I need some help with a flipping rod.

[Swampdonkey fishing]

What is the best flipping rod,I have a Abu Garcia Vertas in my arsenal. I am wondering what rod would be the best flipping rod? I just looking for some advice.

[z3n0rax]

That is a matter of opinion. Different rods for different anglers. Its all about what feels comfortable to you. Specification wise though, you need a medium heavy / heavy rod with a decent action on the tip. Something with enough strength in the blank of the rod to handle serious power pulls and yet still provide good sensitivity. Braided line is also a must because when it comes to flipping and pitching you are going to be in heavy cover whether its vegetation like hydrilla, milfoil, or lilies or submerged structure like trees or boulders. If that fish wraps around that type of stuff you need the line strength to work her out of there without losing the line, lure and fish. # strength of the braid is dependent on all of the above and whether or not your trying to finesse. Use a fluorocarbon leader in that situation.

 

Dobbyns makes a excellent medium heavy and so does St Croix and 13. 

[Alex from GA]

IMO forget the medium heavy.  You're going to be using 50 or 65 lb braid and want a heavy or extra heavy 7 1/2' or longer rod.  You have to reach the places you're dropping your bait into.

 

 

[Russ E]

Nearly any heavy/fast action  7.5 foot rod will work.  I prefer it to be light, so it does not wear me out after hundreds of pitches.

I am 100% against braid for flipping and pitching in wood.... It has poor abrasion resistance and is noisy when your line is sliding over wood.

Braid works great in grass. The rougher texture will cut through weeds better than smooth line.

To me a good abrasion resistant fluorocarbon line in 20 to 25 pound is ideal for pitching wood. Besides the abrasion resistance. The sensitivity of semi slack fluorocarbon is a bonus, since most of your bites are on the initial fall.

 

More than likely you will be doing more actual pitching than flipping. I see very few people flipping anymore.

[Shimano_1]

Lots of good options.  Dobyns fury, carbonlite,  just got a 7'10 shimano slx hvy and its actually surprised me. Bought the combo rod and reel for 139 and its pretty light, perfect handle length and plenty of backbone.  Basically anything 7'3 to 7'10 heavy should do the job just depends on budget and what suites u

[GTN-NY]

Pitching heavy weeds is my main style of fishing. In my days of my heavy fishing in the 90’s telescopic flipping sticks were like heavy broom sticks. My favorite was a Berkley Lighting Rod. 
Now I use a 13 Fishing Envy Black 7’11”. Really lightweight and sensitive compared to my old stick. 
I never liked braid for flipping because I have a problem with controlling my wild hooksets. I end up ripping the hooks right out of the basses mouth. So I used 20lb Big Game mono. Excellent strength and cheap enough to change it weekly. 

[Captain Phil]

Heavy rods are murder on your back and arms.  I use a collapsible 7' 6" medium heavy graphite rod for flipping.   I buy my rods at Bass Proshop for under $50.  I never use braid for flipping.  Flipping is all about the drop of the bait.  Braid's rough texture hangs on the cover impeding the drop, so I flip with mono.  I use green Trilene Big game mono in 20 and 25 pound test and use fish attractant to help the lure fall as freely as possible. 

[rtwvumtneer6]

1 hour ago, z3n0rax said:

That is a matter of opinion

Lots of factors here.  Are you flipping or pitching?  These terms are often used interchangeably but the techniques are as different as the rods you would consider.  How thick is the cover you're fishing? Your height is also a factor, and of course your budget.  

 

Just some things to consider as there isn't one difinitve answer to your question.  What works for me, may not be the best fit for you.  

 

 

[Tuchifabz]

I think St. Criox is the best, just because I know your not gonna snap the rod on a hook set, if you ever had done it, which I've never heard of it, it would be because your rod was defective. 

[z3n0rax]

On 1/23/2021 at 12:34 PM, rtwvumtneer6 said:

Lots of factors here.  Are you flipping or pitching?  These terms are often used interchangeably but the techniques are as different as the rods you would consider.  How thick is the cover you're fishing? Your height is also a factor, and of course your budget.  

 

Just some things to consider as there isn't one difinitve answer to your question.  What works for me, may not be the best fit for you.  

 

 

Definitely true, i use two different rods for both interchangeably. I do find myself pitching more than flipping. I try to go with the strongest but yet still relatively light rod as possible and i definitely do use braid but i also fish in extremely dense milfoil and lilies. For some years now the waters up here have been absolutely choked because of so many nutrients in the water. It makes fishing more of a challenge thats for sure. I use a Dobyns Fury 7' medium heavy and sometimes a St Croix triumph medium heavy 7' with braid and a fluoro leader.

