Last night, Dee Thomas, who is known for the creation of the flipping technique, passed.

Flipping is a favorite technique for me. This is one of the pioneers that played a part in advancing this game of bass fishing which we love!

RIP sir. I hope the bushes are full of 10 pounders on Lake Heaven !

There are many different dreams about bass fishing but none more than flipping a jig next to a tree or under a dock or into a bush and feeling the thump of a huge bass. Thank you Dee Thomas and RIP.

RIP

Not many fishermen have impacted the sport more than Dee. RIP Big Daddy.

RIP

one of the last times I fished the California Delta , my partner and I decided to stop in for a lunch before the tide changed .
The table next to us was Dee and his buddy having lunch . After we ate , I stopped and thanked him for teaching the world how to flip for bass , he said " anytime " .
He was in poor health the past few years , but still fished lots of tourneys
RIP Sir !!!

Cool story

Sad to hear... one of the greatest of all time presentation methods, there is prolly not a bass boat on the planet that doesn’t have at least 1 flipping stick in the box...my flipping/pitching stick is the first on deck every time out...
RIP Dee.

Yep My favorite way of fishing. Got two on my deck all the time.

RIP Mr. Thomas

The first time I met Dee was when I was in high school and fishing out of a 16’ flat bottom. Came around some tules just as he was heading my direction. We chatted for a few minutes before he pulled his trolling motor and ran up the river! RIP Dee

Matt Allen with one of Dee’s dipping rods


[i][/i]https://youtu.be/ViauEQsJsy8

Dee Thomas may have got credit for starting flipping but the San Anglo/Concho Bass Club guys were doing this back
In the 50’s. They were fishing out of kayaks(not kayaks like today but canoe like) Some of the best kept secrets of Texas bass fishing was in West Texas.

I met Dee several times, including one memorable day when he "drew" me to backseat with him in a Pro-Am. He was one of those guys with a gruff exterior but who had a heart of gold. In spite of the gruffness, you never had a companion get more excited when you hooked a fish behind him. He would bark out commands rapid fire, do this , don't do that, etc., etc. to be sure you got that fish in the boat. Not sure he was even aware he was doing it. He had a long memory if someone foolishly crossed him but he was most generous with his art the rest of the time. He would attend any bass club that invited him, freely sharing insights and tips, including his "braid knot". He was most proud of the fact that he made his living fishing, starting out from the time way back that bass and stripers were commercially fished in the Delta, and that was long, long ago. Back to a time when local contests for money were not sanctioned by anybody (they were known as "coffee can" events). Long before all the pro sponsorships and all the modern hype. In later years, he was old and his joints were failing him. He had a special handrail mounted on the centerline of his Ranger from helm to the front sit down seat and he just kept on fishing the local Pro-Ams. Although known as the father of modern flipping, he was a versatile fisherman, competing at all the popular Northern Calif circuit lakes as well as the Delta. You could change up technique and hook a fish behind him in the lakes, but when he was flipping in the Delta, You'd better just fish off the deep side of the boat because when he was "serious" flipping there was no spot he hadn't covered, and he did it all without even slightly disturbing the surface of the water. You were in for a great day if you were drawn by Dee. Rest in peace to someone who embodied all that is good in fishing, and that I remember very fondly.