What is the difference between pitching and flipping

You can pitch or flip docks, grass, wood, or other types of cover that you feel are not easy to cast to in the normal manner. The advantage to these types of techniques is you can make a quiet presentation and pinpoint accuracy that you can not accomplish with normal techniques. Consistently catching bass comes down to proper technique. Below are crucial techniques to master in order to improve your performance and success as a bass angler:.

Pitching is the easier of the two techniques but is not as precise as flipping. Pitching is a short underhand cast and is best for targets between 10 and 30 feet away. It provides a very quiet lure entry and the timing will take some practice. Be sure to close the reel as soon as the bait lands because bass often strike quickly.

Use a single-hook lure such as a worm, jig or spinnerbait. See video below for tutorial. Flipping basically requires you drop the bait right on top of the fish.

Start by letting out line until the lure is even with your reel. Instead of holding the line with your hand, control it by placing your thumb on the spool of the baitcasting reel. With the rod at waist level, swing the rod tip forward and upward, launching the lure at a low trajectory. Many anglers like to release the lure by hand for added control. As the lure nears your intended target, use your thumb to feather the spool and lower the rod slightly to ensure the lure lands gently.

In the summer, even when the water is hot 90 to degrees in the south , there will be fish up super shallow. Reel choice should be one that has a free spool that can be set to extremely free flowing settings so that it flows easily under your thumb as you release the lure. The line you will want to use will normally be one of the more abrasion resistant types. You pick the brand you are most comfortable with. Using braided or monofilament is up to you. Personally, I use at least to pound test and almost exclusively use fluorescent high visibility monofilament line.

This is invaluable if you are a line watcher like I am. If you are not, you should be when using these two techniques. One of the best ways to practice flipping and pitching is to get in the back yard and place five to seven bowls about two to four feet apart. Place these bowls from five to twenty feet away from where you will be standing. You will want to stand on a higher object than the ground so as to simulate your boat.

Perhaps two to three feet above your bowl setup should do. When you are first learning, use a heavier than normal weight. Simply practice until you can put the bait in the bowls without them popping out or making a loud clunk. You could even put some water in the bowls to see just how softly you can pitch or flip into them. The less splash, the less noise you will make in actual use when flipping or pitching.

And in some cases a quiet and almost "splashless" entry of the bait into the water is a necessity. A couple of productive techniques can be used that are not necessarily the norm.

For instance, let's say you are bed fishing and no fish are reacting to your pitched or flipped bait. Here is a technique that is deadly if fished in an open area. Next add a bead and a swivel. Next tie on anywhere from 12 to 18 inches of heavy line. Then put on a floating jerkbait. Pitch or flip the bait onto the bed.

The fish might spook at first, but when it comes back slowly lower your rod tip and let the floating jerkbait slide freely through the weight.