The only way I have fished a jig is to cast it out and hop it back slowly. I have caught fish but I want to understand the difference between how I fish a jig and what the difference is between Flipping and Pitching.

What is the shallowest and deepest water you Flip or Pitch?

Do you flip to a dock when your in 10' of water and the end of the dock is in 5' water or Pitch?

When do you do one or the other and why?

How would you fish a jig when your fishing four feet of clear water and there is a patch of lily pads?

Thnx :-/

well i can answer your last question, i had a same scenario except in stained water (about 2 feet of clarity), i would drag it really slow and then give it some quick jerks like a real craw fish does. I got several bass doing that, that was the only time i used a jig though, but it worked. if you ever watched a real craw fish(which is what a jig mainly imitates), they crawl pretty slow and then jet off going backwards.

And im not sure but i think fliuping and pitching are the same thing?

There are guys on here with years more experience than me, im sure they will be here any moment  

I'm from Louisiana and thats mainly all we do around these cypress trees is jig fishing. Most of the time we use them in 2 to 6 feet of water but people use them in very deep water all the time. First off I thought pitching and flipping were the same thing. The way you were fishing the jig is called swimming a jig and it is very effective in flats and shallow areas around here. The way I mostly fish a jig and have seen others fishing jigs around structure such as cypress trees or docks would be to pitch or (flip) it out there and let it fall all the way to the bottom letting some slack out of your reel. Then reel up the slack and pull straight up on your rod and pop it once or twice before letting it sink all the way back to the bottom dragging it back towards the boat. Then repeat.

Jigs may not produce many bites or strikes out of fish but usually they will produce a strike out of a bigger fish. Allways remember that.

Backlash should not be a problem with flipping since you aren't casting.  Think of flipping like using a cane pole to dunk worms for bluegill.

I agree with burley.......when flip'n you only use the line you've already let out and have in your hand.  Keep a thumb on the spool and it won't be possible to backlash.

...pitch'n on the other hand....can produce some nasty backlashes until you get the hang of it.

Great video, Burley. That clarifies a lot for me. Do you get less backlash when flipping than a traditional cast on a bait caster?

Many times when you flip, the spool is engaged. Therefore, you should not backlash.

I consider any method you toss a lure out as a cast. Overhand, side arm, side arm roll cast, etc. Pitchin' and Flippin' are just two other ways to cast your lure out that are quite handy to know for relatively close quarter combat.

Flipping & Pitching is more about distance away from the boat rather than depth.

Obviously Flipping will be done at closer ranges and shallower water since you only have a set amount of line to work with.

Pitching can be done at greater distances and depths since you will be free spooling your line.

I use Flipping & Pitching when I want a vertical presentation targeting specific cover

Personally I think flipping is extremely over rated and a waste of time.  It imposes several limitations the "cast" and I believe hookups can be harder, especially if bit when the lure just breaks the water. This leaves you with a fish on your line and 5 ft of slack near your reel that your holding onto with your hand.  One good positive for it is that it is usally extremely silent, but honestly if your that close you can just stick a 7 ft rod our and hit your button, letting it fall slow as you want. Im sure there may be a few useful situations, but I havn't found them yet.

Pitching on the other hand I believe is a very crucial casting technique with many advantages.  Its my primary way of casting to a shore, that or a roll cast.  Both of which are fairly quiet entries and accurate.  Main thing is just do what fits you best.  Don't worry about trying to look or be cool just to flip or whatever.  All that matters is results.

Thanks for all your comments, it all makes sense now.

I am going to keep all your comments in mind, and fish one whole day of the upcoming Memorial day weekend with just a jig. This should allow me to learn these two techniques.

Will the fish still be spawning in Wagener/Aiken South Carolina come Memorial day?

I will be sure to update all of you on how good I put your knowledge to work on the lake after Memorial Day.

Thanks everyone

A big plus of flipping is that it allows you to put your lure in some trashy think places that a cast wouldn't go through. Think of fishing buck brush. That mess can get ugly when you try to pitch or god forbid cast into it.

Pitching is the used much more and is a must learn technique. Like Catt said it allows you fish farther from the cover or if you are is Catt's position, structure.  

Mottfia

Just pitch when you need to get over something that you can't skip under.