Bass Fishing May - Jun 2018 | Page 77

4. GET MORE BITES
FLIPPING
C
anadian­pro­bob­izumi­has­flipped­mats­for­largemouths­all­over­north­america.
While­punching­is­never­considered­a­finesse­technique,­izumi­attributes­a­lot­of­his
tournament­success­while­punching­to­taking­a­slightly­“lighter”­approach­to­break-
ing­through­the­cover.­
izumi’s­strategy­is­simple:­use­the­lightest­weight­possible­to­punch­through­the­mat.
“if­that­sinker­falls­too­fast­through­the­mat­i­think­you­miss­a­lot­of­fish,”­he­says.­“it
just­pummels­through­the­water­column­so­quickly­that­those­fish­either­don’t­see­it,­or
they­see­it­and­they­spook.­i’m­more­concerned­with­spooking­the­fish­because­i’m­using
a­heavier­sinker­than­i­need.
“the­other­thing­with­a­heavier­sinker­i’ve­found­is­that­a­lot­of­bass­–­and­it­doesn’t
matter­how­big­or­small­they­are­–­when­they­feel­something­that­weighs­a­lot­in­their
mouth­they­might­spit­it­quicker.­or­they­might­have­trouble­sucking­it­in.”
to­overcome­the­need­for­a­big­weight,­izumi­uses­a­technique­that­allows­him­to­gen-
erate­enough­velocity­with­a­lighter­weight­to­punch­the­mat.­izumi­also­uses­this­tech-
nique­to­reach­far-away­sections­of­large­mats­–­as­far­as­60­feet­away­from­the­boat.
Bob Izumi and his son,
Darren, flip mats on
Okeechobee using a
specialized punching
technique.
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