How do you FLIP????????????

[Scott]

I cant figure it out for the life of me. I hold the rod in my left hand, the bait in my right hand, flip it out and it goes like 4 feet. I have a curado reel and a 6'-6" medium action rod. Is this my problem, or do I need to loosen my reel up some?

Thanks in advance!

Scott

[brendanc]

Hi Scott,

You might want to print this out, it's a bit long winded, but I hope it helps to answer your question...

Flipping & Pitching are two similar methods which are typically performed using a 7' to 7'6" Heavy action, fast taper rod. (You can still flip/pitch with any rod)

When I first tried learning how to flip/pitch, I found it easier if I used a heavier lure. The whole trick is to allow the bait to swing away from your body like a pendulum while lifting your rod tip to add momentum and maintain distance from the water surface.

Let’s start with pitching first:

I would recommend starting with a ½ oz Jig and tip it with any plastic trailer. Assuming you are “right handed”, hold your rod in your right hand and let out enough line so that you can hold the jig right next to your reel with your left hand. Next, point your rod tip to the 3 O’clock position (the rod should be parallel to the ground). Next, you are going to drop the jig and at the same time raise your rod tip up so that the jig just passes over the surface of the ground. You need to raise the rod tip at a smooth and even pace. (I’ll discuss the speed of lift more later, for now just a nice steady lift) Try it a couple of times until you can make the jig swing without hitting the ground.

Once you are comfortable with that initial movement, try it again, only this time, put your reel in “free spool” and keep your thumb on the spool. Now you are going to drop the jig, smoothly raise your rod tip and when the jig starts to swing upwards, loosen your thumb to allow the jig to pull some additional line off the reel. Practice this for a while and you should start to put it together. You will probably notice that your jig wants to travel upward at the end of your pitch. To compensate for this, lower your rod tip slightly as you feel the jig rising.

To add more distance to your pitch, increase the speed in which you are raising your rod tip. The more you practice, the easier this will become. You will also start to feel the subtle influences that your rod angle plays in the whole process. Rod angle and thumb control over your line spool dictate everything with pitching.

Once you have the general process down and you are comfortable with your ability to control the height of the jig off the ground, then I would recommend practicing pitching at a target. If you start off trying to pitch to a target, you will not focus on the “feel” of this whole process.

When it comes to targets, I always hear guys say things like “I spent 6 months learning how to cast this jig into a coffee can”… A coffee can stands about 6”-8” tall. In the world of flipping’ and pitching’ you want your entrance point to be as close to “ZERO inches” as possible. Coffee cans create bad habits which must later be corrected or compensated for. I would recommend something that lays flat on the ground… more like a “coffee can lid”.

That should get your started in the right direction as far as pitching is concerned. Once you understand pitching, flipping should be an easier transition.

Here are the main differences between pitching and flipping. Pitching allows you to make short, accurate casts from 0’- 40’ (greater or less for each individual) at specific targets at multiple distances. Pitching requires you to reel in your line to make another cast. Flipping is for distances less than 20’. Most flipping is done within a 10’ distance from the boat. When flipping the most line you can effectively control (on average) is “double the length of your rod”. If you have a 7’ 6” rod, you should be able to flip 14’ of line.

Using the same setup as you did when you were pitching, let’s approach flipping. Start by making a short pitch about 10 feet in front of you. Let the jig hit the ground and leave it there. Everyone has slightly different variations of the flip cast. I like to start be turning right hand (the one holding the rod) so that the reel handle is facing the ground. The line spool is now in a vertical position. With your left thumb and pointer finger, pinch your line about half way between the reel and the first eyelet on your reel.

(Quick thought about the role of the left hand in flipping: It is almost like drawing back on a bow and arrow left handed. It is a nice steady pull back, up and to your left.)

Don’t move the rod from the 3 O’clock position and just try pulling the line back as far as you can with your left hand. You should notice that the jig’s momentum is starting a pendulum swing towards you. The trick is making the jig swing first towards you and then allowing gravity to pull it back away from you. Practice this for a while.

All you want to do is learn how to make the jig pendulum swing. When you get the jig moving well, it is the same idea as pitching, except you are going to use your left hand to control the height of the jig from the water surface (or ground during practice) by either taking in line or letting line out. Remember, the reel is engaged at all times when flipping, so you are working with a fixed length of line. As you do practice, you will notice that you can assist the jig though it’s pendulum by raising and lowering the rod tip in conjunction with your left hand. The more advanced you become the further you can flip (although it not a distance method), the important thing to keep in mind is that in either presentation, the object is place the jig (or any other lure) in the water without making a sound or splash.

I hope this helps get you started in the right direction.

[Scott]

Brendan

Thanks once again for your help. If I am getting this right, it is the actual pendulum motion that propels the lure (for the most part).

Scott

[dansfishntales]

Brendan covered things very well. Great job, as always.

My main technique is flipping/pitching. A few years ago I took a friend who had been trying to do this, and wasn't having a great deal of success. His technique was good on getting the lure out, and to the spot, but he had other problems. After putting 9 fish in the boat, and Russ losing about that many on the hook set, I stopped to watch. His biggest problem was holding the line out with one hand as he worked the lure. What was happening is everytime he set the hook he gave the fish the extra line in his hand (slack line), and you know what happened - no positive hooks set. He said he had to feel the line, so I got him to hold the line in front of his reel between his index finger and thumb. His hook sets went up, and within a few tournaments he was in the race for the year-end Grand Champion.

I don't know if you have had any of this type of problem, but thought I would bring it up in advance. I've told other people who afterwards realized they were doing the same thing wrong.

Best of fishing,
Dan

[Scott]

Thanks again, guys. I will try it tonight.

Scott

[brendanc]

Scott,

Yes, the pendulum is what propels the bait. Let me know how you make out...

Dan,

Great advice, I have seen many anglers miss strikes for that exact reason you described...

BC