Fast-Paced Pitching & Flipping Techniques

I have the reputation of being an angler who moves fast and often. I admit I'm not one to sit on a hole for hours or crawl soft plastics on the bottom. I can do those things, but if you see me doing that in a tournament, I'm probably in trouble.

Pitching, on the other hand, is a slower tactic that fits my style. Although I might not be as meticulous or as slow with my presentations as experts like Denny Brauer or Tommy Biffle, I've created a system that works well for me. In fact, I won the 2001 Bassmaster Classic on the Louisiana Delta by pitching jigs and soft plastics to shallow cover.

For me, fishing is about determining the patterns within patterns and covering a lot of water. While my first choice would be faster baits, there are times when bass just aren't in the mood to chase. If I'm getting half-hearted strikes on my spinnerbaits and crankbaits, I know it's time to abandon the horizontal lure presentation and go vertical.

Even so, I still cover a lot of water when the flipping rod is in my hand. I key on banks with isolated pieces of cover so I can run the trolling motor fast, slow down when I approach a target, make a few pitches, then zoom to the next one. If the cover is thick, I'll slow down and be more methodical, but I like to keep moving.

That's not to say my faster style of pitching and flipping is a helter-skelter approach. I'm still focused on finding the subtleties within patterns, noting precisely where bass are setting up on the cover and the best way to present the bait. For example, are they on the tips of the wood, on the backside or buried in the thick stuff? Are they hitting the bait on the fall or after I've shaken it a few times?

The more I narrow it down, the more proficient I become. It may take me seven hours of an eight-hour tournament to get dialed in, but when I do, I'm going to be moving faster while putting the hurt on bass during that last hour.

I use most of the same baits as other flippers, but my favorites are tubes and jigs. If crawfish are dominant, I'll opt for the jig. If the water is clear or baitfish are the main forage, I'll pitch a tube.

The weight of the lure can be more critical than its shape. I prefer heavier lures because I can make longer pitches and work the bait faster. However, if the strikes are coming within a foot of the surface or as the bait falls, that tells me bass are suspended around the cover and a lighter presentation may be in order. I may switch to an action-tail worm or creature bait that falls slower.

I also will pitch with medium-heavy spinning gear when the water is clear and the bass are moody. Spinning tackle enables me to use smaller baits and 10- or 12-pound line. I'm not worried about the bass seeing the line, but rather how it affects the natural fall of a small bait.

I use XPS fluorocarbon line most of the time because of its toughness. I've pulled some big fish out of gnarly places using fluorocarbon. For baitcasting gear, I use 17- to 25-pound fluorocarbon. Again, I love its abrasion resistance and low stretch. I used to lose fish while flipping tubes, but my strike-to-landing ratio has gone up since I switched from monofilament. Fluorocarbon hits fish harder and holds up better around docks and places where razor-sharp zebra mussels grow.

Pitching baits in cover is a deadly technique, especially if you learn to fish fast and cover water effectively. You'll present your bait to more fish, and that often results in a more successful day.