Does anyone actually "flip"?

[Kenny Yi]

Just wondering if there are anglers who do flip their baits... every single angler/video/forum says "flipping and pitching", like they're synonymous and used as equivalents.  However, I have yet to see a single person actually "flip" their bait when fishing (pulling the line between the reel and the first line guide to create a close quarters pitch), they only pitch the bait (myself included).  Maybe it's different elsewhere, but I've only ever needed to pitch since I can pitch pretty well regardless of how close I am to the cover.  Not to mention there are "flipping rods/jigs/rigs", only cementing my curiosity as to who is genuinely flipping.

[RDB]

I don’t flip very often (sometimes in vegetation).  I mostly use the momentum when reeling in the bait to make the next pitch without touching the bait.  In the right situation, flipping can be useful as you can typically make more presentations in less time.

[Captain Phil]

From the angler's prospective, flipping and pitching are not the same thing.  To the fish, they are identical.  Both are vertical fishing techniques. When flipping, the reel is not used in the cast.  When pitching, the line comes off the reel in an underhanded cast. Flipping is used when fish can be reached within the length of your rod. Dee Thomas was the first person to popularize flipping in a tournament.  To accommodate him, 8' 6" was set as the max limit for tournament rod length.  In reality, Southern anglers had been fishing like that for years.  100 years ago flipping was called doodle socking or tullie dipping.  They used long poles with a short piece of line attached. This allowed them to reach far back in the cover.   Because the rod length was limited in tournaments, anglers who wanted to reach further than their rod length developed pitching.

 

I have spent most of my bass fishing life doing both.  Flipping and pitching are big bass techniques. Other than using live bait, I know of no better technique for targeting big southern bass.

[TnRiver46]

I saw hackney doing it on bass live on pickwick. Line in one hand rod in the other 

[Hammer 4]

My flipping does not involve casting, pitching does.

[BigAngus752]

I spent countless hours in my yard practicing flipping because I thought it was the coolest thing and I wanted to get good at it. And I did get good at it. And on the water I rarely do it. 90% of the time I pitch. I do, however, flip anytime my boat is stationary and I’m hitting the exact same spot over and over with the same lure. Then flipping is much easier than pitching. 

[MN Fisher]

1 minute ago, Hammer 4 said:

My flipping does not involve casting, pitching does.

If you're letting line off the reel during your 'cast' - you're pitching...not flipping.

[Mike L]

Absolutely!!

Almost every person I know flips and pitches depending on conditions. Besides sight fishing, flipping is my absolute favorite way to fish. 
I’ll look for places to flip a punch weight before any other technique year round. 
 

 

 

Mike

[Catt]

I cast, flip, & pitch everytime out!

 

Couple months I'll add punching ?

Edited April 22, 2021 by Catt
Operator Error

[DitchPanda]

I mostly pitch...or cast...or pitch cast...or whatever its called. I do flip occasionally when I'm trying to get into a tight spot close quarters.

[Deleted account]

Not often, but yes.

[Bluebasser86]

Yes, especially if I'm in my kayak. Lots of time I drift up against cover and it's the best way to present a bait right next to me. 

[Michigander]

Nope. Pitching is where it's at for me.

[Catt]

8 hours ago, Kenny Yi said:

Not to mention there are "flipping rods/jigs/rigs", only cementing my curiosity as to who is genuinely flipping.

 

When working a area I do not lay a flipping rod down to pick up a pitching rod, & I don't lay a pitching rod down to pick up a casting rod.

 

I have 1 rod that is capable of doing all 3!

 

I have 1 jig that is capable of flipping, pitching, casting, & swimming!

[.ghoti.]

I have never flipped. Pitch a lot. Never been in a boat with someone flipping. Never actually seen anybody flip, except on TV. Have seen a lot of guys pitching and calling it flipping. 

[geo g]

Just about my least favorite thing to do.  I know a lot of southern fisherman that do it, but not me.  For me is low reward and a lot of work.  I would much rather work a hollow body frog back in cover, or crawl a big worm through the thick stuff.

[Captain Phil]

Back when I was active in tournaments, my partner and I fished mostly team tournaments.  Working as a team, I would flip in the front and my partner would pitch in the back.  This allowed us to work a larger area than we could alone.  Some days the fish were near the edge and I would get more bites and some days they were back in and my partner would.  We were only looking for five bites a day.  It regularly takes a five fish limit of more than 15 pounds to get a check in one of these tournaments. Some days, it takes 25 pounds or more.  To win consistently, you need at least one kicker fish.  That's what flipping and pitching does for you.

[Spankey]

I realize for guys that fish these ways a lot and are big parts of your style, they are different. I’ve come to lump flipping, pitching and punching into the same category. Knowing they are different. Grass and mats are only a part of my fishing. Lay downs a larger part. They are good techniques but I’m no master for sure. 

[Mike L]

28 minutes ago, Captain Phil said:

Back when I was active in tournaments, my partner and I fished mostly team tournaments.  Working as a team, I would flip in the front and my partner would pitch in the back.  This allowed us to work a larger area than we could alone.  Some days the fish were near the edge and I would get more bites and some days they were back in and my partner would.  We were only looking for five bites a day.  It regularly takes a five fish limit of more than 15 pounds to get a check in one of these tournaments. Some days, it takes 25 pounds or more.  To win consistently, you need at least one kicker fish.  That's what flipping and pitching does for you.

In most of the team tournaments I’ve been in this is done all the time. 

In draw tournaments, and if the boater is any good the co angler almost has no chance if they’re within flipping range. 
 

In a Southern Open, my boater knew it. He felt so bad he sat periodically to give me a chance. 
It almost worked out. 
 

 

 

 

Mike

[bulldog1935]

On 4/21/2021 at 3:27 PM, TnRiver46 said:

I saw hackney doing it on bass live on pickwick. Line in one hand rod in the other 

with a fly rod it's called a roll cast

[Catt]

1 hour ago, Captain Phil said:

Working as a team, I would flip in the front and my partner would pitch in the back.  This allowed us to work a larger area than we could alone. 

 

This is how we fish everytime out!

 

Kinda off subject, everyone talks about tournament fishing vs fun fishing.

 

There is no difference!

 

The same amount of preparation is done everytime out. 

[J Francho]

When I'm pitching to targets on a weed flat, and drifting along, as I close in, sometimes there are targets that close enough to flip that I didn't see at first.  I automatically switch to a flip cast to hit them quickly before moving on.  Usually, I stop reeling in from a pitch with just the right amount of line for the flip to that new target.  I keep my eyes peeled for targets both a flip or pitch away.  You can really pick apart a spot doing this.

[Captain Phil]

4 hours ago, Catt said:

 

Kinda off subject, everyone talks about tournament fishing vs fun fishing. There is no difference!  The same amount of preparation is done everytime out. 

 

I wouldn't describe tournament fishing as fun.  We fished some waters that we didn't especially enjoy fishing.  If we weren't familiar with the tournament waters, we prefished until we had a plan.  I can remember one tournament where we prefished for 40 hours to win second place.  Consistent tournament winners work hard for their money.  Many are guides who use local money tournaments to offset their expenses.  When your boat payment is due and you need money to make your living, it's a whole different ball game.  You do what you have to do.

[J Francho]

I didn't have any success tournament fishing until I decided to have fun first.  I think it's key to long term membership in a club/trail and success.

[ajschn06]

I use the term flipping a lot- but when I do, I'm always pitching...