Articles    

Flipping Basics (Part 1)

by

David Goshorn

Flipping is a fishing technique that all Tournament PROs use from one time to another. Some PROs are known for their ability with other lures but don't be fooled, almost all of them know how to Flip and Pitch a lure. Flipping is a "UP-CLOSE-AND-PERSONAL-IN-YOUR-FACE" lure presentation. You must position yourself on the structure. This can be a brush pile, fallen tree or boat dock. When conditions force fish to hold deep in cover, Flipping and Pitching is the way to go. The object of Flipping is to probe all parts of a structure for fish. If the fish is there, you hope to put the lure in his mouth! With that thought in mind, I have been on a tournaments with co-anglers who do not know how to Flip and are at a disadvantage during the run of the day. If you don't know how to Flip then this article is for you.

The first thing to remember is that "Flipping" can be learned with almost any 6", 6.5" or longer Bass worm rod. The correct rod and reel setup will be a plus once you understand the basics of this fishing technique. I use a CastAway FR76 Flipping Rod (7.6", line weight 12- 25 lb., lure weight 1/4-1 oz.) and a Shimano, Bantam Curado 200 as my main Flipping and Pitching Rod. The lure can vary from a Jig, Jig & Pig to any number of Soft Plastics. This article will reference a Jig to start the learning process. A cheap 1/2 oz. jig is a good practice lure. You can always find some in the "Clearance Bin" at the local "YouKnowWho-Mart". Don't worry about the color or skirt just pick up one or two 1/2 oz. jigs. If you have a 6.5" medium action worm rod and a bait-caster reel with 12 lbs. test line your ready to start. The bait-caster is important because you will need to adjust the line feed or cast control knob for the weight of the lure your working with. The next and most important item is a plastic coffee cup. Yes, I said a plastic coffee cup. The cup will be your target. All you have to do is flip the jig into the coffee cup from about six to eight feet away. Well it's not as easy as it sounds! Dropping the jig into the cup like a crane lowering a weight is not the way to work the lure. Now is the time to cover the rod technique.

We want to get the technique down and be able to hit a selected target (Our coffee cup). This technique is easy to understand if you can see it done but it is hard to understand if you have to read about how to do it. This may take you a couple of times reading and doing it to get it right. The basis of the technique is to "see-saw" or "bow-string" the line back and forth to make the jig swing in a pendulum type path. Flipping is for the most part a "Wrist Action". Your rod hand tilts the rod tip up and down while your free hand controls the line. There are six steps in making a Flip and they are as follows:

1. Swing your jig out in front of you and let out about eight (8) feet of line past the end of your rod tip. Do not lock your reel for a retrieve but place your thumb on the reel to keep it from spooling out more line than needed.

2. Hold the rod in your hand at about a two o'clock position with the eyes of the rod pointing upward. With your free hand, start pulling out an arms length of line (pull from between the reel and the first eye of the rod). While you are pulling the line, begin raising the rod at the same time (the rod tip should stop at about the one o'clock position).

3. At this point, the jig should be swinging toward you around the "mid-thigh" position. While the jig is moving in this direction, sweep your rod tip to the five o'clock position and hold the "reel to free hand" slack with your free hand. Now sweep your rod tip upward to change the direction of the jig. This is one end of the pendulum path and the jig will pause in flight around waist level and then swing away from you.

4. With the jig now swinging down and away from you and your rod tip sweeping upward, look for the bottom of the pendulum path. The bottom is the last place the jig is in flight before it would start swinging upward. At this point, start letting the line in your free hand feed the flight of the jig. The jig should now move away from you in a straight path to the target.

5. When the jig is over the target, it should pause in flight. This is the end of the pendulum path. The jig should now drop straight down and silently into the water or in our case the coffee cup. If you were on the water, slowly feather the spool to let line out so the jig will not be pulled off target.

6. Now look at your line. The line should have an arch in it that is bending toward you, even if you are feathering out line. This is your strike indicator. If the arch starts moving upward, a bass has the jig. Lock your reel and set your hook.

Repeat these steps over and over, you will find a rhythm to this technique. If you watch the PROs on TV, you will see what I am talking about.

 Next time,  Flipping Basics (Part 2):

We will cover lure selection and presentation.