masterS series
Recently , I ’ ve developed a line of jigs for Berkley with skirts that are infused with PowerBait – the same attractant that ’ s been in many of their soft plastics for decades . The Berkley PowerBait Flipping Jig and PowerBait Heavy Cover Jig are two of my favorite lures and were specially designed to navigate heavy cover and thick vegetation . Sometimes I fish them without a trailer , but I ’ ll often use one the Berkley PowerBait or MaxScent soft plastics to give the lure some additional action or a different fall rate , depending on the conditions and what the fish are telling me .
Quite often , I flip soft plastics , like those same PowerBait and MaxScent lures – everything from worms and PowerBait Lizards to The General and creature- and craw-style baits like the Berkley PowerBait MaxScent Creature Hawg and PowerBait Bunker Hawg . Generally , they ’ re Texas-rigged to come through the cover more easily , but I ’ ll also fish them on a drop-shot or Tokyo rig , if I feel that ’ s the best presentation .
the basics
To flip right-handed ( just reverse these instructions to flip left-handed ), hold the rod in your right hand as though you ’ re getting ready to cast it , and point the tip straight up . Put the reel in free-spool and use your left hand to hold the line between the reel and the first guide . Pull the line over to your left so there ’ s about 6 to 10 feet of line stretched out between the reel and first guide . Now let out enough additional line so that your lure hangs down to about the level of the reel . Engage the reel so that it ’ s no longer in free spool mode . That ’ s the length of line you ’ ll be working with , and it will determine the range of your flip .
To make the flip , lower your rod tip in front of you and swing the lure forward , toward your target . As the lure swings forward , simultaneously bring your left hand ( still holding the line ) back toward the rod , feeding line to the lure as you go . Take your left hand off the line only after it ’ s reached its destination . It takes a while to get the hang of this .
When you ’ re doing it right , the lure stays low to the water , and you use the rod tip and your left hand to ensure a quiet delivery . The bait lands with barely a ripple . If it splashes down , your left hand is out of sync , or the line has gone slack as you ’ ve swung the bait forward . Keep at it , and you ’ ll become extremely accurate . Your presentation will be far quieter than with any other method .
If you ’ re flipping a jig or worm , you ’ ll want your rod to be above 9 o ’ clock ( higher in deeper water ) so you can follow the bait toward the bottom . A lot of strikes come on the initial fall .
The effective range of an experienced flipper is usually 18 to 22 feet or so . With pitching , it might be 35 feet or more , but a good flip is much quieter and less obtrusive than a pitch . If I can get close enough to a bass to flip to it , that ’ s my preference .
bonus
One issue I see with a lot of anglers who are flipping is that they ’ re often out of control . At the end of the flip , they still have line in their left hand , or their rod is out of position to follow the bait down and set the hook . If you feel a bite and set the hook with line still in your hand , you ’ re not going to get a good set , and you might slice your hand badly .
A lot of anglers will set the hook too soon when they ’ re flipping . Our modern equipment is very light and extremely sensitive . Wait until you feel the weight of the fish before setting the hook .
One of the great advantages to flipping is that you ’ re working so close to the fish that you can notice a lot more than anglers who are pitching or casting . When I ’ m flipping , I ’ m much more likely to discover the pattern within the pattern because I have a better point-of-view . I might see that the bass are holding on dock pilings that have baitfish feeding on algae , but not on the other pilings . That kind of detail can make me a lot more efficient and productive . With flipping , I can often be more in tune with the bass and the pattern than with any other method .
56 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | JUNE-JULY 2022