by Adam Smith

EZ Angler Tournament Crew member Adam Smith

Through out the year my most consistent technique is flipping and pitching, whether it be structure or vegetation flipping produces fish. To be successful during spring, summer, and fall you must change up area/depths you are flipping, the structure or vegetation your flipping, and the baits your flipping. There could be hundreds of articles written on flipping but in this one I would like to focus on baits that I have done well with in the past.

My number one bait that I feel I can go to almost any lake and catch fish is a tube. Many guys will only fish tubes with an exposed hook in deep/open water. I have had a lot of luck with flipping a tube. My two favorite tubes to throw are Power Team Lures Tube in Green Pumpkin w/ Black Flake, and Black and Blue. I will Texas rig them with a 2/0 EWG Superline Hook and a 3/8 Ounce Eco Pro Tungsten. If you examine your bait it can resemble a bluegill or crayfish depending on how you fish it. In many lakes around the country these two are the main food source for bass. So next time your flipping try Texas rigging tubes!

My next favorite bait to flip is a 3.5″ Power Team Lures Craw D’oeuvre. This is a very versatile bait. There are two ways that I will fish this bait. If I am going for numbers I will texas rig it with a 3/0 Trokar Flippin hook and a 3/8 ounce Eco Pro Tungsten. If I am going for a slaunch I will use either a JJ Baits Jig or a Skinny Bear Bass Jig and use the Craw D’oeuvre as a trailer. The two colors are use are simple, black and blue flake, and green pumpkin.

When I am punching thick grass I haven’t found a better bait than a 4.5″ Bully Grass Devil by Power Team Lures. It has a slender
profile which allows the bait to easily go through thick grass. Depending on the thickness of the grass will dictate how heavy a weight I will use but generally I will texas rig the Bully Grass Devil on a 4/0 Trokar Flippin hook with a 3/4 ounce Eco Pro Tungsten weight, My favorite colors are Black and Blue, and watermelon red flake.

I saved the best for last and without a doubt probably the most used bait in flipping and that’s a jig. There are really only two brands of jigs that I like to fish and that is a JJ Baits Custom jig by Randy Gross and a Skinny Bear Bass Jig. These two jigs are very different but both catch fish depending on the conditions and cover. For jigs I really like either a black and blue or a bluegill pattern.

Thanks for reading and I hope that you found a new bait in this article that can help you out next year when flipping and pitching. Don’t stop trying new baits out because you’ll find the one you like and when you get confidence in it you have hit the jackpot. Without a doubt check out power team lures, they give a huge selection of baits and offer the hog tonic scent which is like no other. Check em’ out at http://www.powerteamlures.com/default.asp

About Adam Smith:
Adam is one of the true and up- and-comers in tournament bass fishing. A hardcore tournament angler and native of Napoleon, Ohio, Adam fished over 24 tournaments by the age of 18. In 2014, Adam will be fishing the Flw Tour as a Co Angler. His sponsors include Denali Rods, Power Team Lures, Skinny Bear, JJ Bait by Randy Gross, Eco Pro Tungstun, Bluesports Outdoors, and Ez Angler. Be sure to follow him on his website Adamsmithbass.com and Ezangler.