War Eagle 44

I use my thumb a good amount during most casts. I have all my reels (all Shimano) set up the same way, spool tention just tight enough to eliminate side to side spool play and one break block on. On calm days I can make a cast, as hard or light as needed for the lure I'm fishing, and just feather the spool at the very end of the casts. I can get pretty good distance on say a dd22 on my crankbait rod and ten pound test mono without ever nedding to touch the spool again until almost the end. I'm no expert by any means but after 12 years of baitcasting use I've gotten good enough to satisfy myself. On my normal casts, with most lures, I pick my thumb completely up off the spool from the start of the cast until the last 3rd. Sometimes I have to lightly feather in the middle but most of the time I just let the one break block do its thing. If I'm using a lighter lure like a weightless trick worm I have to do more feathering but I think that's to be expected. I always throw these on gear most would consider heavy, a Powell Max 703C with 15# P-Line CXX line. I don't have any issues here either but, I also realize I'm not going to be able to make booming casts with this set up in the first place. I should also mention that the reels I fish with the vast majority of my fishing time on my boat aren't high dollar reels either, I use Citica E 201's. All thats been done to them is I've cleaned the grease out of the spool bearings and re-lubed with a drop each of Shimano's oil. No super tuning or "upgraded" bearings. I added the part about my reels because it seems some guys think you need a Pixy to cast weightless plastics effectively with a baitcaster. You don't, most all the brands have low cost quality reels that will fish just fine. Now don't get me wrong here, I've owned a Pixy in the past so I know how much fun they can be to use and I do realize they will cast the trick worm a little furture but all I'm saying is you don't HAVE to get the most expensive gear. Sorry I went on a little long there, way more than you asked for.

Thanks guys for keeping the thread going. It's always nice to me to see and hear about all the different gear other guys use. There's always more than one way to go about doing something and it shows here with so many different rod, reel, and line combinations. Yet everyone here is accomplishing the same goal, catching bass out of grass or wood. I just love talking tackle and especially flipping because it's one of my favorite ways to fish.

I tried one package of the old style KVD's as well and found the same isuue you did. Don't think I'll be giving them a second chance. Well maybe for both our sakes these flipping hooks will turn out to be the real deal.

Anyone tried these yet? I placed an order for a couple packs last night but it'll be at least another week before they arrive. I think they look very interesting just because of the keeper design they have. I've been perfectly satisfied with my BMF and Owner Zo wire flipping hooks but just couldn't resist trying some of these. I like and use different hooks from all three of the major hook manufacturers; Gamakatsu, Owner, and Mustad so when I saw these were coming out I knew I'd have to try them. So I'd love to hear your opinions if you have fished these already, thanks.

I have three rods I use for cranks, a Powell Max 706CB, a GLoomis CBR 845, and a Shimano Cumara Reaction 7'7". I think the Powell or Loomis is better for square bills and shallow to medium depth baits. Either one will do what you want to do no problem. I know some guys will think I'm totally crazy but I think the Powell is the better of these two rods. I've used for every crank from a Bandit 100 to a 6XD and caught fish no problem. It's designed to fish baits more at the top end of the range like the 6XD or DD22 but I've found it to be an excellent square bill rod. LC 1.5's or KVD 1.5's fish great on it for me. The Cumara is just a beast of a rod, it over powers most any square bill IMO, I find it best for the deepest divers and big 3/4 oz rattle baits. tnbassfisher, the closest I've found to an "all around" cranking stick is the Powell. I know it's not going to be the absolute best choice in every situation but I've found it to be a good choice in a lot of them.

I hate to fall right in line with most everyone else here but I mostly use either the Mustad KVD 1X short 2X strong trebles or Owner ST-41 2X trebles. I find the Owners to be a little sharper and stick fish a bit better when they aren't just crushing the bait but on the flip side I find the Mustads to be more weedless and they stick fish just fine. Most of my square bills has Mustads and most of my deep divers have Owners. I don't have problems with fish throwing either of these hooks.

