Flipping.....meant PITCHING..... is something I almost never do.

What are you looking for when flipping?

Where? Shallow or deep....how deep?

Water color a factor? I fish some clear water and tend to make longer casts as to not disturb the fish.

Are you talking about "flipping" or "pitching?" There is a difference and when many people say flipping, they're actually talking about pitching.

If you really mean flipping then no, I just about never flip either.

Sometimes if you are sitting right over some really gnarly cover, like a big laydown, you can work through it quickly and quietly by flipping.

When you are poking through every hole and nook in that laydown, it just seems more efficient to pull line up with your hand, then swing it over into the next spot without ever disengaging the reel and winding and pitching.

After doing some other reading.....I guess I really meant pitching.

Looks like I will be practicing this evening.

I got ya now.

You pitch at thick cover where a side or overhand cast won't put the lure in the strike zone long enough, or at all. It's generally a shallow, <10 feet, presentation meant to put a lure in their face for a longer period of time. Water color isn't a big deal unless it gets really clear, like several feet, where you would want to back off and make longer pitches.

Because you tend to use pitching in shallow water, getting the lure in there quietly is often important. So, set up some coffee cans in the yard and practice keeping the lure as close to the ground as possible and stopping it right above your target so it lightly hits the ground/water.

The bottom line, whether pitching or flipping, is putting your bait quietly and precisely where you want it at close range. The question should be where you want it, and how you want to fall through the water column. All this depends on how the fish are staged. Are they tight to cover? Are they high on it or near the bottom? Are they active or inactive? If they are active, what are they eating? All these factors, and more, should be used to decide what to pitch and how to pitch it. Hitting the right spot is just a part of the technique.

Most of the time you want whatever you're throwing to drop strait. That means your line needs to be almost slack with just enough tension to be able to feel a pick-up. Sometimes you may want a bit of a pendulum effect in which case you would pitch beyond your target and keep the line taught so it swings back towards the target.

As with most techniques, try and picture your bait from the fishes perspective and you'll be able to figure out the best way to present your bait.

I would suggest a slightly larger target (like a tire), at first, just to avoid getting frustrated, then shrink the target as u improve..

I got really good at this by pitching around the house and hotel rooms before tournaments...Trying to pitch under chairs, tables and into cups. pitch under a coffee table is good too but make sure she's not at home when you ding it with a jig...1/2oz jig is a good place tp start...Hehehhehe

I practice a lot in my pool. I get to see how the bait falls and the action on the trailer as it falls. I have a in-floor cleaning system in my pool which means I have over 20 pop jets all over the bottom of the pool they are about 2" in diameter. I try to land within 6" of the center of each one. I have gotten pretty good over the years.

Get the Denny Brauer Pitchin' and Flippin' video. All you need to know.

Just stick with it...Find and combo that fits and works best for you...IMHO, this is one of the greatest way to fish, its my personal favorite, some guys like topwaters, I live for a great flipping bite!!!...Its up close and personal,hand to hand combat and once you get it down you will love it!

Good Luck!

I think practicing in a pool in the best way to go because you will be thinking about making the cast perfect and wont be thinking about getting a hit.

I like to use invisiline on my pitching rods. The white color makes it easier for me to see a strike on the fall. I can let the lure sit on slack line for longer as well and just watch the line for movement.

Like outdoordude said, 10 foot or less. Silence is key when flipping that <4 water depth range. When I pitch I really like to let the bait sit on slack line for a couple seconds before I pick the bait up. Most of the time when flipping the bite is a reaction bite as the fish are either suspended in the cover or just off the bottom. Pitch with the lightest weight you can get by with so that the bait doesn't fall to fast in front of the fish. That was key for me at our last tournament. A 1/2 oz weight was falling too fast and the fish wouldn't react to the bait. Started pitching with a 3/16 oz weight and put 20 lbs in the boat. Just practice as much as you can and you'll get the hang of it. Pitching is definitely a something a fisherman needs to be good at.

I don't fish a worm other than pitching if you going to fish laydowns, boat docks, or pretty much any other cover you need to pitch.