Pitching/Flipping strategy

[Jmoney402]

I know pitching is used alot for visible cover in the shallows. But what about visible brush piles along channels? Many of the small reservoirs in my metro area have creek channels 15-30ft deep with brush that comes to the surface.

Wondering what the general opinion is on fishing this type of structure, "when" and "how" specifically. Would you just make quick pitches targeting branches that raise to the shallow water column? Or let your rig fall to the base and target the fish deeper? Is pitching somewhat obsolete in this scenario and opt for regular casting?

 

If the question seems weird, basically I am having trouble off shore fishing. In the heat of July in the midwest, I keep seeing/reading "big fish are off shore and on ledges".  Seems i can spend hours either deep cranking ledges/points or dragging jigs around and VERY rarely have ANY luck. Last two days i have went against the grain and just fished shallow and lit them up( although no big ones).

 

Feel free to chime in with off topic advice, almost feel like I dont know what questions to ask at this point.

[papajoe222]

First, let me inform you about big fish being off shore and on ledges; Big fish are shallow, deep, or somewhere between.

Seriously, big fish will use many different locations as their summer 'home.'  Two things that must be present are the  forage and security. Security for a bass can be depth, or easy escape to it, or cover.

As to pitching to brush in water 15ft-30ft deep, it is a much better option than casting. The most advantageous approach would be to pitch to the brush and strip line off the spool after it lands. This allows the bait to fall straight down, or as close to straight as you can get from a distance. Watching your line as it falls and keeping your rod tip up, engage the reel when the bait stops falling. Now jiggle the rod tip and if the bait begins to fall, strip more line. Repeat if needed. Once it's on the bottom, work it back up a short distance at a time. Your first bite will be an indication of the depth the fish are holding and you can then just target that depth as you continue to probe the brush.

This technique works best when flipping as you'll insure a straight drop and be pulling the fish up through the brush rather than pulling them out as your line can tangle on branches  above the depth the fish.

IMO, the best time to target this type of brush is under post front conditions when fish are holding tight to cover.

[Jmoney402]

1 hour ago, papajoe222 said:

First, let me inform you about big fish being off shore and on ledges; Big fish are shallow, deep, or somewhere between.

Seriously, big fish will use many different locations as their summer 'home.'  Two things that must be present are the  forage and security. Security for a bass can be depth, or easy escape to it, or cover.

As to pitching to brush in water 15ft-30ft deep, it is a much better option than casting. The most advantageous approach would be to pitch to the brush and strip line off the spool after it lands. This allows the bait to fall straight down, or as close to straight as you can get from a distance. Watching your line as it falls and keeping your rod tip up, engage the reel when the bait stops falling. Now jiggle the rod tip and if the bait begins to fall, strip more line. Repeat if needed. Once it's on the bottom, work it back up a short distance at a time. Your first bite will be an indication of the depth the fish are holding and you can then just target that depth as you continue to probe the brush.

This technique works best when flipping as you'll insure a straight drop and be pulling the fish up through the brush rather than pulling them out as your line can tangle on branches  above the depth the fish.

IMO, the best time to target this type of brush is under post front conditions when fish are holding tight to cover.

Thank you for the input, 1. you reaffirmed something i already knew; big bass can be found shallow throughout the year. 2. I will definitely give the process you layed out a try more thoroughly and try and keep in mind the "post front" play.

 

I guess most of my problem and frustration is just the application of what I am learning, yielding results and achieving consistency. This will be my second full season and a half season of fishing alot and putting effort into learning. I feel like I have learned alot about seasonal patterns and typical bass behavior but still am struggling applying everything to consistently find fish. My second year with a fish finder and still really struggle targeting offshore fish I see on the graph. It is especially frustrating this summer because I bought an ice transducer this past winter and was able to pick it up way quicker than open water fishing.

 

[RoLo]

Quote

I know pitching is used alot for visible cover in the shallows. But what about visible brush piles along channels? Many small reservoirs in my metro area have creek channels 15-30ft deep with brush that comes to the surface.

 

When 'flipping" to visible surface cover, your target is small, often very small (A tiny opening in the pads).

When it comes to visible brush underwater, your target is much larger and flipping isn't necessary.

 

Roger

 

[Todd2]

13 hours ago, Jmoney402 said:

Would you just make quick pitches targeting branches that raise to the shallow water column? Or let your rig fall to the base and target the fish deeper?

 

Let it fall to the bottom unless it's way below your Summer thermocline. No need to fish dead water.

 

[scaleface]

Another way to fish this type of brush and I do it often is cast past it , then quickly reel in to where you want it to drop .

[Mobasser]

When I pitch or flip to any cover, I like to look for something different from the surrounding cover. Bass relate to any thing that's different. It could be something small, 1 small tree limb, a small patch of different weedgrowth, etc. 

[Bankbeater]

I try to figure out where the edge of the cover is then I cast past it, let the bait sink to the bottom, and either drag it or hop it back.  Most of the time I will be fishing with a jig or plastic.  If I'm using a spinnerbait I will let it sink to the bottom ,and slow roll it back along the bottom.