Again thanks guys, I'm enjoying this thread very much due to all the great replies. Keep it up. WdyCrankbait, I've not personally used that particular reel but I do know it was super popular and I'm sure you will get plenty of info from guys who have fished them, good luck. new2BC4bass, I too really like my Expert rod. It was my first flipping stick and also my one and only Falcon rod. I was in to trying all the new "latest and greatest" tackle at the time I picked this rod up so I didn't get any more Experts in different actions. I sometimes wish I had though, there is just something about the one I do have. I've bought and sold so much tackle since I first picked up the Expert but I just can't bring myself to get rid of it. The Chronarch 101A was my very first Shimano and "quality" baitcaster. Don't think I'll ever part ways with it either. Sure the reels today cast a little further, have slightly smoother more powerful drags, and weigh less but this old reel has never let me down when a fish is on the line. I don't fish this one every trip anymore and I don't have a rod specifically for it, I just put it on whatever rod I want to fish it on given the time of year and what technique I'm using most then. Besides it having the sentimental value to me, it will still hold it's own fairly well against the newer tackle providing you aren't trying to use it as a "finesse" reel. I won't flame you for using Daiwa tackle, they make very good tackle and I myself have owned many different Daiwa reels in the past, TDZ, Zillion 7:1, Fuego, Steez, Pixy, and Alphas. The only one I still own is the Alphas and it's just sitting in its box collecting dust. Not sure I'll sell this one either, it sure is a nice reel IMHO. Teal, I fish the Powell 7105 as well and I'm sometimes a little nervous about only using 20# fluoro I can't imagine only using 17#. I don't think it's uncommon at all for someone to have 3 flipping rods on their boat. If you live on a lake with lots of grass or mats and you enjoy that style of fishing (as I do) it just makes sense to me to have more than one so you can switch lures without having to constantly retie. I would love to come across a Cumara 7'7" H new, let us know how you like it once you get it on the water. ChiCityBasser, how are the F&S Tech Spec rods working out for you? I've yet to come across anyone using them.

Bluebasser86, yeah a swimbait is pretty effective. I've used Basstrix, Hollow Bellies, Swing Impact Fats, Grass Pigs, just all sorts and I've caught fish on most of them. Toward the end of summer these beds are really thick and it usually takes a 3/4oz weight to flip them, some places more but I still know it's not punching. As I mentioned earlier there are some mats here to fish if you really wanted to but I mostly flip these type weeds. In the spring when they're just starting to grow that's when a lot of guys here swim jigs through it with great results. This is the same time I'm usually using a weedless swimbait. One of my favorite things in fishing is fishing this grass in spring with a Gambler Cane Toad, man the action can be great at times. That bite doesn't last long because the grass gets to thick to effectively run the frog or swim jig/ swimbait through so that's when most either turn to their flipping sticks or abandon the bank altogether and start fishing deep. I'm a grass fisherman so I just break out the sticks and heavy weights. I've tried just about every way I know of to fish this grass so I'm always open to new ideas thats why I find the finesse worm thing so interesting. I'll give it a try this summer for sure and I'll try to remember to report back on my findings.

Hollisray, I think I'm perfectly capable of deciding for myself which reels I need. I've been flipping with Shimano reels for many years without a single problem, as have LOTS of other anglers. I hate you had a bad experience with one but that surely doesn't make them all junk. The purpose of this thread wasn't "whats the best" but rather what's everyone using and having fun with. Not everyone is going to like the exact same tackle and that's the beauty of the fishing tackle market today, plenty of different manufacturers so everyone can find what's right for them. No one else that responded bashed any one else's tackle until you, please stop trying to derail a perfectly civil thread.

Fishin24/7, it's true I really do like my Powells. Those are the 5 rods I fish the most, nothing fancy about them or the reels but they get the job done for me. What's most important is that I enjoy my time fishing with them and I don't worry about them getting scratched or boat rash, I just go fishing and totally concentrate on the fish. I'm the type of guy who worries about these sort of things when I use my expensive gear, just can't help it.

Thanks

Oh I understand now, got you. The grass I'm talking about flipping isn't nearly that thick, there are places here that can get like that but the majority of the grass I fish looks like this. It does get quite a bit thicker towards the end of summer but this is the only picture I currently have to show what I'm usually fishing.

The Next KVD, sorry I wasn't clear in my first post, I knew the difference in intended uses for the two rods I just didn't do a good job explaining myself. I've read on different boards here and there that people who did pick these up really really like them for flipping duties. Also I've read possitive reviews of the 7'4" Cumara that was intended as a frog rod, that's the one I am most interested in but if I got enough good feedback on the 7'7" H I might go ahead and pick it up if they had one. It's kind of funny you mentioned using yours as an umbrella rig rod because I'm waiting on the new Cumara A 7'9" umbrella rig rod to get into stock at the same tackle shop that has the leftover first gens. I guess I need to get back there and check things out soon because it appears I may be able to save a little coin going with the older model.

