Flippin Stained Water.. too close??

[BassQualifier]

I was reading Capt. Mike's post about how the pro's were fishing the Potomac and flipping the edges of the matted grass and thought I would give that a try on my home lake next time I go out, since we have plenty of matted grass here.

But one question I wanted to ask was how close can you get when flipping these mats in semi-clear to stained water? Watching the pro's on TV, I often see them flip only what seems about 10 feet in front of them. I was always under the impression that you wanted to be at least 20+ feet away from your casting target. Can you really get this close? Wouldn't the fish feel the presence of your boat and also sense your trolling motor, even on low speeds when you are literally right up on them?

It's just everytime that I am out flipping and pitching anything, it just seems to go against common sense to flip so close to cover like that. Wouldn't a pitch from 25+ feet be better? Thanks for your advice.

[Fish2win]

In stained to muddy water you can get on top of them. The fish feed up. If they are under grass mats they are less likely to see you. A quite presentation can be more important than visability at times. Fish2win

[pig n jig]

It depends on the activity level of the fish.P N J

[pig n jig]

First you have to find the depth they are holding.If they are holding in 4 ft. of water and you decide to flip and pitch 2-3 ft depths, you might catch an ocassional fish, but you will miss the majority of the fish. Find the pattern and then change your presentation to their activity level and make the most of the day.Never go into a day of fishing with a pre determined course your going to fish, you have to let the fish determine what they want on that given day.The person who best tailors their presentation to fishes preference wins.The person who fishes his predetermined mindset is just practicing for the day his foolish mindset falls inline with the fishes preference.Go Fish with an open mind,pay attention to the small details when you catch a fish. P N J

[Vabass22]

Yep pnj hit the nail on the head so to say. Plus at the extreme closeness of 10 ft, you can put your bait within a centimeter of where you want it, with less splash, and these are very important when flipping stained water.

[JB]

the guy that taught me to bass fish flips so close to the bank its ridiculous, maybe about 5-7 feet off the shore..one thing to keep in mind if you in close is be aware of your shadow, you need to work the bank so that your shadow doesn't cover the area you're about to work/pick apart.

[bassintom]

sometimes i'm forced to do not even what i would call flipping.i'll just run my boat right up into the thickest crap,whether it be bushes or matted weeds.then i simply walk around my boat dropping my bait into any hole i find big enough to get my bait into.i'll do this whether the water is clear or stained.if those fish are buried in that stuff,they are not going anywhere.i have pulled fish out literally next to my boat in less than 2ft of clear water.close is all relative.sometimes my close is 10 ft.sometimes 6 inches.
and pay attention to what PNJ is saying.

[JB]

thats esp. true for tournament anglers, so many get stuck in a pattern that worked great in pre fishing, butthe day of the tournie the bite changes, but most are to mule headed to adapt to the change, thinking
"well they were in tight all week, and the weather hasn't changed, so they have to be there today"
...not always huh?