(Editor's note: The following is the latest installment in a series of fishing tips presented by The Bass University. Check back each Friday for a new tip.)
You may be on the right water, with the right gear and the perfect soft plastic bait to take advantage of a prime flipping or pitching bite, but if you don’t develop a game plan you’re likely to leave fish behind. That’s the lesson Oklahoma pro James Elam has learned over and over again during his fast-rising professional fishing career, and it’s one that serves him well when bass bury up in thick shallow-water cover.
Even before he gets to a prime area, Elam is considering his angle of attack. “I’m going to approach everything from the shady side,” he explained. He’ll also factor the speed and direction of wind and current, and try to use them to carefully control his own speed and boat position.
He’s also exceptionally concerned with boat noise. He’ll put his trolling motor down quietly and then operate it at a consistent low speed, without any surges. "The quieter you can be, the better.” Sound isn’t the only sense that he employs in his hunt. He’ll look not just for obvious bankside targets, but also those that are less immediately visibly. “Keeping your eyes peeled on what’s in front of you” will usually pay off with a few extra key fish over the course of a season.
If he comes to a big, bushy tree, one that may be holding several bass, he’ll flip to the outside first. “Don’t go straight into the heart of it,” he implored. “Especially if there’s multiple fish in that tree, you want to get those ones on the outside first if you can.”
He doesn’t soak a bait for a long period of time, usually preferring to flip in, watch his line for a strike on the initial fall, and then make one hop before working it out. “You usually don’t have to talk a bass into biting,” he said. During the practice period before a tournament, he’ll go even faster, employing what he calls “speed flipping,” hitting only prime targets and looking for reaction bites to key him in on prime areas and lures.
His first choice for a heavy-cover flipping and pitching bait is typically a Molix Creature, a 4-inch soft plastic that employs segments instead of ribs or flanges. It also has small appendages down its sides for added “micro-vibrations.” When the fish show a preference for something with a bit wilder action, he’ll turn to the 4-inch Molix Freaky Flip, which still penetrates heavy cover and vegetation, but also features long, skinny tails to move additional water and create a disturbance. Those two lures, along with a jig, command the majority of his shallow water flipping and pitching presentations, but when he’s fishing good-looking cover and not getting bites, Elam doesn’t hesitate to switch to a more finesse approach. The line and rod may still be heavy, but his bait will be subtler.
If you want to learn some more of the keys to Elam’s flipping and pitching success, including why he’ll keep lures like frogs and spinnerbaits on the deck even when soft plastics dominate, check out his full video, available only by subscribing to The Bass University TV.
