“ We as fishermen are evolving with the techniques , evolving with the technologies , too .”
Flipping , pitching and skipping are highly effective techniques for catching big bass in tight spaces , demonstrated here by MLF pro Nick LeBrun .
PITCHING & FLIPPING
Flipping jigs and rigged plastics to shallow cover revolutionized bass fishing .
Californian Dee Thomas invented the technique , then Klein brought it to the eastern tournament scene . The concept is simple : Use an underhand swing with a stout rod to deliver a crawfish , worm , creature or other types of plastic to precise locations .
“ It ’ s nothing more than a presentation to shallow targets , but it ’ s a technique that won ’ t go away ,” Klein says .
Flipping revolutionized bass fishing by bringing specialized skills to the game , and until recently at least , few anglers entered the pro ranks without at least rudimentary command of the technique . Credit its staying power to deadly effectiveness when bass have assumed ambush positions in tight cover locations such as docks , laydowns , stumps and emergent vegetation .
“ It ’ s so effective because you can put the bait wherever you want to ,” Klein says .
Range was flipping ’ s only limitation , but shallow-water specialists like Denny Brauer and Biffle lengthened its reach with a variation called “ pitching ,”
in which a well-tuned reel – and practiced skill – enabled anglers to reach more distant targets with a similar underhand maneuver .
“ That ’ s the thing about all our techniques : Tackle technology evolves right along with them ,” says Klein , noting how advances and customization in rod , reel and line can accelerate the popularity of a rig or technique .
“ We as fishermen are evolving with the techniques , evolving with the technologies , too .”
Status : Flipping and pitching remain the most effective techniques for dropping a bait on a prime bassholding target , though today ’ s sophisticated bass angler may well add dock skipping to his game . Skipping – scudding the bait across the water in a manner that resembles skipping a stone – enables the angler to reach deep recesses of boat stalls and the undersides of pontoons and overhangs . But flipping and pitching continue to draw the biggest bass from the tightest locations . With effective flipping , a bait spends more time in prime bass ambush locations . For that reason , even though it ’ s been called a lost art by some , expect flipping and pitching to undergo periodic revival .
WHAT LIES AHEAD ?
Forward-facing sonar ( FFS ) has become the primary driver behind lure and technique development recently . The bulk of head-to-head FFS encounters are with suspended fish – which , in theory , should take significant pressure off the structure and cover-oriented bass that most of the techniques of yesteryear were designed to catch .
So , while we ’ re already seeing a new wave of baits and rigs designed for use with FFS , don ’ t expect the classic staples to suddenly become extinct . As Duckett says : “ All techniques come back after we ’ ve quit throwing them awhile .”
Which will remain our mainstays ? Which will be rediscovered and reinvented with a new wrinkle ? Which will become situational weapons ? What new deadly combination of bait and rig has yet to reach us ?
“ We as fishermen are evolving with the techniques , evolving with the technologies , too ,” reflects Klein . “ And that ’ s what keeps the fires burning .”
34 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2024