I don't think I could ever get past the eye test with a spiral wrapped rod.

For taller guys is the extra length on the rod necessary?

Like fishing with a spiral Carolina rig rod. Really sensitive but idk about flippn...

IMO, yes. The extra length has a few advantages. Fish control, You can also take up more line and flip a little further. My two cents anyway...

Ok, not necessary but can be an advantage. Something else to think about is comfort level. If you are not comfortable with a rod, chances are you will not have much confidence when fishing with it and you will catch less fish. The book will only take you so far on what is recommended or preferred, the rest is up to each angler to find out what he/she prefers.

So what percentage of guys actually take the line in their hand and really use the "flipping" technique with their flipping stick? Shouldn't it be a pitching stick instead?

Haven't seen a dedicated Flipper,on the water,in a long time. FZ1 prefers to stay back,a little,and Pitch. Pitching rods are,simply,medium heavy/fast action rods. Typical length range 6'6" to 7'2".

Depends on the task. For me, it is two different sticks (6'10 Pitching and a 7'6 Flipping. Or, I have a cross (7'3" that I can use to do both. I still see a lot of hand in line true Flippers.

i use a 745 to pitch and flip with 90 percent of the time,it works well for flipping docks and wood,if your going to be flipping are pitching heavy grass and wood combined i would suggest something a little stiffer like a 766 flip.

The 745 is 7'4" long and 5 power
the 766 is 7'6" and 6 power this rod is a beast for flipping heavy grass and wood.

I am sorry for the misunderstanding, I commonly call a flipping stick what I use to pitch with. I always do that out of habit, but this rod will be used primarily for pitching jigs and things of that nature. This will be a custom rod that AMAC Custom Rods will be putting together. I will post some pics when I get it.

7' 10" micro

I wrap rods for myself. I like the spiral wrap, but I don't know if there is a "real" advantage to it or not. The only advantage that I can imagine is that under load (fish on) the rod blank won't twist. The line "wants" to go to the bottom--below the blank. Something about arcs, path of least resistance, shortest distance between 2 points, etc. People with physics backgrounds could explain it. The only way for that to happen with guides on top is for the blank to twist--or side pressure on the guides (twisting the guides off). I don't know what I think about micro guides. I just built one with tiny guides on it for pitching. I haven't had much opportunity to see how the rod performs. The few times I've used it, I have been pleased. Micro guides are more delicate, but there are ways to keep them on the rod--from how they are wrapped to the type of guide.

Custom rods built by someone who knows what they are doing are superior to OTC rods--but they cost more. A good custom rod builder will pay closer attention to the details than a factory worker will. The custom Kistler Z-bone is a good example. Same blank and comparable components, but a custom one costs more than the factory rod. Why? Because someone took the time to fine-tune it to optimize the performance. Both are good rods, but one has been "super-tuned".

Just so you know,Coach. The Big Boys,like KVD and FZ1,use Medium Heavy/Fast action rods for Pitching. Pick a length between 6'6" and 7'2",that best fits you,and you will be fine. Pick the lightest weight rod you can afford,Pitching it 1,000 times a day is fatiguing.

Some of the big jigs they are pitching are too big for a MH.