Bassdozer Flip'n Swim Jigs ~ Heavy Duty Flipping and Swimming Jigs

Bassdozer's heavy duty Flip'n Swim combines two of the most productive grass fishing tactics:

Flipping/pitching jigs in grass and
Swimming jigs over and through grass
Now combined into a single power fishing presentation. Please enjoy!

Flipping Jigs Rule!

People often ask, "What is flipping?"

The definition of flipping includes:

an eight foot rod you could yank a beached boat off a sand bar with,
plus a winch to match (I mean reel),
about 15 feet of rope off the spool (and 5 more on the reel for backing),
a strong back and biceps.

Oh, yes, you'll also need a flipping jig that won't crumble under that kind of pressure.

Season after season, an analysis of winning techniques shows that flipping jigs remain one of the most winningest baits on top level pro tours like BASS and FLW. It's always been a winner and always will. Who knows why, but big bass favor flipping jigs. It's not just top tour pros either. Right on down the line of any and all regional and local tournament trails, no matter where, the flipping jig is indubitably a winner. If you look at any regional or local tournament dominator, chances are more than good that the flipping jig is the tool used to win time after time.

For many anglers, however, it's a hard lure to use, and you will not catch as many fish. If you do catch five bass (a limit), or if you just need to hang one good kicker to win, the flipping jig catches bigger bass on average than most any other lure. Who knows why, but it does. The flipping jig always has and will be a tournament-winning bait.

Around thick grass beds, reed berms, flooded brush banks, lily pads and the like, a streamlined bullet-nosed flipping jig has traditionally been high on an expert angler's options. I say a flipping jig is for an expert angler, because as deceptively simple as a flipping jig appears to be, it is difficult for a neophyte to use one.

One problem is, many anglers underestimate the heaviness of the gear that's required to flip jigs. A good flipping rod, reel and line is one of the heaviest of all outfits required for effective bass fishing. The casual angler doesn't have the gear horsepower required to flip, to get a jig in and out of dense cover and to set the heavy hook despite the stiff deflective fiberguard.

But the right outfit alone doesn't do much itself. You can acquire the very best flipping outfit in the world, however there's still the skill required to cast or flip a jig into barely open spots in the almost impenetrable tangles of thick cover. More often than not, the flip cast had to hit an area no larger than a tea cup - or you're out of luck. Most flipping casts need to be that precise, and many anglers aren't. The best flippers are not born that way but practice in their garage, pool or backyard, some for an hour daily, just flipping a jig into a teacup or coffee can.

An expert flipper must also develop a knack of "preventing snags before they happen" and this skill can be practiced on dry land too. Just cast across an obstacle course that simulates the fishing situations you face. Oh yes, cut the fiberguard off first and run the jig through the obstacle course with the hook point exposed. You'll be a better flipper for it. This knack of "preventing snags before they happen" has very little to do with jig construction. Although a properly-designed jig helps, the knack's 80% operator skill. For anglers that have not mastered the knack of preventing snags before they happen, flipping jigs can be a frustratingly snaggy experience.

Inevitably, even the best flipper will get snagged - in fact, often. This requires another skill. Not only must a flipper be a "master caster" to get into tight spots in the cover that few other anglers can fish, but must be a "master uncaster" also, meaning the knack to unsnag stuck jigs is truly a necessary ability that all flippers must master. If you aren't a "master uncaster" that means you must move the boat to the snag more often than not, to get it out, and you're just not going to catch many fish doing that all day. Being a master uncaster means getting a snag out without compromising your boat's fishing position and without blowing every bass out of the cover.

I hope I haven't discouraged anyone who wants to try flipping jigs. As deceptively simple as jigs look, it is up to the flipper to make them work - or not. It may take years, even a lifetime, to master flipping jigs, but it is the ultimate accomplishment in bass fishing. No other bass lure takes as much skill or practice.

