water I fish is too clear to flip so I find I pitch most of the time, the last 2 seasons I pitched exclusively. For that I use a 7'2" MH-XF Fenwick Aetos, it is more like a heavy power and I could actually flip with it as well just with a little less range. The reason you want length flipping is that it will extend your range, the same with pitching but I find 7' to 7'4" allows me to pitch a good distance with accuracy, 7'2" seems to be best for me with accuracy. For a reel get a 200 size reel in as fast of a gear ratio you can find, something in the 7 range, I use a Quantum Smoke 150 in a 7.3:1 for pitching and an Okuma V-System 200 in a 6.2:1 but it is an older reel that wasn't available in a 7.

[Gundog]

I flip and pitch quite a bit. My rod is a 7'6" telescopic with a heavy action and a fast tip. I bought it a decade ago at the Harrisburg outdoor show. My reel is a Quantum Accurist that has a 7 to 1 gear ratio. The important things about the reel are a high gear ratio to reel up line quickly and a good drag that won't slip too much.  The rod needs a lot of backbone to pull bass out of heavy grass. The long length gives you an advantage in flipping. It allows you to get more distance on a flip. I've heard of people in California using 8' rods just for this reason.

[Further North]

Action wise, I'd recommend an extra fast heavy.

Reel wise, I'll go with the crowd here and say 7:1 minimum.  You're not really looking for any particular action on the way back to the boat, fo fast is good.  I use Abu Garcia Revo Rockets on my dedicated pitching rigs @ 9.0:1.

Rood length...that's a little different...I'm 6'2" and wouldn't consider a pitching rod less than 7 ft.  The rods I use most successfully for pitching are 7'4" and 7'6".  I believe that rod length tends to correlate to angler height.  At my height, those 7'4" and 7'6" rods are right above the water line when I'm on the deck of my boat...and the longer length gets me a better launch for a pitch.  If I were 5'7"...the rod tip would be in the water and it might be more of a hassle.  Dunno about that...but watching what other fishermen I fish with prefer...that seems to be what's going on.

That's just my opinion, but it's what I've observed.

[Dan_the_fisher]

I flip/pitch with a 7'11" loomis fpr rod, I think the most important part of pitchin Rod is finding one that's not a broom handle type rod. For me personally it needs to load up when pitching to get that pinpoint accuracy, and it makes it a lot more pleasurable. The thing I like the most about this Rod is its 1/4-1oz rating so with 1/2oz weight and a big beaver style bait it loads up really good making pitching a breeze. Also you need to pick a reel with a very good breaking system. I have all shimanos except for on my flipping Rod which is a bb1 pro. I love the way it feels while pitching, and the brakes are amazing. If it was me I'd go to a box store and play around with the rods and actions to find one you like. 7'3" would be the shortest I'd go, and mh to a lighter heavy is the type I'd prefer 

[fishnkamp]

Here are a few good options. you did not mention a budget, but you did say you liked St Croix Avid X rods which run around $200, so check these out. I fish rods from all of these companies and really like them.

First look at Irod Genesis II rods. A bunch of  fellow members of The Bass College have purchased Irod Genesis II model IRG754 it is a rod designed by Fred Roumbanis and is a frog, pitching and flipping rod. The rod is 7'5" and they all seemed to love it for these uses. It retails for around $150. 

Look at the Dobyns Sierra series SA 735C This rod is 7'3" Mag hvy with a real nice xf tip.  This rod retails for $180 but the same rod is available in the Fury series for $110.

Of course you would be looking at a AXC74HF rod which is a St Croix Avid X 7'4" Heavy rod with a fast tip. That rod is going for $210.

As for a reel I like all of my Diawas but my flipping rod and my frog rod both have Diawa Tatula Type R reels with a 8-1 ratio.That reel is super smooth and fast.  They can be picked up for $130 sometimes. I think it is on sale at Cabelas for that right now for $119.00 I t normally retails for $199.

[Schuyler co]

I have a Revo SX, I prefer the Lews line over the revo. I'd spend $40 more and get a tournament pro

[PAfishing]

22 hours ago, fishnkamp said:

Here are a few good options. you did not mention a budget, but you did say you liked St Croix Avid X rods which run around $200, so check these out. I fish rods from all of these companies and really like them.

First look at Irod Genesis II rods. A bunch of  fellow members of The Bass College have purchased Irod Genesis II model IRG754 it is a rod designed by Fred Roumbanis and is a frog, pitching and flipping rod. The rod is 7'5" and they all seemed to love it for these uses. It retails for around $150. 

Look at the Dobyns Sierra series SA 735C This rod is 7'3" Mag hvy with a real nice xf tip.  This rod retails for $180 but the same rod is available in the Fury series for $110.

Of course you would be looking at a AXC74HF rod which is a St Croix Avid X 7'4" Heavy rod with a fast tip. That rod is going for $210.

As for a reel I like all of my Diawas but my flipping rod and my frog rod both have Diawa Tatula Type R reels with a 8-1 ratio.That reel is super smooth and fast.  They can be picked up for $130 sometimes. I think it is on sale at Cabelas for that right now for $119.00 I t normally retails for $199.

Thank for the great info, what is the reason for the heavy rod over the medium? Also I did some reel research and I have also heard amazing things about the type-r, glad to hear you mention it.

