Flipping/Punching the reeds...

I almost never fish the reeds...I know.. stupid...But I never learned how, never made sense to me that fish would be in 3 to 4 feet of water in the summer unless it was under a dock. However... seeing that this is where people are catching them I need to at least try. I got a 7' 4" rod, best I got...Heavy action. I have a 7.1.1 reel. I know that is not ideal, but it should get me started. One question I have is how close do you get to the edge of the reeds so as not to scare the fish?

Any other techniques or tips? I have been watching a ton of you tube, but always nice to hear form actual people that aren't trying to get subscribers or sell you something.

Thank you.

Depends on the lake. I have had fish that wouldn’t bite if I was closer that 10-12 feet, and I’ve caught fish literally from almost under the boat in 2 feet of water.

I will say this. Use 65lb braid and REEL FAST! You don’t want them digging in. I start out really close and back off if the fish seem nervous. I don’t want the fight to last longer than needed.

I'm no pro, but I tend to treat them sort of like I treat docks or other grassy cover...

Start on the outside with weightless Tx Rig, then begin flipping the front gaps. Bass will be as shallow as 6" in the reeds. If you have deeper water near by, try and stay far enough away to allow them ingress/egress into the reed lines. Once you have exhausted the outside edges, nose on up in there and pitch/flip as deep as you can. Realize that the lake bottom, even up shallow is not perfectly flat. A depression, a rock/boulder, sunken tree trunk, or other structural/cover element will draw the fish and should be your primary targets. Also, other grass combinations within the reeds can concentrate the fish.

There are fish shallow year long. In fact, with some good grass (not just reeds) the water quality is often better than the deeper water.

For reeds, I typically pitch a 3/4oz tungsten with a dark-colored beaver on 65lb braid. It's typically much darker in heavy cover, so even in clear water, black/blue is my go-to. Experiment how far back you pitch into the reeds until you get a bite or two and then you can be more select where you flip. I also focus on the shadiest areas. Also try running a reaction bait parallel to reed line and through the open lanes.

If there's matted grass around, I'd rather be punching that with 1 - 1 1/2 oz. Your setup is actually pretty ideal. Heavy action is typically more parabolic than an extra heavy, which I believe lands more fish.

The key to catching these fish is learning how to softly enter your bait in the water. If you have a swimming pool practice practice practice.

Really good info here, honestly not a lot to add. Use heavy braid, reel fast, find irregularities and make sure to fish those spots well, make as little commotion as possible. I think it's often overlooked that you can usually pick up a few fish quickly by running a moving bait along the very edge of the reeds, it doesn't have to all be flipping and pitching.

Wow, this is awesome. Big thanks to all of you. We will be out this weekend giving it a shot... so I will provide an update. Again, many thanks.

I like a XH 7'4" rod, high speed reel, 80lb braid, 1.5oz flippin weight, a punch skirt and a jungle hook, hand to hand combat. Up close and personal, do not let the fish ever get the advantage

I got a 7' 4" Heavy action, the reel is pretty good, 7.1.1. I am using 65 pound test braid, and a 1 oz tungsten weight. Right now I have a Reaction Innovation Sweet Beaver tied on but will definitely play with some options. I mostly fish worth, so will just take some time to figure out what is best out there. I can say this, the first thing you all could of told me is that those tungsten weights are like 5 bucks a piece... good lord I nearly fell out. I got two, so if I lose both, no more punching and flipping until I get my income tax lol...

Do any of you put a bead between the weight and the hook? I always did to protect the knot, but is it needed with a snell?

A few bobber stops, no bead. Buy tungsten from omfishingsinkers

Thank you... Got the bobber stops... will nix the bead. Checking out that site now...

So, if your talking Lake Worth, the fish do the opposite of what you think they would do in 88 degree water.

Flip reeds as noted, nice and easy. On sparse patches, senko, or frog. ( they hate the frog ) I have caught fish on a frog, middle of the day, putting it as far back in the reeds as possible. Good luck.

Buy tungsten from us. Why? We are local, support the local fishing community and our weights in the size you need are more affordable than OM. Just ask Brent S he can tell you the same . Another bonus is we will throw in some LW tips for flipping the reeds!

Where are you located? Rivera...

Carlos is good people to do business with. Have bought from him multiple times over the years

Steve

We are located in Springtown Tx. You can swing by our shop or we can meet up. Let me know.

www.riveratackle.com

He will too! I have met Carlos in Kennedale before to buy a Zillion Flipping rod .....at a gas station!

Good guy to do business with for sure. A+.