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Flipping, Pitching and Punching…The Rod Difference

Minnetonka Big BassI caught em flipping, I was pitching a jig, or I was punchin’ mats, all phrases that get dropped and mentioned across the country by all bass anglers.

Each of the above three mentioned techniques have a time and place for presenting your lure properly to a bass holding in and around cover.  As with that, each of these techniques has it’s own set of needs from the rod the angler use’s.

The Oracle Pitching Stick was originally designed at the request of Witch Doctor Tackle Pro, FLW Tour angler Mike Surman who wanted a rod he could use all day for targeting various types of cover and to pull big fish out of that cover fast. Typical baits could include a soft plastic stickbait, heavy wacky rig, Texas-rigged creature bait, or a Jig. Generally you are targeting reeds, laydowns, blown cover, pads, or grass. Weights generally can range from minimal (unweighted Senko) up to  an 1 1/2 oz jig. Generally this set up is fished with a 5/8 oz tungsten screw weight or a pegged weight when pitching a creature bait of some kind. The Oracle Rod was designed with a fast action for precision target control especially with light baits, in addition the high modulus of the Oracle provides the sensitivity to feel the bass strike on the drop. The rod loads very fast and power is massive. This type of action is not ideally suited for bigger weights as the stiffness of the rod tends to increase hang ups when pulling your bait out of cover. The heavier weights and no give push the hook through the body of a Texas-rigged bait and you will be more prone to snag frequently. Because of this we have made three additional flipping models to fill in where the Oracle leaves off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Hydrilla Gorilla was the first rod ever designed and built by Witch Doctor Tackle. This rod is intended to be used around heavy cover and when you are using big weights ( 1 to 2 oz).  The Hydrilla Gorilla is the go to rod when you need to penetrate cover and pull a big fish back through it. It is ideally suited for heavy grass mat fishing, Hydrilla/Hyacinth,pepper grass, and deep cover. Whether you are fishing a jig, a Texas-rig, or even a stick worm, the Hydrilla Gorilla was designed with a Medium Fast action, but a fatter tip section so the rod does not load until a fish is hooked. This plays well in eliminating hangups when pulling big jigs and heavy weights out of cover. In addition to the action, the rod was designed for optimum performance when using a flipping technique, it literally drives the bait to the target with authority while offering the ability to drop a heavy weight silently on a monsters head without spooking the fish. The 43 ton graphite also provides sensitivity so the most subtle bite can be felt.

 

With the Oracle and Hydrilla Gorilla rods in your line up, you are able to fish any form of heavy cover anywhere. When it comes to scaling it down there are two Shaman Flipping rods to do the trick.

The Shaman Flipping sticks are truly the most versatile rods built by Witch Doctor Tackle. We have two models a Shaman MH (handles lure weights 1/4 to 2 oz) and an Shaman XH (handles lure weights 1/4 to 3 oz) made at 7’6” with Medium Fast actions and High Modulus 54 ton graphite. The Shaman is the flagship rod series from Witch Doctor Tackle and it is the lightest, most sensitive rod we make. The flipping models are specially designed tapers to allow use of bigger baits with accuracy and control, limiting hangups when pulling out of cover. For anyone who fishes wood, seawalls, docks, or laydowns these rods are ideal. The Medium Heavy can fish the smallest finesse baits and excels with light swing head jigs and Texas-rigged baits. The Extra Heavy was original designed to do the same, but more suited for lures 3/4 oz and heavier. These are rods that you can fish all day with no fatigue, they both weigh in right at 3.9 oz’s, but are beastly on power. The Medium Fast Action excels in increased hook sets as the rods load and stay under load keeping the beasts buttoned up. What also makes these two rods so versatile is that in addition to flipping and pitching, they make great swimbait, swim Jig, or Whopper Plopper rods. The Witch Doctor himself used the 7’6” Shaman MH flipping stick to fish a 1/8 oz shakey head jig with 65 lb braid in a tournament and yielded a 26 lb limit!  From that day he refers to the Shaman MH Flipping Rod as the co-angler special as it has served usages with just about every bait made with no sacrifice.

Shaman Casting Rod 7'6" Heavy

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