Russ Bassdozer

Bill Bjork

John Clinton of Minnesota is a master at flipping fields of lily pads. "Most anglers just won't get into the thick of the pad fields where lunker bass lurk," says John. "I caught this bucketmouth on your Flip'n Swim jig with the olive pumpkin skirt and a green pumpkin Zoom Super Speed Craw trailer. The Flip'n Swim jig has been awesome for fishing shallow vegetation, especially lily pads." - John Clinton, Apple Valley, Minnesota

Bassdozer's heavy duty Flip'n Swim jig works best on heavy tackle. It's shaped especially for getting through grass, weeds and wiry brush. It currently comes in one size only - 1/2 ounce with a heavy wire Mustad Ultra Point 5/0 flipping hook. A new 3/8 oz high-floating size made of tin is coming soon.

Flip, Pitch or Swim? You Decide. Up until a couple of years back, fishing jigs around shallow, thick vegetation meant flipping jigs into tiny spots where bass would be holed up deep in cover, and expecting to get hit even before the jig reaches bottom most times. If no hit, shake or hop the jig a couple of times and then extract it from the cover for another cast. If you're so close to the cover you can literally hit the bass on the head without even casting, that's called "flipping" in a nutshell. If you have to pitch an underhanded or semi-sidearm cast a short distance to hit the target, that's called "pitching" a jig.

In the last few years, "swimming" a jig and specific versions of "swimming jigs" have become popular for fishing around thick grass beds also.

Unfortunately, there are few if any jigs on the market designed to both flip/pitch AND swim equally well - until now!

Bassdozer's heavy duty Flip'n Swim jig flips and pitches into holes in grass and gets in and out of tight cover very well.
Bassdozer's heavy duty Flip'n Swim jig is designed to swim over and through grass as good as any swimming jig.

The heavy duty Flip'n Swim jig is designed to swim as good as it flips and pitches!

So that's what Bassdozer's heavy duty Flip'n Swim does best of all is - flipping and swimming. Not one or the other, but both. Especially in grass, thick weeds, tall reeds, wiry brush banks and fields of lily pads.

Bassdozer Flip'n Swim Jig ~ Watermelon Candy

Low Angle 30 Degree Hook Eye. Unlike conventional jigs, the 30 degree bend jig hook is what helps make these jigs swim better than a jig with a traditional 60 degree or 90 degree jig hook. The 30 degree hook placement and the curve of the chin underneath it help bring the jig though grass better than other jigs, plus the collar (where the skirt goes) is much lower below the jig's center of gravity, which helps steer the eye over and through grass, helps the point stick on a strike and helps counterbalance the jig to stay upright when swimming. I've seen many ill-balanced flipping jigs that roll over on their sides when you try to swim them, and I've seen many swimming jigs just too light to flip - but the Flip'n Swim jig swims and flips in grass better than most other flipping jigs out there, and it swims better than most other swimming jigs out there today.
Premium Mustad Ultra Point Jig Hook. 5/0 with a black nickel finish and an Ultra Point designed to resist the point bending and rolling over when it meets gristly mouth material. This is one of Mustad's newest - and best - jig hook models. New hook models like this have a habit of leapfrogging over old hook models. Let's face it, you can't upgrade an old hook model since they are many existing molds and lure manufacturers worldwide depending on hook models to remain consistent. But you can learn what makes a jig hook better, and incorporate those ideas into a new hook model, which is what Mustad did with this hook. Every dimension is better than most any flipping jig hook built before it. The total length from the eye to the bend is longer than any flipping jig hook I know. Just like long shank hooks have become preferred on spinnerbaits, this new longer jig hook also puts the hook point back further into the mouth when engulfed - and also puts the hook point further back to hook more short-striking fish. The top of the hook eye is much lower than the point, thus less impediment caused by protruding hook eye blockage on the hookset. The "front length" (distance from the tip of the point to back of the bend) is longer, for more cant and leverage on the hookset. From the tip of the point to the barb is longer, for more tentative hold upon initial penetration. The bend is wider, the gape is wider and the bite or throat is deeper. As I say, every dimension is designed better than most any flipping jig hook built before it. New hooks designs tend to be like that. It has a heavy flipping strength hook wire for landing big bass with medium/heavy to very heavy tackle.

The Mustad Ultra Point is also revolutionary for flipping jigs. Mustad came out with it a few years back. It is super-sharp right out of the box, but where it excels most is after a few fish are caught or after you've been flipping a few hours or all day. The tip of the point rarely bends. The Mustad Ultra Point holds its point better under hard flipping conditions and doesn't roll the point after a few fish or flipping tough stuff all day.

