For flipping and punching presentations, tournament pro Nick LeBrun stresses the importance of rod-and-reel setup.
“I think a lot of guys misread gear ratio,” LeBrun said. “They think a 6.4 has more power. That may be true, but if you’re flipping to a mat, and you set the hook and your line goes through the mat or the fish comes flying up, you need that reel speed to catch up to that fish.
“A lot of times, I like to use an 8:1 Quantum Smoke reel. I like the highest gear ratio I can get.”
LeBrun is also particular about his flipping rod. A big, heavy stick isn’t wrong, but he said that’s not always the best choice.
“That stiff flipping stick is great if you’re catching 6-pounders all the time,” he said. “But a lot times in tournaments, when you catch a 2-pounder or just a keeper fish, you don’t want a rod that’s too heavy because that rod’s going to flatten out and the fish is going to have a lot more flop to it, and you’re going to lose that fish sometimes if you pull it out of the mat or if it comes flying at you a little more than you would expect.
“You want a flipping stick that loads up but has a little bit of give to it. Make sure you have a rod that can handle a 6-pounder, but on game day those 2- to 2 ½-pounders can be very important.”