Dee Thomas is widely known as the “Father of the Flippin” technique and back in 2000 for his lifetime achievement while bass fishing was inducted to “The Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame”. The California Sportsmen Hall of Fame followed suit in 2006 and now the Professional Bass Fishing Hall of Fame has joined in recognizing him for both his personal accomplishments to the sport.
The story goes back in 1975 Dee went to East side to fish a BASS invitational on Bull Shoals and WON it using his Flippin stick and the rest is history. You would be hard pressed to find any Bass boats today that don’t have one or more Flippin Rods on their deck. Having lived in NorCal for 40 plus years, I’ve flipped some of the best Bass fishing locates in the world such as the California Delta and Clear Lake. During my tournament days I also fished against the likes of Dee Thomas and his protégé, Dave Gliebe needless to say I learned a lot about donating money LOL If you’ve never met Dee he’s a crack up and still fishes today poor health and all.
In 2006 I retired and moved to Fl, some 10 years later Flippin is still a big part of my repertoire. Flipping is one of the most consistently effective big bass fishing techniques here as well if not more due the heavy shallow water vegetation. I’ve picked two companies, Fitzgerald Rods a relative new comer in Florida and Dobyns Rods a West Coast main stay for my review.
The rods: From Fitzgerald’s is the HYDRILLA GRASS FLIPPIN’ 7’6″ HVY, designed specifically for flippin’ hydrilla and vertically growing grass. The Rod loads perfectly so that you don’t pull the bait from the fish to early. When flipping hydrilla or grass you need a rod that is light and swift yet power full once you set the hook in order to get them out of the thick stuff. I caught up with Owner Trevor Fitzgerald at the Bassmaster’s Classic Expo and told me he 
used this rod to win the 2010 Bassmaster Open on Lake Seminole when he flipped all 3 days for the win. This rod is an outstanding rod at 200 bucks and made in the USA which is hard to find these days. After two weeks of testing I can honestly say the rod is super light, sensative and stout at the same time. I also use this rod as bed fishing tool with great success and turned 2 Trophy Catch fish which netting me 200 BPS bucks….Fitzgerald is also a sponsor of the quite successful program here in FL …… Danny Barker’s Bass Facts gives it a two thumbs up review, you guys on the West Side need to take a look at this rod and for Flippin the Delta and Clear Lake you’ll be impressed.
Length. 7’6” 1pc.
Taper: Fast
Line Wt: 20-80 lb Braid
Lure Wt: 1/2 – 2 oz
Guides: Micro 10+Tip
Handle Length: 13″
From Dobyns…….it’s the newest line FURY Series featuring the FR 765FLIP FLIPPIN STICK. Gary had the everyday angler in mind when he created the Fury Series at a price point of 100 bucks it’s a winner….. Designed for hitting the small holes in weed beds and the balance of the rod allows precision and accuracy while being stealthy. It’s a rod you can rely on and still have the energy put the big girls in the boat. This rod is stout and intended for flipping the 
nastiest stuff in the lake or river with a big weight all day long, this is the rod you can rely on! It’s strong enough to hammer the hook home and boat flip them with the weeds and vegetation attached. Gary’s rods speak for themselves he’s a proven Tournament angler with over 100 major tournament victories, his knowledge is built into every rod. Yet, it is Gary’s insistence on adhering to strict design principles and minimal manufacturing tolerances that has raised the level of rod performance and quality throughout the fishing industry. Danny Barker’s Bass Facts also gives his rod a 2 Thumbs review. Florida bass anglers give Dobyns a fair shake on the Big O and all the other flippin waters we have here !
LENGTH 7’6″ 1pc.
Line WT. 12-25lb,
Lure weight.1/4-2oz,
Action.Med/Hvy Flip
Taper. Fast Action
Guides. 9+ tips
True story my partner Daren and I qualified for the West Coast Bass TOC on Clear Lake against the likes of Dee Thomas, Andy “Cooch” Cuccia, Wayne Breazeale, Zack Thompson and Justin Lucas to mention a few trying to a win the boat… Anyway day one came around and we’re all waiting for our partners to pick us up at the ramp. Back in them days we fished out of 17 ft tub with a 50 hp Mercury a 5 gal tank. We stay local and fished near the take off area and Dee trolled over to me and asked how we did ….. Most of the field was flying around in their big fancy rig but Dee made a point to come over and chat. He asked how we did and I said we had around 20 lb’s. He said great job , you guys did better than us and it’s all because of your boat. You stayed local and keep your bait in the water and all we did was burn a bunch of gas and didn’t catch em like that in our big rig….It was a moment I’ll never forget The Father Of Flippin took the time to come and say hey…………..CHomp On my friends……
DANNY BARKER
TROPHY BASS HUNTER
WRITER/BLOGGER/FIELD EDITOR
11055 N IRON DR
CITRUS SPRINGS, FL 34434
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