Bass Fishing Techniques: Flipping, Pitching, Punching, and Skipping
In today’s world of bass fishing, anglers have various methods to target largemouth bass. Anglers can fish a spinnerbait or blade bait across grass, bang a crankbait off timber, drop shot a finesse bait or throw a live shiner, and so many more options.
In my opinion, however, there are four very crucial techniques every bass angler should learn — and learn well! These big four will cull big bass out of a wide array of hiding places. I am talking about the areas where a lot of anglers just refuse to fish.
The big four in my book are:
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Skipping – Sliding a bait to the deepest part of overhanging structure
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Flipping – The ability to work deep cover and structure
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Pitching – Utilizing quick presentations of a bait in a confined area
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Punching – Crashing through the thickest of cover to bass hiding in solitude
If you master these four techniques, you will be on your way to trophy bass throughout the season. In fact, I have used all of these methods from spring through the fall months and into winter. Let's take a look at what all four entail and get you on your way to successful commando tactics for bass.
Skipping
Skipping, by far, will be the hardest of the four to master. It will take all the patience and fortitude you have, and at times will bring you to the brink of throwing your rod and reel into the lake!
The key to skipping is the rod and reel. The KastKing Speed Demon Elite Skipping Baitcaster will aid in your success, but by no means will it be a walk in the park — at first. For skipping, which will be primarily used to get a jig as far under a dock or deep structure as possible, the rod and reel are paramount.
I recently started using the new reel and have already seen a significant improvement in my own skipping. The rod is key too, as you want a rod with backbone, fast tip, and, in my opinion, one in the 7-foot class.
The idea is to get the bait to skip like a rock you threw as a youngster, sliding under the dock or structure to the deepest part. This is where bass lie, and this is where most anglers never present a bait.
After mastering, and skipping to your hot spot, allow the jig to settle, then slowly use various cadences to bring it back towards the boat. This method will take time to learn (check out YouTube for some great videos), but if you stay with it, you will encounter and catch some of the best bass you have ever caught.
Recommended Gear:
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15–20 lb Fluorocarbon or Braid line
Flipping
I remember way back when I first learned how to flip. I thought it was cool because I could fish areas that were not overly crowded, and pretty much have no one in my way. It was a stealthy approach, which could help me find bass.
Kevin VanDam was probably my catalyst after saying, "Flip it deep, hook the fish, and then worry about how to land him."
The "land" part was what always kept me away. I had the fear of losing jigs and never getting the bass out of its lair. Today, by contrast, flipping is probably my number one "go-to" technique for finding, hooking, and landing bass in deep cover.
Flipping is made possible by using the KastKing Royale Legend Pro Rod, 7-foot 8-inch model, and the Speed Demon Elite Deadbolt Reel.
Recommended Gear:
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30–50 lb Braid with 20–30 lb Fluorocarbon leader
Pitching
Sliding to another great presentation — and one very similar to flipping — we move to pitching.
When pitching, the key is to not utilize the reel to retrieve the bait until you have hooked a fish. Instead, you use a pendulum motion to yo-yo the bait or lure in and out of potential holes in cover.
This is best used in lily pad fields or areas in Kissimmee grass where there are distinct holes. For pitching, I like the longer series of rods from KastKing, specifically the 7'10" Royale Legend Pro Heavy Cover Rod.
On the reel end, I prefer the Speed Demon Elite Deadbolt Reel, spooled with 30–50 lb Hammer Braid. I want zero drag for this technique as, for the most part, once the fish is hooked, it’s swung right into the boat.
Recommended Gear:
Punching
Bring out the meat stick and heavy weights for punching, as this is where you need to break through thick matted vegetation or floating matted vegetation.
With punching, you want to hold the rod tip high, which allows the bait to hit the water on a more vertical plane and plummet through to bass.
KastKing offers, in my opinion, two good rods for punching — the Assegai Punch Out, or the Spirale 7'8" model.
The key to all two of these rods is the length. As mentioned, I want my bait to plummet straight down, in the most vertical sense possible.
Recommended Gear:
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30–50 lb Hammer Braid
Skipping, Flipping, Punching or Pitching?
These four methods could be classified as commando bass fishing techniques. All four involve getting a bait or lure into the deepest, nastiest, and densest cover you can find.
All four will put your bass fishing skills to the test. From setting the hook to actually landing the bass will be a challenge. However, if you master these four techniques, you will be catching some real brutes!