Pitching Woes

[2tall79]

Hand/eye coordination things usually come pretty easy to me but I've had a heck of a time learning to pitch (and yes, I've seen ALL the videos).  At times I think I may be trying for too much distance.  What is the length of your typical pitch?  At what distance do you go to a roll cast or some other method?   Thanks

[BrackishBassin]

I don’t pitch a bunch because I’m a bank beater, but I tend to resort to a pitch when I know for a fact I’d have a hard time actually casting to my target because it’s too close. I know that’s not a ton of help, but I have limited boat experience. In my yard, with a bucket as a target, I’d say my effective pitching distance (maintaining accuracy) is not more than 10 yards. 

[scaleface]

Bass anglers like to  fish from a raised platform . Pitching and the underhand lob cast are much more difficult when not at an elevated position . I have claimed  to be  a poor caster but I get a lot better when I'm on a raised platform and not casting while standing on the floor of a jon boat .

[RHuff]

Practice Practice Practice

[NorthwestBasser]

It was a bit difficult to figure out at first. I watched all the videos, had good friends try to teach me. Couldn't get it. But I kept practicing and one time it just clicked, the motion, the timing. After that the actual pitching became very easy. Practice helped with accuracy and silent entries. So my advice is just start pitching and pitching and pitching. To targets ON THE WATER, being in your yard kinda helps to figure out the mechanics of the cast but until you're pitching to targets you intend to pull fish out of, it's just not the same. 

[Angry John]

I found that i adjust my reel way loose to do this.  The cast control is basically off and the spool tension is way less than for normal casting.  Your spool will never be at high speed so the controls will not do a lot to help your out.  Start at a normal tension and then slowly ease it off.  Im not talking sloppy or anything but less than normal.  The type of spool seems to have a big effect also.  The older mag force daiwa reels with the V spools seem to pitch a lot better form me.  I do well with a steez 100 spool but the deep megabass zonda spool in my alphas blows up on me every time.  I dont know what reel your using but some are better than others.

[LionHeart]

I too had a bit of difficulty at first.  Two pieces of advice, well, three.  First, your thumb is key.  Matter of fact, while learning, 90 percent of your attention should go to thumb control.  Really emphasize the amount of thumb pressure you apply to the spool during the initial part of the pitch.  After only a few hours of practice, your thumb will get the hang of it.

 

Second, don't try to look just like the guy on the YouTube video.  IMO, everyone will have a slightly different technique for pitching.  You will learn yours.  After all, you're basically just trying to pendulum lob your bait to somewhere accurately and quietly.  It really is that simple.

 

Third, start with a shorter amount of line out.  While holding your bait, it should be almost, but not quite even with your reel.  I've also found that unless you are standing on something fairly tall, a longer rod makes pitching more difficult.  Also, don't go for distance just yet.  Go for thumb control.  That's it.  The distance will come later as you developed your technique.  

 

Okay, that was more than 3 things, but I kept thinking of stuff.  Hope it helped.

[Angry John]

When you think you have a feel for it then learn sitting in a chair.  That's what pitching is like out of a kayak.  If you have a boat disregard.

[Happybeerbuzz]

From where my feet are, not my rod, I would say my minimum range for pitching is about 10'.  My extreme maximum is probably around 20 yards or more with a half ounce weight.  However, unless something is obstructing my cast, it is unlikely I would pitch a bait that far because it is easier to make a regular cast.  Ideally, I'm leisurely pitching at targets about 15-25' or so.  

[Gundog]

18 minutes ago, Happybeerbuzz said:

From where my feet are, not my rod, I would say my minimum range for pitching is about 10'.  My extreme maximum is probably around 20 yards or more with a half ounce weight.  However, unless something is obstructing my cast, it is unlikely I would pitch a bait that far because it is easier to make a regular cast.  Ideally, I'm leisurely pitching at targets about 15-25' or so.  

^^^^This. 

[J.Vincent]

Learning to pitch cast is like riding a bike, once you train your mind and body to work in harmony , you won't forget. 

[CroakHunter]

I'm most effective pitching under 60 feet. I practice a lot though. One side of my deck in the back yard is raised about 2 feet off the ground so it's perfect to simulate the deck of a boat. I practice my 20'-40' pitches the most. I try to be able to place whatever bait I'm using inside of a small coffee can every pitch. I also practice with different weights. Anything from a 1/4 ounce finesse jig up to a 1 ounce punch rig. My sweet spot is a 3/8 Texas rig. Enough weight to get the distance, but not too much weight where my mechanics get lazy. 

