If you think the bass are hanging out under grass mats or if there’s so much grass around that most of the other lures that you would normally through wouldn’t even work then a flipping and pitching rig can be the way to go. This rig is basically a texas rigged creature bait on a flipping hook with a pegged bullet weight, and you will usually want to go with a darker color like black and blue since the visibility will usually be lower in this type of a situation. In terms of the bullet weight, you will typically want to go with the lightest one that you can get away with but will still get though the grass mat (or whatever it is you are throwing the lure into) and in my case that’s usually a 3/8oz weight. That said the weight size can vary and some people will go all the way up to a 1oz weight if they are punching really thick grass mats.
A lot of people will also argue (and I tend to agree in theory) that snell knots are better for this setup because they ensure the hook always points up when you set it, so you always hook the fish in the roof of the mouth. The downside to using one (which I don’t see mentioned as often) is it’s another knot to learn to tie on, and if you aren’t as good at doing that it will take you longer to do so…the other downside is when you cut the hook off your line some line will remain wrapped around the hook so tightly that I usually have to go back and cut it off later with a razor. Having said that I usually just go with a uni knot for this setup (which is the same knot that I use with most of the other lures that I throw) and I haven’t noticed any difference in my hookup ratio, but I would still consider using a snell knot if I was fishing in a tournament.
In terms of equipment you will want a heavy or an extra heavy rod depending on how much vegetation is around, and they even make flipping rods that are extra heavy power rods made specifically for doing this in really heavy vegetation where you basically want a ‘broomstick’ to pull the fish through the grass. In my case I’ve found that a standard heavy powered fast action rod works fine for me most of the time, but I also don’t usually find myself trying to pull trophy bass through very heavy grass mats in a fishery like Lake Okeechobee. There are also a variety of lures out there that you can use for this technique, but I typically just stick to a 4″ Strike King Rage Bug.
Lure Summary – Flipping and Pitching Rig
Suggested Rod Length: 7’2″ – 7’6″
Suggested Rod Power: Heavy
Suggested Rod Action: Fast
Suggested Reel Type: Casting Reel
Suggested Gear Ratio: 8.4:1
Lure Weight (est.): .75oz – 1.5oz
Tackle Required
- 4/0 Owner 4x Jungle Flippin’ Hook
- 3/8 – 1oz bullet weight
- 1 bobber stop
- 50lb Sufix 832 Braided Line
Suggested Soft Plastic Baits
- 4″ Strike King Rage Bug