I dont have many poles, so i was fishing a jig on a medium pole. I have missed about 4 fish over 5 pounds because i didnt get the hookset. Deacon u know wat i mean with 2 of those. Happened again. I mean i had them on then they just came off because i didnt drive it in. Not saying im not doing hard hooksets (almost as hard as i can) Would it make all the difference if i got a stiff Heavy action pole for that fishing. Would i get the hooksets easier?

Thanks,

Jdub

Almost all the difference in the world. The other thing to consider is your line. Try and use a line with little to no stretch in it. You'd be surprised in the difference the line can make.

When I'm flippn, I use a Kistler 7'6" Heavy rod and 50 lb P-Line Spectrex braid.

I was thinking about a 7 foot rod, but would it be better to go to a 7'6? Also, would it be good to use braid, even if u might wanna use it for other things such as frogs and some topwater? What would be another good line to use other than braid? Also, if u do use braid, how long would it last on ur pole after u load it on ur reel?

Jdub

Go with whatever rod is comfortable. If a 7-6 feels too long, go with a 7. When I first started using rods longer then 6 or 6-6 it was awkward. But now, I only buy 7 ft and up.

If you want to use the same setup for topwater, don't use braid or fluorocarbon. They both sink. I think that would be a hard combo though. It depends on how thick the vegetation is you're fishing. If it's thick-thick, don't use less then 20 lb. But, I don't recommend using that same 20 lb for topwater. Get what I'm saying?

The braid will work for frogs, but the rod (depending on what you get) will probably be too stiff for other topwater. Some gear set-ups just can't be used for multiple situations effectively.

I hope that's not too confusing?

I get exactly wat u mean. I have another 7' med/heavy thats pretty good for topwater. I think i will keep using that for frogs and wat not. But wat i really want out of it is a flipping stick. 7' i think is good for me for now. I think im goin to try braid, and see how i like it. (trusting u on this one ):P ( i think one of the most important things to have in california is a flippin stick, so i need one really bad. Thanks for all the imput Woodsac, but i would also appreciate of wat everyone else thinks on lines. Wat pound braid? (will be fishing lots of Spring Lake and such cover) Also, wat are some good brands for the price?

Jdub

I've been using Power Pro, which is pretty good braid. I'd think you could get away with 30# for flipping. I also use a fluorocarbon leader, 15 - 20#. I initially had some problems breaking off on the hookset until I learned to ease up. You really don't have to slam the fish on the hookset - a sharp lift of the rod has been plenty for me.

I've been flipping with a 7'6" & 6'6" rod. In really tight quarters, like under overhanging trees, the shorter stick is easier to handle. But, for flipping tules, the longer rod is good. You have more leverage & can flip farther.

As far as the topwater, braid is the only way to go for frogs. I've also been using it for buzzbaits, although some guys, like Scott Green at the Pro Shop, tell me they hate it for buzzbaits. On the other hand, he says Gary Dobyns recommended braid to him for them. So, like a lot with fishing, it probably boils down to personal preference.

Good luck at Spring Lake! I'm going to try to get out there Sunday afternoon/early evening.

One other thing to think about. When you hold your rod while working a jig, are you holding it close to your body or far out? You'll get more power on the hookset if you hold the rod closer in to your body. If you fish with the rod in your left hand, imagine that you are holding a rolled up newspaper under your left arm when you're working the jig. That's the right arm position. It's important to have a strong hookset, but the set should also be really quick. I like to set back over my right shoulder about 45 degrees. I'll only set straight up and down if the fish is very close to the boat or underneath me. I want the hook to penetrate the roof of the mouth, but slightly off center. If you can hook a bass half way between the top of the mouth and the corner of the mouth, that's a good spot to hook them. On big fish, if you hook them in the roof of the mouth, they can shake off sometimes because it's very hard to get the hook completely through their head. On fish under 5lbs, it's not too hard, but on 10lbers it is. If you set the hook every time like it's a 10lber, then you'll be less likely to screw up if you actually do get hit by a 10lber.

Rob, good advice about the relationship of the rod to your body. When you do something a lot, you forget to mention some of the small details like that because it's just habit once you have the rod in your hands.

I only mention it because I had that problem for a long time ... and lost a lot of jig fish because of it. When you come from trout fishing, you're all screwed up :)

Thanks everyone for all the replies, and i just ordered a flipping stick. 7'6 H. Thats a really good explination Rob, but i really think its my pole. Ive tried everything. Also, if i hook a fish,which is like 1 out of 20, then the pole gives to much and they go straight into the cover and i lose them. But back to the pole. I think im going to load it up with 17# mono to start (never broken 17# test, but when i do ill switch that too). Also, Aparsons, i will mostlikely be out there sunday too, im either in an ODC 816, or a little U tube. Hope to see u there.