I see you've already made your choice but you also said earlier that you just wanted to get an idea of what others were using so here's mine. Symetre 3000FJ (I think this is the correct letters) on a Powell 683 rod. It's designed for shakeyheads and the like, says so right on the blank and I couldn't be happier with it. I've used it for at least 3 years now with zero complaints. I've used straight 8 and 10 pound fluoro on it but wasn't happy with my casting distance so I switched to 30# Power Pro with a 15# fluoro leader. I know most of you will think that is WAY overkill for a shakyhead rod, and it is normally, but I also use this rod to skip docks and boat houses with and some of the spots get pretty big and mean around here and I want to be able to get them out. I again know some will disagree with this statement as well but I've not seen a drastic drop in the number of bites I'm getting with the 15# leader. If I had, or do in the future, I will drop line both braid and leader until I start getting a decent number of bites again. I'm actually already planning to drop back to 20# Power Pro on the spool up, thirty was the smallest I had the day I decided to switch from all fluoro. This rod is excellent for finesse jigs and light texas rigs as well as weightless trick worms. I frequently skip PJ's Lil Brush jigs with Zoom swimming chunks on this setup to docks, boat houses, over hanging limbs, and anywhere else that looks "fishy" and love the performance I'm getting with it. This is the best (sorry for the quality) pic I have of that rod right now.

Great info fella's, keep it coming!! bassinbrian, does your new Zombie have the Dee Thomas guides? Those things look like they will be a great addition to a flipping stick especially for those guys who use braid exclusively. The Next KVD, could you tell me a little more about your Cumara 7'7" H? I have the 7'7" Reaction Cumara and absolutely love it. A shop I know has a few left over first gen Cumara's and I might give them a look to see if one of them is the 7'7" H if you talk me into it .

That's surprising to hear that you don't have much luck on the paca craws in grass. They are my favorite flipping lure, Alabama Craw or Watermelon Spice really work well for me in the thick grass here. 99% of the time with a 3/4 tungsten pegged and BMF straight shank I can get these baits through most anything I need to and then get bit after getting there. I fish a little differently than most people I see and the pro's on tv. When I make my pitch or flip and the bait intially goes through I let it sit motionless on the bottom for 15 to 20 seconds before I ever move it. Very rarely do I get bit on the first drop. Most of my bites come after I shake it a little after its just been sitting still.

Great replies so far, thanks. This is just a gratuitous pic of what I plan on using on the lake tomorrow. We've had lots of rain here the past three weeks so the water is a good bit more stained than it normally is. Not muddy just a darker stain to it. I'm usually not a fan of black and blue lures but I think the current water condition is calling for it. NetBait B-Bug, 5/16 tungsten pegged, double rattle band, Owner Zo wire flipping hook 4/0

ww2farmer, I've heard about plenty of guys having good results using Senko's for flipping, though I myself have never tried them. I don't know how popular these are around here for flipping but I'm sure they have their fair share of guys using them. I guess I'm really going to have to give the magnum finesse worm another try. It could have just been a slow day for flipping the day I tried them or it could have simply been the locations I chose to fish them. They did slide right into the holes in the grass no problem for me. The ease of which they penetrate the grass could be yet another reason these two guys like the regular finesse worms so much. I very rarely fish tournaments myself so I'm not looking for only 5 bites a day, I'm more interested in getting as many bites as I can so these smaller worms I think may help improve that for me. Another new "finesse" style bait I plan to try is the Havoc Slop Craw. It's small and doesn't have much built in action either so this might be another good lure for numbers.

I started a topic in the lure section about flipping baits and that got me to thinking more about the subject. Flipping grass is one of my favorite techniques and I always love talking and reading about it. So I just wanted to know what setups all you guys are using for these purposes, rods, reels, and line. I'm not looking for a "what's best" thread just interested in hearing about the combos you guys enjoy flipping and punching with. As I mentioned before I have three different flipping combos; 1 Falcon Expert 7'6" telescopic rod with a Chronarch 101A spooled with 25# P-Line CXX. 2 Powell Max 7105 with a Citica E 201 spooled with P-Line 100% fluoro 3 GLoomis BCFR 954 GLX with a Curado 51E spooled with Super 8 Slick 50# brown

I'm a big fan of the summer craw type colors as well as darker greens with a little orange mixed in. Browns, either by itself or with some orange or green mixed in, possibly both. I know this will be against the vast majority of jig fishermen but I'm not a huge black and blue fan. My favorite color is this one, it's hand tied by a local maker, he doesn't list colors on his baits so I just refer to it as infection because thats the color sweet beaver trailer that matches it so well is called.

