Pitching and Flipping

[Hop]

I will be honest I have never been a fan of throwing jigs so I never mastered pitching and flipping. I am ready to change my ways but have several questions.

What tackle including line test do I use for each? When do I flip and when do I pitch?

[Will]

Flipping

-Rod: 7'-7.5'

-Lures: Jigs and Texas rigged plastics such as worms, tubes, lizards...

-Line: 12-80 pound test, braided and flurocarbon lines work great

When flipping it is mainly done in thick cover when you are making alot of flips at the same target. It is best done in the muddier water since you will be fairly close to the fish. The reel is not engaged.

Pitching

-Rod: 6'-7.5'

-Lures: Same as flipping

-Line: Same as flipping

When pitching you are picking off targets that are spread out along the bank, or the water is clear. If the water is clear pitching works best since you can back off from the fish. Works great with isolated cover, and when you are driving down the bank.

Also check out http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/flipping_pitching.html

[JayPea2005]

Really the only difference is the distance you are trying to reach.

I use flipping when it comes to thick, heavy mats where I'm just lifting the bait out of one spot and dropping it into another within a distance of 10' of my boat. I use pitching when I need to get the bait out more than 10 to 15' from the boat, usually deep into tree tops, boat docks, and other tight quarters where a cast is not possible, or I need to get the fish out of structure in a hurry.

As for the tackle, I use 65lb test Power Pro on a 7' flipping stick with an ABU 6500 Redfish edition. It is a little heavier than what most people use, but man it rips them right out of the thick stuff.

[phisher_d]

For pitching I use a medium-heavy or heavy action graphite rod with 50 lb (12lb diameter) PowerPro.  Pitching and flipping are really useful when you want to get a bait into tight spots around heavy cover and have a very quiet entry.  These techniques are also beneficial if there is not enough room around you to make a regular cast.  Pitching allows you to have a greater distance range than flipping (which restricts your lure to within about 15 feet of the boat, depending on how long your rod is), but I think the two are interchangeable other than that.  If you get good at flipping you can do it much faster than pitching.

I don't flip much so I don't know what tackle is best suited for it, but I've had no problems using the same stuff I use for pitching.  Some reels have a "flippin' switch" which means that when it is on, you engage the reel simply by letting go of the thumb bar instead of having to turn the handle.  If you're going to flip a lot, it is definitely a good thing to have, but it's not absolutely necessary.

Good Luck.  Hope this helps.

[Rattlinrogue]

As much as I'd like to add to this,these guys said it about as well as can be said.

[Lightninrod]

To me, pitching is easier and more produtive.  I use the same 7', 6" Kistler Heavy Helium Casting rod or a Daiwa Heartland rod spooled with 20# test Seaguar's fluro.  I wouldn't use a reel with a flipping switch as it's just something else that might go wrong with the reel and as stated, is not necessary anyway.

I think it's great that you're going to take up these techniques.  I taught myself how to use them a few years ago after watching(over and over again ) a Denny Brauer video.  It's out of production now.  I practised in my yard by pitching a 1/2 oz jig up to and under the bushes that ring our home.  It's one of my favorite ways to catch Bass .

Dan

[Guest avid]

I love pitching a jig.  Sometimes you get this drift going just right.  Your running paralell to shoreline at the pace of a slow walk.  It can be hyptonizing. You get this rythm going and get into a zone where nothing else exits.  It's the zen of bass fishing.

[Rattletrap]

Lightninrod! I did the same thing. HaHa!!, but I was in my boat. I got in the boat, in my driveway, loosened the cast control and began picking out targets to cast to. People driving by probably thought I was nuts. At least they did not stop and ask if I caught anything. Practice makes perfect. I use both a baitcaster and a spinning reel. I use the spinning reel mainly to get back underneath docks. I have been practicing a roll cast with a baitcaster that gets under docks also.

[mcipinkie]

I will add my, hopefully, wisdom. I spend at least 3/4 of my fishing time pitching and/or flipping. I don't start out saying,"I'm going to flip today" or "I'm going to pitch today". I start fishing a jig, or a tube, or a worm, or whatever bait I'm using in heavy cover. Sometimes I pitch. Sometimes I flip. Sometimes I cast. Remember flipping and pitching are just casting techniques. The goal is present the bait to the fish.

