Tips for Flippin' and Pitchin'

Flipping heavy cover has evolved drastically the last few years. A term that once meant throwing a texas-rigged plastic into brush now encompasses everything from punching matted vegetation to pitching a jig around docks. Perhaps the term has been abused or perhaps we're learning new ways to expand and catch bass that are hiding in the dark. 

However you want to look at it, Flippin' has changed. In this video Matt breaks down everything from traditional texas rigged plastics on a straight shank hook to newer twists including screw locks, Superline hooks, and even jigs. The changes include rods as well so if you're flipping with a 7'6" rod you might want to consider expanding into both shorter and longer rods for different approaches. 

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Below is a breakdown of some of the gear Matt and Tim have found to help them catch more fish when flipping and pitching in cover...

Flipping Rods...

-Light Flipping 7'2" Zodias
-Heavy Flipping 7'6" Expride
-Heavy Flipping 7'9" Extreme 795
-Punching 8' Champion 805

-Reel: Shimano Curado 200 7:1

-Line: Sufix 832 65 lb braid

-Favorite Flipping Jig
-Favorite Punch Jig

-Tungsten Weight With Liner
-Dirty Jigs Punch Skirt
-Bobber Stop (Weight Stop)

-Gamakatsu EWG Superline Hook (4/0 Size)
-Owner Twist Lock Hook (4/0 and 6/0)
-Straight Shank Super Heavy Cover Hook

Preferred Baits...

-Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver
-Missile Baits D Bomb
-Strike King Rage Bug

Punchin' and Froggin' on the CA Delta

Can someone explain to me how a $3 frog could work so well? Isn't it common knowledge that you have to spend $20+ on a frog from Japan with a fancy paint job to get fish to bite? I guess not! This particular morning I had headed out to the delta with one thing on my mind; Punching. The plan was to strip the boat of everything but two punch rods, a handful of baits, weights, and hooks, and the Go Pro Camera. I figured I'd spend the day having fun and film a video explaining how stripping the boat of gear helps you commit to a pattern and ultimately helps you put more fish in the boat.

So what went wrong? One word: TIDE.

If it were a guide trip, or even a trip with friends I'd study the tides and make the best decisions possible. When its just me and a camera I didn't even bother to look at the tide charts. Do you know what a "minus tide" does to a shallow punch bite? The big ones go away and the baby bass come out to play! As you'll see in the video my plan quickly unraveled and I was forced to do what any self respecting fisherman would do... I drove to the nearest tackle shop and spent money!

Who would have thought that I would discover a long forgotten bait (at least to me) and begin to hammer the fish? That's exactly what happened! In the following days I kept catching fish and the size got bigger. There will be more videos to follow on this subject.

For those curious about what they're seeing in this video, the punch fish were caught with a 2 oz. punch weight, a Dirty Jigs Punch Skirt, a 4/0 hook, and a Dobyns 766 Savvy Rod (A phenomenal punching rod for the price). The Snag Proof Weed Demon fish were caught with a Dobyns Champion 736, my favorite frog rod.

Punching at its finest

A few months back I had the pleasure of doing some punching with my friend Justin out on the CA delta. At the end of the day Justin spent a few minutes talking about he had learned and his thoughts on punching. That video was posted here and many of you have already watched it: Punching the CA Delta
Since then Justin has been out catching fish and was nice enough to send over this clip. I was told these fish were caught using the Miller punch System from millerpunchinweight.com and from all appearances, they’re worth giving a try. I hope you enjoy the video!

Have you been on a great punch bite this year? Leave a comment and tell us all about it. Better yet, did you get it on video? Send us an email and we’ll get it on the site.