[Turkey sandwich]

Learning to pitch took me a while to get comfortable with because I was rarely pitching off of a raised deck.  What frustrated me was the idea that I had to really swing the jig with my rod, versus allow the tip to lightly load and pull line on it's own on the up-swing.  It's also important to be very comfortable using your thumb as a brake because you're going to want to get comfortable rolling back the brakes in favor of being able to use your thumb through the entire process.  Especially with pitching and close roll-casting, your thumb is going to help a lot to control distance, accuracy, and how hard your bait hits the water.  Also, learning to finish by raising or lowering your rod tip can help here to keep the line out/loose line on the spool in check.

[roadwarrior]

These  videos should help:

 

https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-videos/flipping-pitching-punching-skipping

 

 

[burrows]

Use your wrist, it’s all in the wrist.

[NHBull]

It think this is what Winter is for.  For me this technique is for 15’

[Mike L]

What helped me at first was just letting the weight of whatever you have tied on dictate the distance. 

 

Lock your elbow to your side and leave it there. 

When you let the line go that's in line with the reel, just use your thumb to control the spool. That's it. 

In time when your thumb memory kicks in, as you let it go just use you wrist to give you the distance. 

 

After a while you'll be able to pitch with both arms and you won't even have to touch the line. 

 

Keep at it, you'll get it. 

 

 

 

 

Mike

 

[Troy85]

8 hours ago, Happybeerbuzz said:

From where my feet are, not my rod, I would say my minimum range for pitching is about 10'.  My extreme maximum is probably around 20 yards or more with a half ounce weight.  However, unless something is obstructing my cast, it is unlikely I would pitch a bait that far because it is easier to make a regular cast.  Ideally, I'm leisurely pitching at targets about 15-25' or so.  

Pretty much the same for me.  Like someone else said, decrease the spool tension on reel when your pitching, just remember to adjust it back higher if you switch back to regular casting(especially when using heavier baits).

[FryDog62]

Two questions:

 

1) Would the new longer rods (8-9 ft) help someone trying to get better at pitching, or would they make it harder to master?

 

2) If you back way off on the tension/brake would having an SV spool (Daiwa) help to prevent over-run, or do you want it so loose that you should only use your thumb?

[Fish the Mitt]

16 hours ago, 2tall79 said:

At what distance do you go to a roll cast or some other method?   Thanks

Of course distance plays a factor, as I can't pitch nearly as far as a roll cast, but the difference in choosing one over another is how I want my bait to enter the water.

 

If it's within pitch distance and I'm trying to get my bait in there somewhat quietly, I will pitch it. If it's too far, I'll overcast and bring it in quiet. 

 

Generally, I'm not pitching at distance over 40ft (or less than 8-10ft) or so (depending on what I'm pitching). I'll generally cast it normal at the distance.

 

 

[CroakHunter]

49 minutes ago, FryDog62 said:

Two questions:

 

1) Would the new longer rods (8-9 ft) help someone trying to get better at pitching, or would they make it harder to master?

 

2) If you back way off on the tension/brake would having an SV spool (Daiwa) help to prevent over-run, or do you want it so loose that you should only use your thumb?

#1. For me it would make it harder. I pitch with anywhere from a 7ft to and 8ft. And it took me a little while to get the feel of the 8ft rod after I had already known how to pitch well. 

#2. I don't change my setting on my reel when pitching. Never know when you might need to make a fast cast. 

[LionHeart]

1 hour ago, FryDog62 said:

Two questions:

 

1) Would the new longer rods (8-9 ft) help someone trying to get better at pitching, or would they make it harder to master?

 

2) If you back way off on the tension/brake would having an SV spool (Daiwa) help to prevent over-run, or do you want it so loose that you should only use your thumb?

IMO, the length of rod you can easily pitch with is determined by how far you are off the ground/water.  A nine foot rod could be pitched easy enough I guess if you are standing a couple feet off the surface, but if standing flat on the bank, pitching a 9 ft rod would be a dubious proposition at best.

[WRB]

I rarely flip or pitch where I fish and have always used the underhand roll or loop cast for distances over 25'. If I am working a tule/reed line with weed mats then flipping or pitching short distances between 8' to 15' is my normal target distance. Keeping your boat controlled at a specific distance you are comfortable with is more important than longer distance.

If you are fishing docks the roll or loop cast is good for skipping lures and I find this cast more useful than pitching.

Tom

[EGbassing]

Try loosening the tension spool on your reel. That really helped me when I was first starting. Also, try pulling on the bait until the rod bends a little before releasing it. You can get better power and distance by doing that.