Thanks everyone for the inputs,

Jdub

7' medium heavy rod, 17lb fluorocarbon, i have 3 setups like this and to me its the best all around combo you can have, i throw jigs, topwater, frogs, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, senkos etc. just about all you need after this is a crankin rod and a dropshot rod and you got what you need, a medium action rod won't do much for you besides crankin and rippin in my opinion.

Sounds good, Jdub. I have a red "Jetpac" pontoon boat. I'm hoping to get there around 2 or so. Deren Kozenko may come out & fish, too.

Hope you can put me on some fish. Spring Lake usually kicks my butt.

Just an fyi on the braid, depending on the brand, braid actually floats if you're talking about a spiderwire type with no additional coating on it. The ones with coating may or may not add a little weight to make it sink (hence not good for most topwaters).

Much about using braid is the rod. This past weekend almost all my rods were braid due to fishing the stained water of Blue Lake and heavy cover I planned on fishing. The action and drag setting are paramont to the success of using braid.

Jdub, as you may have read in the past I am a huge user of braid as the sensitivity is unmatched. Getting used to it can be a pain but I believe the reason I have done well in tournaments where flippin dominated (like Spring Lake) is due to my feeling more bites than other competitors. Not that you're not supposed to be watching your line like a hawk (critical) but being able to feel exactly what is going on is paramont. Although the line is more visible, when flippin heavy cover the fish do not have the time to see it.

I also think your decision to use 17# mono might be a little lite on Spring as there are some heavy pigs in there. It would seem 17# would be hard to break but if you're flippin' way back like I do you'd be amazed at how often you'll need to retie or you WILL break your line!

Good luck out there and hope to see you on the water soon.

Todd

And one other thing that I like about flipping with braid is the lack of memory. If you have a little slack in your line, it doesn't coil up like heavy mono.

Thinking about it, i might just get 150 yards of braid, and see how i like it. You guys all say its so sensitive and such so i dont think there would be any harm in trying.Also, when using braid for flipping would u tie a leader, or could u just go straight? Thanks for the info.

Jdub

fluorocarbon has no stretch like braid but its less visible like mono and good sensitivity also. thats why i use fluorocarbon instead of mono or braid, and with braid like u asked, u have to deal with tying leaders and for me they just get in the way and is just one more knot to worry about.

I have to agree with Carson here.I`ve recently switched to flouracarbon on my flipping sticks for the same reasons Carson has mentioned and have had good results.I dont need to mark my line when it fades dont need to worry about knot slippage doesnt wrap around the end of the lead eye on the rod.These days the only time I would use braid would be if I`m frogging.

What pound test would u use for flourocarbon while flippin? Also, good brands?

Jdub

Mr. Bill, what brand of fluoro are you using? I've been using 15 & 20# P-line fluorocarbon for my leaders, & I find that it has high memory & I'd think it would really kink up. I saw your post a while back on ncbf & that Andy Cuccia recommended flipping with straight fluorocarbon.

I started flipping & pitching this year with braid & a fluoro leader because of an article I read a while back in Bassin. Alton Jones said he liked braid because of its sensitivity & strength, & fluoro because of its low viz & abrasion resistance. He also recommended the 6 1/2 ft rod because it's easier to handle in tight quarters, which I've found to be true for myself. I usually take what I read in magazines with a grain of salt, though, since a lot of them are just thinly-disguised infomercials for tackle manufacturers.

I agree, the knot for the leader is a little bit of a hassle & I've had several breakoffs because of it. Some bad knots, some from probably setting the hook too hard with 50# braid. It's definitely annoying when that happens - especially in a tournament.

I`ve been using strens flourocarbon in 20# for flipping and 8# for my dropshot set-up.It may coil up a little bit when its brand new but after a fish or two it comes off the spool nicely.I also feel it is comparable to braid for strength and sensitivity and excels in invisibility and abrasion resistance.You saw that info cooch gave me,it was good advice I`m glad I gave it a try.He recommended a couple of other manufactures of flourocarbon along with stren one being segui and I cant remember the other.To me the braid also seemed to kinda float which sucked when flipping a senko or anything weightless,where as the flouracarbon sinks faster not hindering the action of the senko which makes a difference in the amount of bites your going to get.Anyway just my opinions,good luck.Andy why dont ya do some highland with us on monday,show us how its done.:7

Thanks for the info, Bill. I'll have to try some of that type of fluoro.

I'd like to join you @ Highland, but I'm on-call until Tuesday. Good luck out there!

I use a 6'6 med heavy as my primary flippin and jiggin rod. I really like the lighter setup.....espically with 12#yo-zuri hybrid, i flip 90 percent of the time....and have done super great!