Pitching Into Bushes/Heavy Cover

[5/0]

I’m trying to get over my reluctance of going into the gnarly stuff for fear of hanging up. But I’m having trouble getting into it in the first place. Every time I hit the slightest branch, twig, or piece of grass sticking up I get a backlash! I’m thumbing the spool during the pitch, but it still happens. Tightening down the cast control reduces the distance and I end up overpowering the pitch which results in backlashes too. Is there anything I can do to better my results?

 

Joe

[Bass Rutten]

Rod, reel, line, lure, settings?

[Deleted account]

practice

 

[5/0]

10 minutes ago, Bassjam2000 said:

Rod, reel, line, lure, settings?

Shimano Crucial 7’ H/XF

Shimano Castaic SF w/ 3 brakes on and cast control set a little freer than lure stopping when it hits ground

65# Power Pro

T-rigged worm or creature

[NHBull]

If your concerned about getting hung up, through the baby (child) rig.  Casting to gnarly stuff should not create overrun.  To help with pitching, practice on land, it's the best way of training your thumb

[Bass Rutten]

I'm not familiar with that reel but whats worked for me on most reels is to turn on all brakes and/or set the brake control to the far upper range then use the cast control to fine tune. Also to me the rod is more important faactor in skipping over the reel and that xfast rod isn't doing you any favors, I find shorter (6'6"-6'9) rods with a tip that loads with your lure of choice gives you much better control and accuracy, but as basswhole said practice make perfect. Also peg your weight if you're not already doing it to keep the package tight or consider using a jig until you improve.

[Hammer 4]

What baits are you getting overruns on, and what weight are they.?

[LCG]

What size weight are you using? I find that thumbing the spool and stopping it when it hits the water, then immediately take your thumb off to let the bait free spool down below the cover works best for me. 

[E-rude dude]

Spool up with 20lb flouro or mono, or 50 lb braid. Fish can’t see the line in thick cover anyways. Weights or jigs should be 1/2 to 1-1/2 ounce. You thumb never leaves the spool. Never. 

[5/0]

35 minutes ago, Hammer 4 said:

What baits are you getting overruns on, and what weight are they.?

T-Rigged worms & creatures. Usually 3/16 bullet weight pegged.

 

28 minutes ago, LCG said:

What size weight are you using? I find that thumbing the spool and stopping it when it hits the water, then immediately take your thumb off to let the bait free spool down below the cover works best for me. 

Pitching to open water is not necessarily a problem. It’s when I’m pitching to flooded bushes that the problem arises. You’ve got to hit something before the lure hits the water below. Like they were doing on Lake Ray Roberts if you saw it. Should I be stopping the pitch above the cover and then let it drop through?

 

1 hour ago, NHBull said:

If your concerned about getting hung up, through the baby (child) rig.  Casting to gnarly stuff should not create overrun.  To help with pitching, practice on land, it's the best way of training your thumb

I’m not worried about getting hung up, that comes with the territory when throwing into it. But I would like to be able to get to that point without the overrun.

[SC53]

I’ve read that braid makes noise coming thru or in contact with wood/brush and that flouro is better. Any truth?

[Hammer 4]

I would move up in weights, to 3/8, and maybe even 1/2 oz. That will make things easier as far as over runs. I have the same reel, and have no issues with over runs, but I use heavier weights.

[Fishes in trees]

I'm not a fan of pitching with braid.   If I'm not throwing frogs into matted vegetation - I don't use it.   I get it that in some parts of the country braided line is necessary when you're pitching - but I don't live there so I don't know.   I generally pitch with 15 or 17 lb Abrazx.   I do go through the KVD Line conditioner.

My notion is that you're worrying about it and thinking about it - so just stop doing that.   Set your rig up so that you can easily achieve pitches of 20 feet out to 45 or 50  feet.   Then just go throw at stuff.  If you get an over-run - so what.   Fix it asap and get back to throwing at stuff.   Either your thumb will get smarter OR you'll get very good at untangling back lashes.

