Flipping and Pitching rod and reel

[jjjmpv22]

Now that I am pretty much done for the year its time to start thinking about next year. I am looking for a pitching set up I have not used this technique yet put plan on using it next year and was wondering what I should be looking for in a rod and reel.

[Waterfoul]

You will get a lot of different responses to this question.

My set up is a 7' Heavy action St. Croix Legend rod, Shimano Curado 6.3:1 reel, and 50 lb Powerpro braid.  Works for me but I'm sure others have a more specialized set up.

[LennyB]

I like a 6'6" Med/Hvy for tight quarters like canals and such and 7" Med/Hvy for open water areas. As far as line I use the strongest I can get away with based on water clarity. For my reel I use the best I can afford (Revo STXs and Shimano Chronarchs). I would say the most important part of pitching is practice, practice , practice to get accuracy. Just my 2cents.

[fiker]

I use a medium heavy 6'8 St. Croix Avid with a fast tip for my rod.  My reel is a Shimano Curado Bantam 101.  For Line I use 50# Power Pro, and then add about a 3 or 4 foot leader of flurocarbon.

I've tried other combos in the past, but this one works quite well for me. 
The smaller 101 reel fits in my hand better and is much more comfortable. 
The Avid offers great sensitivity as well as accuracy. 
The Power Pro is a round braid and lasts quite a while.  I can also pick it up locally when I need some right away. 
The fluorocarbon might just be a confidence thing on my part.  The waters around here are so clear that I just don't want to risk spooking a line shy fish. I join the two lines together with a uni to uni knot and have never had any problems with the connection breaking off.
Another advantage to the fluoro is that it sinks quicker than braid to get the jig down quickly.  I can always slow it down with trailer size. 

I'm right handed, but use left hand reels.  In doing this, my most accurate hand does the pitching, and my other hand is quickly on the crank should I need to retrieve line fast.

[Lightningboy]

Kinda depends on what you want to pitch & where.

For jigs and/or heavy cover, a Shikari FS 764 with a Shimano Scorpion 1501, 50# power pro & a 20# 6 foot fluoro leader.  The big Scorp has the two way flippin' bar, so you can engage the reel without turning the handle.

For Sicko's, MHX MB941 with a Scorpion 1001, 15# fluoro.

I like the Scorpions because they seem to give better short range control; smoother with easier start up on the pitch.

Biggest thing is practice.  Get in the back yard in the spring.  Stand on a milk crate to simulate deck height above the water.  Put a shallow bowl or pie plate 20 feet away, and practice putting it in there while keeping the lure low along the way.

Keep the distance short until you are smooth, then increase a little at a time.  Eventually put some water in the pie tin, to work on a soft entry.  Accuracy & a soft entry are more important than anything else.

[jjjmpv22]

Thanks for the input fellas!

[bob620]

I was watching WFN today and Extreme Angler was about pitching and flipping for Large Mouth in some what Karl Kalonka calls cottage lakes in Canada.I know he is sponsored by St Croix,but he went through each setup with line and why a condition of the water murky,clean,and woody dictated each set-up.I think he was using St Croix bass legend tournament rods all 7'3" xh rods.If you get WFN,check it out.Also is his bass boat a older ranger,the seats and other items looks like one.I haven't done much flipping  in my boat.I have a ranger 620 and it has high gunnels,its very awkward and constantly hitting my rod on it.Revtro, I know I should have got a Bass Cat!!!     



                                                                                bob620

[FishermanJohn]

I use a Shimano Core 7.0:1 on a St. Croix Legend Tournament 7' HF rod.  I like the fast ratio on the Core to pick up slack line quick and it also has a flipping bar which I use some of the time.  I use straight 20# fluorocarbon.

[djkimmel]

I'm 5' 10' so I use either a 7' Grandt C9 (for lighter approaches) or C10 All American Pro Series sometimes for a little heavier pitching in open water-type situations. I use several different smooth reels with faster pickups. I have some older reels that have the flipping feature that I sometimes use if I'm going to keep flipping for a while. I usually use 20 lb. test P-Line HALO co-fluoride.

In more open water and lighter color, I have fun using a medium-heavy 7' National Angler graphite spinning with a large spool spinning reel so I can pitch 10 pound P-Line HALO co-fluoride line. I have fun with this rig. Eventually, I will get a Grandt 7' spinning rod for this technique too since I like Grandt Rods - American-made with a lifetime warranty.

For real heavy stuff, I often switch between pitching and flipping as I move along, so I use a 7' 6" Grandt All American Pro Series flipping rod with P-Line Spectrex IV super braid. I use the same rod, and now another rod and reel someone gave me as a gift for frogging too so I usually have 65 lb. or 80 lb. test line on. I used the brand so many of you like so much for a while but the Spectrex has outperformed it for me here and for the brutal peacock bass in the flooded forests of the Amazon. PLUS, since the other line has so much marketing success, I can often get the better P-Line on sale!! Thanks!!

I have my first Shimano casting reel I have ever owned on the gift rod (a G Loomis I will probably break!?!  ) - a very nice reel but above my budget, and I have an old, inexpensive Abu Garcia on the Grandt flipping stick. The main importance to me is smooth so I can pitch or cast frogs easily. Lots of good reels out there can do that at many budget levels.

[jdg279]

I use a Shimano Curado 201E, (lefty) 7:1 gear ratio paired with a Powell Max 765 flipping stick.  I like the big grips on the Curado for leverage.  Oh, and I spool up with 50 lb Powerpro.  If the water is clear and fishing more wood than weeds I will swap a spool from a different rod with 17-20 lb fluoro or tie on a leader to the braid.  That's the nice thing about having Citicas and Curados -the spools are interchangeable.  I'll also throw frogs and toads on it, great setup for the $, no issues whatsoever.  Good luck finding your set-up

[BrianB]

Right now I am using a 7'-0'' XLH70 Grandt w the Reserve Power. The reserve power has more Material built into the back end of the  rod to give you more power to pull the fish out of heavy cover. Grandt makes the rod in other sizes depend on what you are use to but the Reserve power is the way to go.

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