Teal, no problem man. Like I was saying I just really love to talk fishing so any info I get is welcome. I guess that is part of the reason I was a little surprised when they were telling me how much success they had with finesse worms in the thick grass. I know these small baits weren't designed to be used with such heavy weights and in this type of cover but these two guys were adamant about their effectiveness. Maybe it just comes down to something as simple as the fish don't see these baits very often in the places these guys are using them and they are just to easy of a meal to let slide. Who knows for sure right, but I'm sure going to give them a shot once the summer weeds get here. gripnrip, I actually tried those ONCE last summer. I only managed one fish all day on it so that may be some of the reason I never tried them again. I'll have to give them more of a chance and see if I can get the hang of using them. I also used Spike It, the chartreuse color, but my worms were greenpumpkin. Greenpumkin is my favorite color for most plastics, it always seems to work around here. I also use some kind of chartreuse dye 99% of the time on these color plastics as well, either Spike It or JJ's Magic. I love to flip (I have three flipping stick combos) and my favorite two flipping baits are the Zoom baby brush hog and the NetBait baby paca craw. I usually use a "green" color with the brush hogs, be it greenpumpkin, watermelon red flake, greenpumpkin candy and a craw color with the paca craw, alabama craw or watermelon spice something along these lines. If I had to pick just one bait to flip with it would be the baby paca craw, I just catch so many fish on thses baits and they are easy to rig and get down in the thick grass. I usually have a tungsten 3/4 oz on them and I can fish them very well with this size weight. Every once in a blue moon I'll have to go up to an ounce and a quarter to get through where I want to in the middle of summer but mostly the 3/4 will do it. Back to the topic at hand, so since I enjoy flipping the weeds as much as I do I just got excited to hear about a "new" bait to try.

I've had pretty good success with these on a weighted screw lock type hook. Light weight, 1/16th but so far I've only fished them at a pond so I didn't have a need to go any heavier. I haven't had a chance to try them out on the lake. I was using greenpumpkin with the tail dipped in chartreuse Spike It. Like most everyone else said I just cast and steady retrieve them. It seems to me that the slower I reel them the more strikes I get. They are a great bait IMHO for their price. I hadn't even thought about putting them on the back of a swim jig, thanks for the idea guys.

I just wanted to see how many of you guys (if any) use these small worms while flipping. I mean real honest to goodness flipping, 20 pound and up line, 3/8ths and up weights, and heavy grass or wood. I've never really given these worms a chance in these situations and conditions, but I plan to this coming year. I was talking to a couple of older gentlemen at my local (central AL) tackle store and they were telling me just how effective these little worms are. Also just how FEW fellow fishermen were using them. Now to be clear neither of them tournament fish so I'm assuming they aren't so much concerned with catching the biggest fish they can but rather the most fish in a days fishing. They were saying how they've been doing this for years and no one ever seems to catch on to just how many fish you can catch using finesse worms while flipping heavy cover. They even say they don't have trouble catching a few on days with a lot of fishing pressure or even fishing behind other guys flipping the usual creatures or jigs. I asked them about their equipment while fishing these and they told me they don't use anything different than they would if they were fishing beaver style baits. Seven and a half foot flipping sticks, 20 to 25 pound fluoro or mono, 3/8ths weights pegged with a bobber stop, and 2/0 Owner straight shank XXX hooks. They said a 3/8ths weight is good for about 90% of all the grass around here (Lay Lake, Mitchell Lake, Lake Jordan) as long as you make accurate flips or pitches. Oh yeah one last thing, one of the guys said no matter the time of year, weather and water conditions, and any other variables you care to mention he only uses one color, sapphire blue. Sorry my first post was such a long one guys, I got a little carried away there. If you do fish finesse worms in this manner let me hear about it. Your gear used, favorite colors, what hooks and weights you use. I'm excited to try them out this summer and would like to hear anything you guys have to say on the subject.