For pitches of 20 to 30 feet what I like to do is to throw 3 or 4 feet past the target - stop the bait at the surface with my thumb - raising the rod tip, bring the bait right next to the object you're throwing at and then let it drop.   If you need more straight line drop than you have just by lowering the rod tip,  kick start the spool with your thumb, release 5 or 6 feet of line then instantly stop the spool.

 

I get bit much more often when I'm tracking the bait on a loose, semi-slack line than I do when I've got a tight, more direct connection to the bait.  Give the bait time to drop and when it hits bottom give it a few moments before you think about what kind of retrieve you prefer.  For me 90% of my hits come on the initial drop or those few moments when it hits the bottom and stops.

You can't worry about throwing into gnarly stuff - worry about it after you get bit.

[Jaderose]

Use a spinning reel

[Kenny Yi]

your thumb is the answer

[Bluebasser86]

6 hours ago, SC53 said:

I’ve read that braid makes noise coming thru or in contact with wood/brush and that flouro is better. Any truth?

4 carrier braid is very loud when it's sawing across wood because it's a much rougher surface. 8 Carrier braids are much quieter. 

 

I like fluorocarbon for pitching into wood cover. 

[jimmyjoe]

    What distance are you trying to cover?  I don't know whether I understand clearly what you're trying to do, but if you're too close, you won't be able to avoid too much "lift" to the cast. Try skipping to your target.       jj

[Bankc]

I go with no brakes, no spool tension, and just let my thumb gently ride the spool the whole time.  Getting the pressure right is key, but once you get that down, it's second nature. 

 

I think it helps me that I pitch left handed and do everything else right handed.  So my left thumb is in the habit of always riding the spool, and my right thumb is in the habit of backing fully off the spool and relying more on brakes and spool tension to keep overruns under control until the bait is ready to hit the water.   

[the reel ess]

You can expect backlashes even when you've had a lot of practice. Pull off more line than you think you'll need and put some electrical tape on the spool there. Then reel it back up, of course. It will make all your backlashes shallow and easier to pick out. I don't do this, but I've known people that do. I bought a reel with a shallow spool for this reason. I keep the brakes and cast control tension in the same setting I would for casting. If you can, try a sidearm pitch. That gets the bait lower upon entry. You just stop the spool with your thumb when the bait contacts the water and allow the bait to sink. The bite usually comes on the initial drop. I can't tell you how many times I picked out a small backlash and the bass was already swimming around with the bait when I put tension on the line. 

 

Lastly, keep some extra 15-20# Big Game and scissors in your tackle bag. It can save a trip.

20 hours ago, SC53 said:

I’ve read that braid makes noise coming thru or in contact with wood/brush and that flouro is better. Any truth?

I use straight braid for pitching/flipping and catch good fish on it. I've also done it with straight mono and braid with mono leader. I never noticed any difference in number or quality of bites except that braid helps tremendously with hooksets. You want to allow the bait to sink on a semi slack line. The fish usually take the bait on the drop. So the line shouldn't be noisy during the presentation.

[Bubba 460]

 

The reluctance to cast into the gnarly stuff and skip up under overhanging bushes and logs is overcome by doing just that. Sounds like for the light lures you're throwing a spinning rod will probably work better and have better results than a bait-caster (not saying you can't do it with a bait-caster). Being familiar with a rod and gaining accuracy in your casting comes with much on the job practice. If you're not getting hung up some, you're not going in deep enough. I think it was Confucius who said, "The journey of ten thousand cast starts with the first cast" (or something like that). Having confidence in your casting in tight situations helps in gaining that couple if extra inches sometimes needed to get that fish to commit. When you skip a wacky up under 8 feet of low hanging limbs and and it stops right at the bank and bass smacks it, it brings a smile to your face. With all of that said, it does not mean you will not get "hung-up"~ just not as much! I have NEVER caught a bass up in a bush or a tree but I still try to once and a while.... just to make sure, you know.