Flipping

Flipping is a specialized casting and fishing technique, used almost exclusively with bait-casting tackle for largemouth bass, where lures are cast or "flipped" at very close range, often 10-15 yards or less.

The flipping technique is employed mostly in situations where conventional casting is neither possible nor practical, such as fishing in thick, heavy weed pockets, under overhanging limbs, dense brush piles, and within thick flooded timber. Often, the fish feel more secure among the heavy cover and can usually be approached from close range without being spooked.

The real advantage of flipping is the soft, quiet presentation of the bait as it enters the water which reduces the chances of spooking fish. There are also some circumstances where the flipping technique is used when you need precise accuracy in presenting your bait close range.

Tackle

With this technique heavy tackle is almost always required. Line weights of at least 17-pound test are necessary, often up to 30- or 40-pound test depending on the cover you are fishing. Long-handled, heavy-action casting rods or "flipping sticks" are also used. They are typically 7-7 1/2' in length.

Flipping Technique

Because flipping is performed at very close range, the traditional over head or sidearm casting motion is never used. Instead, all you need to do is to engage the freespool function on a bait-casting reel, with the thumb resting on the spool to control how much line is dispensed. The non-casting hand grabs the line above the reel and strips out the length of line needed for the desired flipping distance. With the line in hand (and held out to the side), the rod is swung underhand and line is released from the hand as the lure flies toward the target, after which the reel is taken out of freespool. Once you have placed the bait in the water your thumb can be used to freespool the reel to let the lure fall straight to the bottom.

Once the lure is where you want it, "hop" it only once or twice before flipping to another target. When a strike occurs, the hook is set immediately and what often times happen is the fish is often "flipped" directly into the boat, or hauled out of heavy cover quickly prior to landing.

Lures For Flipping

In most cases, lures used for flipping can either soft plastic lures such as worms, crawfish or rubber-skirted jigs. In order to penetrate and move about in the heavy cover your worms and other plastic baits need to be rigged almost always in a weedless fashion by inserting the hook point into the plastic body. Bullet weights can be placed above the hook and can be secured to the line by inserting a toothpick through the hole in the weight and breaking the toothpick off above the hole. Rubber-skirted jigs almost always feature a built-in weedguard that guards the hook point, preventing snags. A reall effective way to increase strikes using jigs is to tip them with a pork frog or a soft plastic trailer.