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Florida pro Patrick Pierce has earned most of his winnings with a flipping stick. Heâs an ace on the St. Johnâs River and Lake Seminole as well as other north Florida and south Georgia lakes. However, much of his flipping know-how is applicable from Okeechobee to Champlain. Here are his 5 favorite flipping baits.</p>](http://www.bassmaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/mainimagedj.jpg)
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<strong>1. Zoom Speed Craw</strong></p>
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This compact bait is great for thick vegetation such as hyacinths and matted grass like hydrilla. âThat is my go-to bait. Itâs what I usually start with. If Iâm punching mats, I like it year-round. Itâs small and slides through thick grass easily. In the summer, Iâll use it to pitch into bushes and the like,â he said.</p>](http://www.bassmaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Zoom20Speed20Craw.jpg)
This compact bait is great for thick vegetation such as hyacinths and matted grass like hydrilla. âThat is my go-to bait. Itâs what I usually start with. If Iâm punching mats, I like it year-round. Itâs small and slides through thick grass easily. In the summer, Iâll use it to pitch into bushes and the like,â he said.
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<strong>2. Zoom Baby Brush Hog</strong></p>
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âI use this when I want to have little bit bigger profile on my hook. Itâs also good when I need a kicker fish or if I think the fish are eating slightly larger forage,â he said. âIn the fall, itâs good on Guntersville, Seminole and other places where there are bigger fish. Plus, this time of year the bluegill are getting bigger, so itâs a better match.â</p>](http://www.bassmaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Zoom20brush20Hog.jpg)
âI use this when I want to have little bit bigger profile on my hook. Itâs also good when I need a kicker fish or if I think the fish are eating slightly larger forage,â he said. âIn the fall, itâs good on Guntersville, Seminole and other places where there are bigger fish. Plus, this time of year the bluegill are getting bigger, so itâs a better match.â
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<strong>3. Strike King Rodent</strong></p>
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âI like this one more for flipping bushes. Again, it has a bigger profile, but itâs subtler than a Brush Hog. This is good all through the summer. It matches the size of a bream more than anything.â</p>](http://www.bassmaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Strike20King20Rodent.jpg)
âI like this one more for flipping bushes. Again, it has a bigger profile, but itâs subtler than a Brush Hog. This is good all through the summer. It matches the size of a bream more than anything.â
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<strong>4. Strike King Greg Hackney Hack Attack jig</strong></p>
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âThis bait has the biggest profile of any of the baits I flip or pitch. Itâs great in the wintertime in deeper bushes down to 12 feet on a river channel. Itâs got a good, slow fall because of its bulk, and can be altered based on the plastic trailer you put on it,â he said. âTypically, Iâll use plastics when Iâm trying for a reaction bite and jigs when I want a slow fall that theyâll study a bit more. You can also swim it out from bushes; as you pull it out of the bush, a lot of times theyâll run out and grab it.â</p>](http://www.bassmaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Strike20King20Hack20Attack20Jig.jpg)
âThis bait has the biggest profile of any of the baits I flip or pitch. Itâs great in the wintertime in deeper bushes down to 12 feet on a river channel. Itâs got a good, slow fall because of its bulk, and can be altered based on the plastic trailer you put on it,â he said. âTypically, Iâll use plastics when Iâm trying for a reaction bite and jigs when I want a slow fall that theyâll study a bit more. You can also swim it out from bushes; as you pull it out of the bush, a lot of times theyâll run out and grab it.â
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<strong>5. Zoom Speed Worm</strong></p>
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âThis is my go-to bait in Florida. Admittedly, I donât use it much outside of Florida but Iâll use it any time of year there. It gives fish under mats a different look and is great around bulrushes and cattails. Itâs good around these places because the tail wonât get wrapped around stuff like a ribbontail will.â</p>](http://www.bassmaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Zoom20Speed20Worm.jpg)
âThis is my go-to bait in Florida. Admittedly, I donât use it much outside of Florida but Iâll use it any time of year there. It gives fish under mats a different look and is great around bulrushes and cattails. Itâs good around these places because the tail wonât get wrapped around stuff like a ribbontail will.â