Let's talk Flippin' / Pitchin'

[Danny Kid]

Although I don't have a lot of opportunity to use either technique in the lakes I fish up north, there is the odd occasion around docks, weed mats, and a few fallen trees/logs where I'll pick up the big stick. I use an old BPS HM54 Pro Qualifier 7'6" Heavy Action rod, teamed with an equally old Abu Garcia Black Maxx 5600 reel. I've always had the reel spooled with 20# Trilene Big Game (and to be honest haven't changed the line since I originally set it up almost 17 years ago!). I've caught fish on it, and generally like the set up. I can't set the spool brake too loose, as it has a tendency to overrun, and my pitching skill being what it is, gets me 30 to 35 feet or so with a heavy jig or 1/2 oz + worm weight. All this being said, I have a couple questions for you folks more learned in the subject.

1) What is a fair or average distance a person should be able to 'pitch' to be effective with that technique (and where's the line between 'pitch and 'cast')?

2) I'm gonna hang with the current rod / reel combo....should I change my line choice (ie. go to braid, Fireline, floro, or different mono), and what line type specifically have you found to work best for you and why?

Many thanks.

[ljarrell4LSU]

I flip with a 7'6" St Croix MoJo paired with a Shimano Curado 200DHSV. The line IMO is a preference. I like braid for the sensitivity. I will sometime fish the braid straight to the hook or I will tie on a flouro leader if I feel it is necessary. I run 30lb Power Pro for braid and will tie in a 20lb FLOURO leader. I try and stick with a 1/2oz tungsten weight and a widegap Gamagatsu hook(that also depends on what I am flipping). On the distance part I stay pretty close but I have been know to pitch at descent distances of 40-50 ft. I also change my line at LEAST once a year depending on the type of fishing. I pay close attention to the line for wears and scrapes. If I break my line I will strip 20-30 ft off before I retie my line. If I break again I will change the line right there. Hopefully this helps.

[5 Alive]

I pitch with a 7'-0" MH ALX custom rod and flip with a 7'-6" Heavy. A Pitching rod is completely different than a flipping rod. With a pitching rod you want some tip action to help propel the bait and help in accuracy. A flipping rod is going to be much stiffer all the way to the tip, unless you are flipping braid. Then you want some give to absorb the shock due to the lack of stretch in braid.

1) The distance you need to pitch mostly revolves around water clarity. If your dealing with stained water there's no need to pitch 35 feet, accuracy and a quiet presentation are more important. You are only pitching 15 to 20 feet in most cases.

2) Keep fresh line on your reel. It will peel of the reel smother and why find out your line is bad AFTER it breaks off on a big fish. I like 12-20# mono for pitching, depending on water clarity, lure and cover. Most people will say floro. but it has poor knot strength and shock value. In the short distance of a pitch, the little difference in stretch from mono and floro wont matter.

Hope this helps.

[gatrboy52]

if you can pitch 30+ accurately ,your fine in most situations.if you go to say even 30# braid you'll get alittle more distance as 30# braid is the dia. as 12# mono.and not as stiff.you should be able to flip 15-18' effectively which will be even better around docks and laydowns.
the braid wont break down as fast as mono and will last longer.power pro is a good all around braid.