Best of all, the huge hook gap can accommodate big trailers and still have enough hook gap left to hook and land fish well. The huge hook gap assures your hookset will take, even at the end of a long flip or pitch, or long distance cast when swimming the jig.

This is a modern hook made to withstand the force of superlines (braid), but works equally swell with monofilament or fluorocarbon. That doesn't mean it will never bend under tremendous pressure of heavier braided lines, but it is designed to bend less than most other flipping hooks do. No matter how strong a heavy duty flipping hook looks and feels, most all can and will bend under intense pressure with heavy braid.
Closely Calibrated Fiberguard. The fiberguard is painstakingly calibrated to need no trimming. It wasn't so many years ago, there was practically only one size fiberguard, and it came the maximum length, very thick and very stiff, sort of a "one size fits all" which often meant that savvy anglers would need to trim, shorten and thin out some fibers to tailor the fiberguard to be just right for the snags they faced. Worst of all, less experienced anglers would use the fiberguard as is, and have problems hooking fish. No wonder novices would say jig fishing is hard to master. Remember, a fiberguard is only there to let the jig traverse terrain that an exposed hook can not. Nowadays, a manufacturer can practically custom order the length, stiffness, fiber diameter and number of fibers in a bundle that they desire. So we perfectly configured the fiberguard on the Style T jig so it does not need trimming. It's good to go right out of the box, and hooks a high percentage of fish while avoiding snags. Even inexperienced anglers will hook a lot of fish - and remarkably avoid snags like they're experts! You do want to fan the fibers out, just a little bit on both sides, to serve as side deflectors to usher the hook away from grass and snags from the sides. But you do not need to trim it. It is set up for grass and weeds and brush, and that's why the fiberguard is a little longer which helps the jig get through grass. However, if you fish relatively snag-free areas, you may want to clip 1/4" off the tip of the fiberguard. This is just to lower the protruding tip of the fiberguard, so it reduces any chance it's an impediment when a fish engulfs it.
Triple Cone Cut Keeper Collar. This is something you do not see much yet on bass lures. The Style T jig here is just about the first to implement it (on bass jigs). It is designed to hold a skirt (over the first cone) and the remaining two cones can hold a soft trailer securely. To get a skirt or soft bait onto the cones, it's best to wet the collar a little first. Lake water or any water will do. At home, I like to use a Q-Tip dipped in water and dishwashing liquid. Just dab the cones to wet them, then wriggle the skirt or soft bait gently side to side to get it seated properly on the cones. If you try it dry or apply too much direct force straight ahead, it's not as easy and results will be less than perfect. Wet the cones, and wriggle side to side gently, and your skirt and/or soft bait will enjoy the benefit of 360 degree all-around grip from each of the three cones. All together, that's 1,080 degrees of gripping power. Much better than a puny barb or bent wire keeper!

The triple cone cut keeper collar is a significant advantage. First, there is one keeper cone for the skirt, and it is quite difficult for a fish to ever pull the skirt down. Second, there are two more cone keepers with a full 360 degrees of gripping power each (a total of 720 degrees of grip strength) that helps hold a soft plastic trailer far more securely than any spike or barb type keeper. Do the math. A spike or barb type keeper has at most 15 degrees of grip whereas the Style T jig has 720 degrees of grip. It's obvious the Style T will hold soft baits much more securely. Worst of all, most other flipping or swimming jigs on the market have absolutely no way to hold soft plastic trailers - just a bare hook shank behind the skirt! The Style T has not one but two full 360 degree trailer keeper cones!

Rigging Methods

This jig comes through grass weedless and snagless, better than any flipping jig I know. Try it and see for yourself. At the same time, it is designed to momentarily clutch grass. I love the way it grabs but let's go of grass. There's something fish find perfect about that at times. We often hear how fishing lipless rattling crankbaits (or any lure) in grass, how it's good to rip it off grass to get a strike. Well, this jig does that - briefly - so fast it is hardly noticeable. It acts more like an aquatic terrestrial creature, an amphibian, waterbug, larvae or crawdad that moves from stalk to stalk, briefly clutching on and pushing off to the next stalk. Once you know about this unique grab-and-go action, you'll find yourself intentionally fishing this jig to bring that action out of it.

Shown rigged with: