What's The Best Baitcasting Reel For Pitching And Flipping? 2024
tcbass reply :
I was reading about pitching and flipping reels and saw that the Shimano Castaic had a unique instagage bar which is specific to pitching and flipping and makes it easier. However, the reel scored low on castability distance (according to tackletour review), although that is limited when flipping and pitching anyway.
I tried today with my Abu Garcia Revo SX and 3/8oz. jig and the spool tension seemed to be too resistant even though I had it loosened way up.
So, what's the best reel for flipping and pitching?
I was watching a video on it and the guy said he used 1/2oz jigs or heavier to make it easier to pitch. Is there a minimum size you use to pitch and flip?
iabass8 reply :
You can (and I do) pitch every bait I use.
When flipping, the reel is necessary, but is essentially just something that holds line as you are doing all the work manually
When pitching, I'm pretty particular because I do it a lot. I want a spool that starts up with almost no effort. My favorite spool for pitching that I've used is the Daiwa RCS1016. You want something that is very comfortable and balances well on your rod as you will be holding it a lot of the times all day.
JGBassinAL reply :
You can pitch and flip with any reel. A lighter weight lure will pitch and flip easier with a lighter spool. I use a Shimano Scorpion 1500-7 on my flippin rod. You really need a reel with a good drag because you will be moving fish out of cover. I like the Scorpion because I have always been a fan of the Curado E, which to me is a workhorse reel and handles great under pressure. Plus they are not overly expensive, and the maroon color matches my black with red accents flipping stick pretty well.
ColdSVT reply :
How deep are your fishing gear pockets?
I flip with a chronarch ci4 and love it...its a tough reel to beat in its price point. I also flip a good bit with my curado e...works great but i prefer the ci4 most of the time
My buddy used an abu MGX and another has a 13 ***. Ive used them as well and they were quite nice! I felt the MGX was smoother but the concept palmed bettet for me and was very very close in the smooth department. I think the concept took less effort as well
gulfcaptain reply :
On 8/19/2014 at 10:37 AM, iabass8 said:You can (and I do) pitch every bait I use.
When flipping, the reel is necessary, but is essentially just something that holds line as you are doing all the work manually
When pitching, I'm pretty particular because I do it a lot. I want a spool that starts up with almost no effort. My favorite spool for pitching that I've used is the Daiwa RCS1016. You want something that is very comfortable and balances well on your rod as you will be holding it a lot of the times all day.
I agree with every thing above. Also not a requirement but most prefer a reel with a 7:1 gear ratio or better. Just have to find the reel that you're comfortable with and fits into your budget.
Raul reply :
In this particular case about the castability of the Castaic I differ with my pals at TT, the reel casts as well as the Curado and Chronarch SF, the only problem is that you are purchasing bulletproof but "antique" technology. That reel has been around for a long time and I seriously doubt it's been manufactured on a regular basis. There's no reason for Shimano to maintain tooling, machinery and molds to continue manufacturing one reel out of a series that has been discontinued for almost a decade.
tcbass reply :
On 8/19/2014 at 12:53 PM, Raul said:In this particular case about the castability of the Castaic I differ with my pals at TT, the reel casts as well as the Curado and Chronarch SF, the only problem is that you are purchasing bulletproof but "antique" technology. That reel has been around for a long time and I seriously doubt it's been manufactured on a regular basis. There's no reason for Shimano to maintain tooling, machinery and molds to continue manufacturing one reel out of a series that has been discontinued for almost a decade.
So what would you recommend?
FSUMF333 reply :
I use a 13 *** for pitching and I've been able to pitch a 5/16th oz. booyah baby boo jig with no problems and cast the same lure without problem. Its an awesome reel been loving it. My quantum smoke pitches 3/8th great too.
Raul reply :
Not that I don't recommend the Castaic, it's design is 15+ years old but that doesn't mean is not a fine reel, like I said, it's a bulletproof design, old but still functional, besides, it will still perform for other chores as well as other reels, I have Curados and Chronarchs of the same platform and by no means they are resting peacefully while I use newer stuff, on the contrary, they are still in use and still some of my most trusted reels are those.On 8/19/2014 at 1:21 PM, tcbass said:So what would you recommend?
Catch and Grease reply :
Diawa tatula! Very good reel for pitching, flipping, and frog fishing IMHO
kikstand454 reply :
?
Your revo sx should be just fine as a flipping reel. What rod is it on?
(It doesn't much matter actually. ..)
First of all. ....I believe you are actually talking about pitching - as spool tension is irrelevent when flipping.
And when pitching- any decent reel will do the job just fine. Its only letting out 15yds of line or (much) less.
I believe this is actually a case of bad technique than any sort of perceived gear issue. The only "problems" and hence only "advantages" you should be experiencing as a novice pitcher are distance and backlashing. Neither of which is specifically the reels fault.
Your revo sx and any 6'6"+ rod should be able to pitch a 3/8oz jig all day just fine.
If you're trying to pitch more than 30-40ft you should be casting. Especially since your new to the technique.
Delaware Valley Tackle reply :
Any thing with a metal frame, decent drag and good free-spool will serve you well. Pretty much any of major brand's offerings starting at around the $100 retail mark. Avoid flipping switches and "insta-gage" setups. With few exceptions they are clumsy to use a weak link mechanically. The SX is a good pitching reel. The mag only brake setup is more conducive to pitching than bombing long casts for most users.
Smallmouth Hunter reply :
Lews reel are the best pitching reels I've used.
Felix77 reply :
I use an Abu Garcia Pro Max which is a "lesser" model than your Revo. To me it's all in the thumb. I run my spool tension pretty light and raise my break as needed to help control the spool. The key is keeping your thumb at the ready to catch the spool just before the lure hits the water.
Droppingshot reply :
Sounds like it's been covered, but I'll rehash it. Your revo sx should be fine. I use a revo sx to pitch and it's been great. As well as a daiwa tatula. Even a lews. Like people are saying , it's not incredibly hard for a reel to do. You don't need to have some kind of "insta engage" if you buy a left hand reel. I'd recommend getting a 7:1 or higher speed reel. It makes it a bit quicker getting fish out of cover or getting your lure back for anther pitch. I've also found that braid tends to pitch a lot easier than fluoro, even though I use both. Hope that helps.
DTack reply :
Much of the time when flipping or pitching my number one concern is drag slip. I get it a lot for some reason. My favorite reel I have used to this day is probably the Curado E overall. At some point I did something to all of the ones that I own and the drag slips on all of them. They work fine for ripbaits, open water jigs and some other lighter techniques where I don't have the drag locked down, but because of that I don't use them for flipping or pitching heavy cover.
A couple of my favorites that I've used have been a Gen 2 Revo premier, a Daiwa Zillion, a Daiwa Tatula (type r and standard). I picked all of these because they had a nice free spool and the drag was strong on all of them.
Your SX should be fine, I believe there is a way to internally adjust brakes on that reel as well. If this doesn't make sense or you need specifics just ask, I can look it up or one of the current reel owners could probably explain where to open it up.
Either way, you already have a reel that will work, just adjust it and have fun!
tcbass reply :
On 8/19/2014 at 10:24 PM, DTack said:Much of the time when flipping or pitching my number one concern is drag slip. I get it a lot for some reason. My favorite reel I have used to this day is probably the Curado E overall. At some point I did something to all of the ones that I own and the drag slips on all of them. They work fine for ripbaits, open water jigs and some other lighter techniques where I don't have the drag locked down, but because of that I don't use them for flipping or pitching heavy cover.
A couple of my favorites that I've used have been a Gen 2 Revo premier, a Daiwa Zillion, a Daiwa Tatula (type r and standard). I picked all of these because they had a nice free spool and the drag was strong on all of them.
Your SX should be fine, I believe there is a way to internally adjust brakes on that reel as well. If this doesn't make sense or you need specifics just ask, I can look it up or one of the current reel owners could probably explain where to open it up.
Either way, you already have a reel that will work, just adjust it and have fun!
Really? I didn't know you could open up the SX.
DTack reply :
On 8/19/2014 at 10:32 PM, tcbass said:Really? I didn't know you could open up the SX.
Is the reel a Gen 2 or Gen 3?
EmersonFish reply :
You should be able to pitch a 3/8 oz. jig with your reel. If you have the spool tension down, and still are not getting the distance, there must be another problem, but it would be pure speculation for me to guess without seeing the equipment or you pitching. So let me commence speculating.
Maybe there is something keeping the spool from spinning as freely as it should? Is the reel clean?
Maybe you just need to practice the technique? I've seen guys who just lift the rod tip and expect the pendulum effect of the lure to propel it 30 feet. Maybe you are trying to pitch too far, and need to learn other ways to present your bait. When I am "pitching" I find, as targets are varying distances away, I am actually alternating between true pitches and little "roll casts" that allow me to keep the bait low but cast it further and still land it softly.
I don't know what rod you use, but one problem I've seen with guys who are newer to pitching is that they buy what is billed as a "flippin' stick," which according to SOME rod manufacturers may as well say "broom handle." Flippin' Sticks are fine for flippin', but are not as good for pitching. You need a little more snappy tip action to propel the bait if you want any distance when you pitch, with that short stroke. Guys also tend to use line that is very heavy. This shouldn't matter with a 3/8 oz. bait, but the lighter the bait, the harder it gets to get accuracy and distance when you flip with heavy line.
Lastly, I wouldn't buy a reel based on it having some kind of extra Flippin' feature. Maybe it's just me, but I never bother with those, and it's just more weight and potential mechanical problems on your reel. Buy a solid, higher speed reel that has a good reputation among fishermen. There are a ton of them to choose from.
tcbass reply :
On 8/19/2014 at 10:51 PM, DTack said:Is the reel a Gen 2 or Gen 3?
Not sure. Bought it last year new. Is there anyway to check what Gen it is?
new2BC4bass reply :
On 8/19/2014 at 10:32 PM, tcbass said:Really? I didn't know you could open up the SX.
Sure you can. If it is a Gen 1 it should be a magnetic brake only reel. My Gen 1 Premier and STX are. Opening it isn't needed for adjusting brakes, but you still can take the side cover off. Gen 2 or newer will have dual brakes....I think. Never seen an SX much less owned one. If dual brake, you need to remove the side cover to adjust the centrifugal brakes.
21farms reply :
On 8/19/2014 at 10:55 PM, tcbass said:Not sure. Bought it last year new. Is there anyway to check what Gen it is?
gen1s are glossy black with a straight handle and no red accents. gen2s are also glossy black but have a swept handle with a red spool and some other red accents; the handle nut is covered. gen3s have more of matte black finish and a red, exposed handle nut. regardless of generation, you can take the sideplate off but there's nothing to adjust inside. whatever reel you settle on, work at it...good pitching requires a lot of practice.
to answer your original question, my best pitching reel is a shimano 13metanium XG with a yumeya BFS shallow spool.
Raul reply :
I´ve been flippin´n´pitchin´ baits long time before flippin´n´pitchin´ were named flippin´n´pitchin´, with what ? with ordinary everyday regular common reels.
Many moons ago back in the past century the word came out ´bout a mysterious form of casting where you were able to place a bait quietly into very tight quarters without having to swing the rod to cast, then suddenly the mysterious form of casting got a name and took the bass feeshin´ tournament trail by storm, named as flipping even rod and reel manufacturers just had to cash on it, in less than 2 years there were flipping rods and reels available for the anglers.
Most reels of that era had a switch incorporated to allow you to flip comfortably, Shimano took matters into it´s hand and even manufactured a specialized reel just for flipping, it had no other purpose than that, called the Bushmaster. Ardent tried to revive the heat a few years ago ( nothing new ).
I have reels from that era ( Abu XLT Plus series ) that have the switch feature, in all these years maybe I used the switch perhaps ... 20 times ?. About the Castaic, again, would I recommend that reel ? sure ! but not because it has Instagage, I recommend it because it´s a very good & proven design but the last thing you will see me doing is using the Instagage, just as I don´t use the flipping switch on my older reels, also, compared moneywise you can get better, more modern reels with that money.
You don´t need a specialized reel for flipping and pitching, you flip and pitch with the rod, and for pitching all you need is to reduce the spool tension in case you are trying to pitch light weights.
Raul reply :
Shimano Bushmaster:
DTack reply :
On 8/20/2014 at 1:45 AM, Raul said:I´ve been flippin´n´pitchin´ baits long time before flippin´n´pitchin´ were named flippin´n´pitchin´, with what ? with ordinary everyday regular common reels.
Many moons ago back in the past century the word came out ´bout a mysterious form of casting where you were able to place a bait quietly into very tight quarters without having to swing the rod to cast, then suddenly the mysterious form of casting got a name and took the bass feeshin´ tournament trail by storm, named as flipping even rod and reel manufacturers just had to cash on it, in less than 2 years there were flipping rods and reels available for the anglers.
Most reels of that era had a switch incorporated to allow you to flip comfortably, Shimano took matters into it´s hand and even manufactured a specialized reel just for flipping, it had no other purpose than that, called the Bushmaster. Ardent tried to revive the heat a few years ago ( nothing new ).
I have reels from that era ( Abu XLT Plus series ) that have the switch feature, in all these years maybe I used the switch perhaps ... 20 times ?. About the Castaic, again, would I recommend that reel ? sure ! but not because it has Instagage, I recommend it because it´s a very good & proven design but the last thing you will see me doing is using the Instagage, just as I don´t use the flipping switch on my older reels, also, compared moneywise you can get better, more modern reels with that money.
You don´t need a specialized reel for flipping and pitching, you flip and pitch with the rod, and for pitching all you need is to reduce the spool tension in case you are trying to pitch light weights.
So you flipped when everyone else tule dipped? I bet you SPANKED EM!
Catt reply :
On 8/20/2014 at 2:37 AM, DTack said:So you flipped when everyone else tule dipped? I bet you SPANKED EM!
Tule dipping used no reel!
Down south it was called Jigger Pole Fishing
I cast, flip, & pitch with the same rod, as do most of the Pros I fish with.
Reel: Shimano Calcutta 100A
Solid as an anvil, versatile as a pair of channelLocks, dependable as a 30/30!
Zimobass reply :
On 8/19/2014 at 8:32 PM, Delaware Valley Tackle said:Any thing with a metal frame, decent drag and good free-spool will serve you well. Pretty much any of major brand's offerings starting at around the $100 retail mark. Avoid flipping switches and "insta-gage" setups. With few exceptions they are clumsy to use a weak link mechanically. The SX is a good pitching reel. The mag only brake setup is more conducive to pitching than bombing long casts for most users.
I hear what you are saying, and would be interested to know why you consider avoiding "insta-gage" setups ? I use a Core 100Mg FV and find it ideal for flipping a jig. Pitching a bait is something that can be done by many different reels.
Delaware Valley Tackle reply :
I find it awkward to hold the button down and thumb the spool. I suppose you'd get used to it but just never saw the need. Mechanically, they are a weak link and require repair or service more frequently than other designs.
Zimobass reply :
On 8/20/2014 at 8:51 PM, Delaware Valley Tackle said:I find it awkward to hold the button down and thumb the spool. I suppose you'd get used to it but just never saw the need. Mechanically, they are a weak link and require repair or service more frequently than other designs.
