All About Bass Fishing - Guide To Shallow Pitching and Flipping
By Rick Seaman and Dan Westfall
Pitches are short to medium presentations somewhere between a flip and a cast. Use a motion of pitching the lure from a high-held rod tip which swings the lure toward the target. The key is precise placement of the lure into pockets within cover while keeping the boat back away from the cover. Flipping is a shorter, more direct motion to quietly present a lure deep in cover.
3 Most Important Factors About Shallow Pitching and Flipping
- Pitching is accurate, underhand pitches of worms or soft-plastic baits to openings in cover.
- Pitch or flip slow-falling baits near cover to create the ideal presentation.
- Pitch or flip when it is bright and sunny and bass are holding tight to cover or in dirty water.
3 Most Effective Fishing Methods & Lures
- Present worms or creature baits as close to cover as possible.
- Keep one finger on the line to detect strikes as the lure free falls to the bottom.
- Boat control is critical to keep from spooking the bass.
Pitching and flipping can get lures into the hard-to-access spots.
These techniques are ideal for catching bass when they are positioned in shallow cover but hesitant to come out of the cover to feed. As a rule, longer rods with heavier line are important for this method. These bass are usually in heavy cover and need to be horsed out quickly.
Accuracy is a must. The key to pitching is to practice enough that you can consistently place a lure in an opening the size of a cereal bowl. For all practical purposes you are flipping from a distance, allowing the lure to drop deep into the middle of cover. This is ideal for clear water or slightly stained water conditions.
Lure selection can vary from small worms to larger jigs and anything in between. Most often the lure is imitating crawfish. The use of bulky creature baits helps attract attention due to the vibrations as the lure moves lots of water during its fall. All lures should be rigged weedless or have weed guards on jig hooks.
In clear water it is important to keep some distance from the cover, while dirty water allows you to position the boat nearer the cover. The closer you are to the cover, the easier it can be to get big bass out of the cover.
AA Bass Fishing Knowledge Base
- Bass Fishing Overview
- Life Cycle Of Bass
- Seasonal Bass Migration
- Bass Migration - Mid to Late Winter
- Bass Migration - Spring
- Bass Migration - Early Summer
- Bass Migration - Late Summer
- Bass Migration - Fall
- Bass Migration - Early Winter
- Fishing For Bass
- It's Now WHAT You Throw, It's WHERE
- Research The Fishery Before You Go
- Review Contour Maps
- Types Of Cover Used By Bass
- Bass Fishing In Grass Beds
- Bass Fishing In Wood & Timber
- Bass Fishing In Brush & Vegetation
- Establishing Patterns
- Learn To Recognize Bites
- Review Lunar Tables
- Choose The Right Lures
- Find Bass Based On Conditions
- Conditions - Fold Fronts
- Conditions - Wind
- Conditions - Cloudy Days
- Conditions - Fishing In The Rain
- Conditions - Water Clarity
- Conditions - Rising Water
- Conditions - Falling Water
- Conditions - Fishing At Night
- Equipment & Tackle
- Equipment - Fishing Rods
- Equipment - Fishing Reels
- Equipment - Fishing Line
- Equipment - Fishing Lures
- Fishing With Live Bait
- Shallow Water Techniques, 0 -10'
- Shallow Fishing - Spinnerbaits
- Shallow Fishing - Crankbaits
- Shallow Fishing - Top Water
- Shallow Fishing - Pitching & Flipping
- Shallow Fishing - Artificial Worms
- Shallow Fishing - Jigs
- Shallow Fishing - Flukes
- Shallow Fishing - Stick Worms
- Shallow Fishing - Swimbaits
- Fishing Mid Range Depths, 10' - 25'
- Mid Depth - Spinnerbaits
- Mid Depth - Deep Diving Crankbaits
- Mid Depth - Artificial Worms
- Mid Depth - Jigs
- Mid Depth - Swimbaits
- Fishing Deep Water & Structure
- Fishing Deep Water - Jigs
- Fishing Deep Water - Jigging Spoons
- Fishing Deep Water - Artificial Worms
- Planning Your Attack
- Bass Fishing Questions & Answers
- Conservation - Protect The Fishery
Bass information by state.