My one note of wisdom: Assuming you're right handed, learn to pitch and flip with your left hand. I'm 59 years old, and have been fishing all my life. I made up my mind two years ago to learn to use my left hand more. In the course of a season, you'll get a fish or two with that left hand that you wouldn't get changing hands. It really wasn't that difficult to learn.

[Will]

My one note of wisdom: Assuming you're right handed, learn to pitch and flip with your left hand. I'm 59 years old, and have been fishing all my life. I made up my mind two years ago to learn to use my left hand more. In the course of a season, you'll get a fish or two with that left hand that you wouldn't get changing hands. It really wasn't that difficult to learn.

I tried to learn to flip/pitch with my left hand and became alright at it, but found it was easier to reel with my left and continue flipping with my right hand. Although the little skill I have flipping with my left hand is a major advantage when fishing co-angler, sometimes that right handed flip will not work. I am 100% with you, switching the rod to another hand to reel will hurt your overall performance.

[cwenbass]

I learned to pitch by standin 30 ft. from a small fence post in my fathers yard. I would play horse. When I could pitch and hit the bottom of the post, I would move on. If I missed, I went back.

[bassdocktor]

Another way to atleast improve you flipping an pitching is to practice during the winter. Obviously you can't last aslong becuase your thumb will go numb but it actually helps. Because it's so cold out it forces you to become more accurate inorder to get back inside quicker. I did this last year and it did help me refine my pitching. One piece of advice if you try this. Don't stay out once your thumb gets numb becuase it become inpossible to feather or thumbs the spool.

bassdocktor

[basswest1]

Well..................as always everything im about to tell you comes from my experiences.......my tried and true confidence techniques and equipment.

Equipment:  As far as my equipment for flipping and pitchin goes..............i pretty much use two different rod and reel combos.  The first one is my flippin gear............i use a Shimano Crucial 7'6" MH flippin stick with a high speed reel..........mine is a left handed Shimano Curado Super Free.   I use the left handed model even though im right handed because its more efficient.......I dont have to switch hands after the cast...........Most people who flip use a H to X-Heavy model.........but i like the MH model because i can give a more natural presentation............and i have a high hook up rate with the no stretch braids i use for flippin heavy cover.  The second rod and reel set up is my all time favorite rod for pitchin...........its a Shimano Crucial 6'10" X-H with the same reel..........I love this rod for jigs, and pitchin tubes, creature baits...........and even heavy spinnerbaits.  I can be extremely accurate with this rod.  This is the rod i use most of the time............especially around wood, docks, and bridge pilings.

As far as line goes..........i use different lines for different situations.........my line type and size is dictated by water clarity, depth, cover being fished and the lures that i was using.  When i am fishing clear water i like to use florocarbon lines.......their low stretch, low visibility, high abrassion resistance is perfect for pitching into heavy cover like fallen trees, rocky cover, docks. As for floro size i use 17lb in low cover, and 20 to 25lb in higher cover. In stained to muddy water or in really thick cover i like to use braided lines..........usually i dont go any stronger than 35lb test because ive never ever broke off a fish on that size braid (except when fishing frogs).

[balue_86]

Go and watch this video,it might help some.

 

[camo]

22 hours ago, balue_86 said:

Go and watch this video,it might help some.

Hey uhhh this is from 2005... Hoping they learned to flip and pitch by now 

 

[Gundog]

^^^^^Good one. 

[scaleface]

On 12/16/2005 at 8:56 PM, Hop said:

I will be honest I have never been a fan of throwing jigs so I never mastered pitching and flipping. I am ready to change my ways but have several questions.

What tackle including line test do I use for each? When do I flip and when do I pitch?

 

A jig is not just a close quarters lure and any lures can be pitched and flipped . I use M/H rods  from 6'8" to 7 foot and mostly 17 lb test Trilene xl .

[roadwarrior]

https://www.bassresource.com/content/search?SearchText=flipping+%26+pitching&BrowsePageLimit=30