Appreciate the response with your thoughts DVT.
hatrix reply :
For me reel doesn't really matter. It's basically all about the rod in regards to how heavy of a bait you are using. You want the tip to be able to load up a bit and that is what really flicks it out there. You can use heavier rods for like say a 1/4 oz but of they are stiff and the tip doesn't really load to give it any fling it's a lot more difficult. Well for me it is. I also have a tuff time getting under really low stuff with to light a lure or heavy of a rod. The tip is what lets me get under stuff with a fast and low trajectory.
Silas reply :
Hatrix,
What Rod do you use for the lighter 1/4 oz baits. That's what I'll be using. Up to 3/8.
Jeff H reply :
I haven't used mine yet but I just got a Daiwa T3 1016SH 7:1 just for pitching. I am retiring my old Castaics for something much more compact, lighter and modern technology.
hatrix reply :
On 9/17/2015 at 2:36 AM, Silas said:Hatrix,
What Rod do you use for the lighter 1/4 oz baits. That's what I'll be using. Up to 3/8.
It kinda depends what rods I have with me I guess. But I like using a older crucial with the foam grips. I don't do a lot of pitching much and if I do it is more then 1/4. I do little modified type roll casts instead of pitching. It's easier for me to get distance like that and I can skip doing the same cast.
illinifan4152 reply :
I use shimano E series reels for all my flipping an pitching techniques. Couldn't be happier for the price point.
poisonokie reply :
On 9/17/2015 at 7:17 AM, Jeff H said:I haven't used mine yet but I just got a Daiwa T3 1016SH 7:1 just for pitching. I am retiring my old Castaics for something much more compact, lighter and modern technology.
Dude, you'll love it. Both my T3's are 6.3, so they're on finesse and cranking duty, but I used it on my jig rod before I got a faster tatula and it was effortless pitching jigs. I think that's where the t-wing shines brightest. IMO, it's an all around better casting and retrieving system, but when you go to pitching with it you won't want to put it down.
poisonokie reply :
especially since you can re-engage the clutch without touching the handle or thumb bar by pushing the hood back down. That might be my favorite thing about the t3. I find myself trying to do that with other reels.
Jeff H reply :
On 9/18/2015 at 8:06 AM, poisonokie said:Dude, you'll love it. Both my T3's are 6.3, so they're on finesse and cranking duty, but I used it on my jig rod before I got a faster tatula and it was effortless pitching jigs. I think that's where the t-wing shines brightest. IMO, it's an all around better casting and retrieving system, but when you go to pitching with it you won't want to put it down.
Good to hear and looking forward to using it. 
Silas reply :
Poison, what line do you have for pitching on the T3?
I have a T3 and will try it on my Loomis IMX 893 to see how it does.
As you say, the snap close hood should be perfect for pitching.
I've only tried the T3 a couple of trips and I find the TW guide more a hindrance than a help. I'll never buy another TW reel.
poisonokie reply :
I used 50# power pro super slick. What about it do you find to be a hindrance about it?
hatrix reply :
I am also interested in how you find it a hinderence. I can't imagine any reason I would think the reels I have with it hinder me.
BassinLou reply :
My pitching and flipping set up is a Champion 734 with a Curado I HG, with a 102 mm HawgTech handle and 40lb PP braid. This setup is bada$$ for this application.
John M. reply :
On 9/18/2015 at 8:14 AM, poisonokie said:especially since you can re-engage the clutch without touching the handle or thumb bar by pushing the hood back down. That might be my favorite thing about the t3. I find myself trying to do that with other reels.
The T3 has become one of my favorite reels because of this feature. I also find myself trying to push down the hood on other reels haha.
I will only use the TWS for my pitching setups. Currently have a Type R on mine and love it. Need to find a t3 in a higher gear ratio for a new pitching and punching setup.
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