Hi all,
I'm thinking about learning to flip cast for bass from my Outcast Cougar. Would you suggest using a traditional flippin' stick that's about 7'6"? Is that too much rod for a kick boat or does the extra length make it easier to place your bait.
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I don't and have never flipped, so I am looking forward to the answers on this.
I fly fish and I use anywhere from 7' to 10' rods from my tube and toon.
I know what flipping is I just have never done it so I am curious as to pole length also.
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[cool][#0000ff]Flippin', dippin' and pitchin' are all doable and effective from "floatation craft". Much easier from a 'toon than from a tube. Sitting higher off the water helps a lot. Having a standing platform would make it even better.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The "stealth mode" afforded by tubes and toons makes it possible to get up close and personal without spooking the fish. I have had many experiences where I was able to look down in the clear water and see big ol' basses lookin' back up at me...and then suck in the jigs I dropped to them. That is a rush.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]A standard flippin' stick will work fine from your 'toon, but you may find the handle a bit longer than you would like. The long handle helps with balancing the heavier rod and reel for flippin'...and for hauling big ol' bigguns out of heavy cover...but it also gets in the way in the tighter quarters of a tube or 'toon. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I build my own rods and most of my sticks have shorter handles. But, I have build a couple of specialty rods with longer (and shorter) handles for "dip-stickin"...reaching out and gently lowering a jig into a hole in the cover...such as with crappie fishing. Works well for bass too. Here is a pic of some of the 9' to 12' rods I use for "reachin' out". Some I rig with a spinning reel. Others with baitcast. You will notice in the picture that some are built with the elongated foregrip (like a flyrod) to allow balancing the long rod better.[/#0000ff]
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Thanks for the hands on info TD.
I didn't think about the handle, but then again, like I said I have never done it.
The long handle does make sense however. I have three spey rods so to speak and they all have a removeable 3" to 4" fighting butt.
I did find it easier in my tube to remove the butt. Even in my toon, but I think it is because I am sitting, as you mentioned.
One thing to remember...."where there is a will, there is a way!"[angelic]
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One thing to remember...."where there is a will, there is a way!"
[cool][#0000ff]Where there is a will, there are lawyers...and unhappy relatives.[/#0000ff]
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I have a 7' MH rod that I used out of my FC4 and it worked great flipping to reeds/weeds/timber. Good Luck
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As always, TD has the definitive answer, however I was going to add that from a tube, longer is better. When you are standing on the front of a Bass Boat, you are above the target and can handle more line to hit it. From a tube or toon, you are level with the target and it will be harder to handle a lot of line ( like doing a double haul with a fly rod) to hit the target. TD's idea of a longer forgrip is also very good. You can check some of the catalogs for specialty Crappie rods that offer both lenght and the longer forgrip !! Good luck !!
Flippin' definitely is harder from a tube with your elbow almost in the water. You gotta flip it without any body english, too. Toons, being higher, are probably better for working room, but I can't speak from experience. You can flip and pitch from a tube, but it's an acquired skill that, at least for me, takes a lot of practice and patience. I use the rod-n-reel I'm most comfortable with, which just happens to be my six-footer. I carry three baitcaster rigs, including a seven-footer for long casting cranks and a 6.5 for sticks and jigs. I didn't buy the rods specifically for purpose of length. In fact, I'd rather have shorter ones so they fit better in my compact car on trips when not using the SUV. To be honest, after reaching my flipping frustration tolerance, I resort to sidearming with a flipping-switch reel. Besides, I've found the tube's stealth makes up for my lack of casting accuracy by allowing me to get right up to 'em.
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