[fishnkamp]

Lets look at the Irods first.  Almost all of the Irods had some pro help design what "their perfect rod" would be for the technique they are most known for. In the case of Fred he designed a IRG744 and the  IRG754. The 7'4' 4 power rod is rated as a Medium Heavy power with a fast action tip. It handles 1/4 to 3/4 oz. lures. So the rod acts well if I am casting lures that weigh in that range. The tip can handle casting jigs, lighter carolina rigs, bigger texas rigged worms, some top water and spinnerbaits and yes it will pitch lures as well. I would not use this rod if I wanted to punch 1 1/2 oz punch rigs or flip  1 ounce or larger tx rigged beaver or jigs.  The 754 is only 1 inch longer but the rod is going to be much beefier in power and the tip is going to act differently.  It is rated as a heavy power rod with a moderately fast tip.  This means it bends a little further down the blank from the tip and then the real power of the rod kicks in. This rod rates for lures that weigh 1/2 to 2 ounces. It can handle frogs and bigger worms ( like 10 + inch texas rigs with heavy 3/4 to 2 ounce weights) and is good for flipping heavy baits like punch rigs and texas rigged beavers with 1 1/2 ounce tungsten weights. This is a meat stick to get stuff out of heavy cover. The choice has to start with what you want to throw or how you want to fish.  The lures will help you decide which rod you need.  

The same principle applies to the other rod companies. Choose the right power and tip action then choose a length that you will feel comfortable using that meets the right specs.  

For St Croix you have several choices in Avid X. If I was pitching to hard cover like shoreline cover, docks rocks in limited junk I might choose the model AXC70MHF, that is a 7 foot Medium Heavy rod with a fast action tip. It rates 3/8 to 1 ounce lures. If I wanted to pitch heavy lures in heavy vegetation or flip  thick bushes i would go for the AXC74HF, that is the meat stick handling lures from 3/8 to 1 1/2. I hope that makes more sense. Sometime we know why we choose a specific rod for a specific purpose but we only suggest the rod and not the why.

[WIGuide]

The length rod you pick is more of a personal decision. I will say though, especially when it comes to flippin', you'll lose some distance by going shorter. A lot of people prefer the longer rods for those techniques because of the cover they are fishing. The longer rod helps them pull them up and out of the cover a little more than dragging them through it, plus they allow you to move the fish further with the rod. You can definitely go shorter though. I've got two rods that I use for flippin' and pitchin' heavier cover. The first is a 7'1" MH/F and I'll use that around docks, wood, or weed edges. For the punching, and the other really nasty stuff, I've got a 7'6" H/F and it excels with that. I'd think about the type of cover you're going to be fishing and make your selection based on that. It sounds like you are on track with the setup you were thinking about. 

[PAfishing]

On 8/2/2016 at 10:44 PM, fishnkamp said:

Lets look at the Irods first.  Almost all of the Irods had some pro help design what "their perfect rod" would be for the technique they are most known for. In the case of Fred he designed a IRG744 and the  IRG754. The 7'4' 4 power rod is rated as a Medium Heavy power with a fast action tip. It handles 1/4 to 3/4 oz. lures. So the rod acts well if I am casting lures that weigh in that range. The tip can handle casting jigs, lighter carolina rigs, bigger texas rigged worms, some top water and spinnerbaits and yes it will pitch lures as well. I would not use this rod if I wanted to punch 1 1/2 oz punch rigs or flip  1 ounce or larger tx rigged beaver or jigs.  The 754 is only 1 inch longer but the rod is going to be much beefier in power and the tip is going to act differently.  It is rated as a heavy power rod with a moderately fast tip.  This means it bends a little further down the blank from the tip and then the real power of the rod kicks in. This rod rates for lures that weigh 1/2 to 2 ounces. It can handle frogs and bigger worms ( like 10 + inch texas rigs with heavy 3/4 to 2 ounce weights) and is good for flipping heavy baits like punch rigs and texas rigged beavers with 1 1/2 ounce tungsten weights. This is a meat stick to get stuff out of heavy cover. The choice has to start with what you want to throw or how you want to fish.  The lures will help you decide which rod you need.  

The same principle applies to the other rod companies. Choose the right power and tip action then choose a length that you will feel comfortable using that meets the right specs.  

For St Croix you have several choices in Avid X. If I was pitching to hard cover like shoreline cover, docks rocks in limited junk I might choose the model AXC70MHF, that is a 7 foot Medium Heavy rod with a fast action tip. It rates 3/8 to 1 ounce lures. If I wanted to pitch heavy lures in heavy vegetation or flip  thick bushes i would go for the AXC74HF, that is the meat stick handling lures from 3/8 to 1 1/2. I hope that makes more sense. Sometime we know why we choose a specific rod for a specific purpose but we only suggest the rod and not the why.

Awesome advice, I think I will be going with something in the medium heavy category. I do like the idea of the heavy rod but that will be the next rod with extra money I have saved up. Thank again!

[WPCfishing]

Consider a Diawa XT Rod and a Lews Tournament MB. You will be very surprised at how good this combination will work for you at a reasonable investment.

i have three different rods I flip with, and three different reels for the job. 

Stick with 50/65 pound braid. Forget about using Flouro or Mono. Go Power Pro. Stay away from Slick 8.