Flipping and Pitching
F
lipping and pitching is a deadly fishing technique that involves flipping the tip of the rod to pitch a bait into heavy cover. Since the technique works best with an underhand cast, standing in the kayak is an advantage. Start off with the right gear: a heavy seven-foot, three- inch rod with a fast-action tip paired to a high-quality casting reel spooled with 20-pound fluorocarbon. Tune the reel by tightening the magnetic brake and loosening the spool tension. The key is
SINGLE & LOVING IT
to make an accurate underhand cast that produces minimal splash. Rig a soft plastic creature on a matching wide- gap worm hook. Then slide a quarter- to half-ounce tungsten weight over the running line and tie to the hook. In sparse cover, I let the weight slide on the line. When casting into the thick stuff, I peg the weight to the lure with a toothpick. Flipping and pitching will allow you to ef- fectively fish heavy cover—where the big fish hide. Drew Haerer
HAPPY ENDING
Know the Bait
Fish don’t wander too far from the kitchen. To find your favorite target spe- cies, first figure out what they like to eat. Study the prevalent bait species to learn when they spawn, where they feed, how they migrate and behave. One way to learn these cycles is to ask local fisher- men—both recreational and commercial. Spend some time at the docks asking questions and listening to answers. Sci- ence provides another great resource. Chances are there is a grad student studying the bait and fish that you target. Read research by universities and wildlife agencies to learn secrets that could put more fish in the box. Brendan Bayard
stop at least a sixteenth of an inch from the lip of the spool. Another tip is to manually close the bail a split second before the lure hits the water. This tightens the line and keeps it from looping over the edge of the spool or getting twisted. Closing the bail by hand also flattens the trajectory of the lure and adds a couple feet to the cast. Jerry McBride
SINGLE AND LOVING IT Treble hooks are scary and dangerous, and not just to the fish. Nothing spells a trip to the emergency room quicker than a thrashing fish wildly swinging six to nine tiny sharp hooks. Single hooks make releasing fish quicker and far less damaging. Af-
termarket single hooks are often stronger than factory trebles. And single hooks pick up fewer snags, too. To perform the operation, you’ll need split-ring pliers and single hooks with a large eye or a split ring. Use a hook that matches the size of the lure, not the size of the old treble. Switching out hooks is also a good way to make freshwater lures ready to fish in the salt. Jerry McBride
HAPPY ENDING When a deep-water fish is quickly cranked to the surface, its air bladder will often fill up like a balloon. If the fish is released, the inflated bladder might prevent it from swimming back
down to the bottom. Here’s how to help. Take a short, stiff rod (like a kite rod) with a reel spooled with 60-pound braided line. Attach a one-pound weight to the line. Tie a few inches of two- to four-pound monofilament to the weight and at- tach a small, barbless, non-stainless hook to the line. Lightly hook the fish and then carefully drop the sinker and fish back to the bottom. Not only does the descent drive oxygen through the fish’s gills, but the water pressure forces air out of its bladder. Once the weight hits the bottom, jerk the rod tip to either break the light line or pull the hook free of the fish. Jerry McBride
www.kayakanglermag.com… 61
PHOTOS: JERRY MCBRIDE
PHOTOS: DREW HAERER
PHOTO: BRENDAN BAYARD
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