On 1/23/2021 at 11:24 AM, Russ E said:

 

I am 100% against braid for flipping and pitching in wood.... It has poor abrasion resistance and is noisy when your line is sliding over wood.

Braid works great in grass. The rougher texture will cut through weeds better than smooth line.

We are choked with grass and lily pads up here and I find braid definitely works best. Sometimes with a fluorocarbon leader.

[Trox]

7'11" XH Expride A... Light as can be, sensitive, and while comparable (for the technique), not the price of an NRX. Has never done be wrong, and I fish a ton of grass lakes

 

Edit: not sure how, but I read this as "how to flip grass and heavy cover"... as everyone else has said, there are a ton of variables and that rod may not be the best for your application, as I "flip" with different rods based on a ton of factors

[Boomstick]

You're going to want a heavy rod designed for flipping so you can pull the bass out of cover quickly before they figure 8 around every weed, and generally 50-65# braided line.

 

The best flipping rod is certainly subjective, but personally, I use a 7'6" Daiwa Tatula H/F for flipping. It's not too long where I can't fit it in my truck, and it's long enough where I can flip a little bit further and it didn't break the bank. I have no plans to upgrade it either, as cover that is thick enough to warrant a flipping stick isn't too common in the water I fish and it's not a presentation where I would say that you need the most sensitive rod either.

 

Another rod I would strongly consider is the Dobyns 735C in either the Fury or Sierra lineup (or maybe Champion XP) depending how much you want to spend. It has a little less tip than many rods designed for flipping so you can cast lighter lures pretty well with it, but it still has a lot of power.

 

 

[Hammer 4]

I would suggest the Irod 775c. Andy's x heavy flippin stick. These are Very good rod considering the price point $ 149.99. They get great reviews, and have a limited life time warranty. I have 3 of their rods, and will continue to buy more.

 

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/iROD_Genesis_III_Series_Casting_Rods/descpage-IRGCT.html

[the reel ess]

Heavy, Fast (not XF) and long. I say not XF because a little tip is good for pitching. Also if you like to pitch more than flip, a little shorter rod can be helpful. I Kayak fish so I'm usually pitching from a seated position. I bought a Falcon Bucoo H/F 6'10" that I really like. It's stiff enough for jigs, but the tip is flexible enough to use as a T-rig rod.

 

If you want it to double as your frog rod I'd go with a longer rod with less tip. That's a compromise because a tip action is quite useful in flipping/pitching.

[YakingBass]

I actually use a St. Croix 7' 10" heavy, fast Mojo Bass with a Johnny Morris signature Platinum reel (7.3 gear ratio, I believe).  Bought it for throwing big swimbaits, but it is an excellent flipping/pitching rod.  Used to hate flipping/pitching, was always getting hung up or birdnesting my reel but started practicing with this rig in the backyard and now love it.  I use 60 lb. Berkley braid, with a 3' fluro leader.  Great rig for flipping those big football jigs.

 

[Swampdonkey fishing]

On 1/25/2021 at 1:11 AM, Hammer 4 said:

I would suggest the Irod 775c. Andy's x heavy flippin stick. These are Very good rod considering the price point $ 149.99. They get great reviews, and have a limited life time warranty. I have 3 of their rods, and will continue to buy more.

 

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/iROD_Genesis_III_Series_Casting_Rods/descpage-IRGCT.html

Thank you

[Columbia Craw]

Wrench in the gears time.  The Dobyns Kaden series will/should be on shore in two weeks.  The 765 Flip in that series will be a winner and not break the bank.

[kingmotorboat]

Medium heavy champ 765. I’ve pitched with fluorocarbon down to 1/8 ounce baby brush hog and punched up to 1 and a 1/4 oz. don’t let the medium heavy label fool you. The medium heavy flip is wayyyyyy different from a medium heavy in the regular lines. I also own a 735c as mentioned above. I like it but wouldn’t go over 3/4 of an oz. 

[z3n0rax]

On 1/23/2021 at 12:34 PM, rtwvumtneer6 said:

Lots of factors here.  Are you flipping or pitching?  These terms are often used interchangeably but the techniques are as different as the rods you would consider.  How thick is the cover you're fishing? Your height is also a factor, and of course your budget.  

 

Just some things to consider as there isn't one difinitve answer to your question.  What works for me, may not be the best fit for you.  

 

 

Wise words!