Set up help?

[BigBassin144]

For a reel, look for something with a shallower spool for pitching. Shallow spools are usually lighter, meaning you'll see better pitching performance. I haven't really been following the tackle scene for quite a while, so I'm not sure what all is out there.

For a rod, I tend to reach for a 7' H F rod for pitching, and on the rare occasion that I do flip, it's on a 7'6"-7'8" H F rod. I like the control the shorter rod gives me when pitching, but when flipping, the longer the rod, the longer you can flip. Like I said, I don't flip much, so the 7' H F usually gets the call. But it's not really about what fits my, or anyone else's style/needs, but what fits yours. Picking out a rod for yourself will depend on a lot of things, but let's start with these:

Do you prefer flipping or pitching? Which do you use most often?
What lure weights do you use most often?
How tall are you? - This is an important aspect when picking a pitching rod. I'm not a tall person, so I have trouble pitching with a 7'6" rod. Someone who's 6'3" may not.
What platform will you be fishing from? - pitching from a bass boat is easier than from a v-hull or jon boat where the sides are much higher than the deck. pitching from shore is another story completely.
What is your budget? - As always, this is a main factor. Seeing as you'll be getting this for X-mas, you may not know what your parent can spend on it, but try to give a rough estimate.

Knowing this stuff will help in choosing a rod that will work good for you.

The biggest difference you'll see between the rod you've got and a non-micro is balance. Balance is quite important (IMO) when pitching and flipping. It also becomes a big deal when you move in the over 7' range of rods. I can guarantee that BPS rod will be tip heavy.

BB

[Scott the fishman]

Originally Posted by BigBassin144

For a reel, look for something with a shallower spool for pitching. Shallow spools are usually lighter, meaning you'll see better pitching performance. I haven't really been following the tackle scene for quite a while, so I'm not sure what all is out there.

For a rod, I tend to reach for a 7' H F rod for pitching, and on the rare occasion that I do flip, it's on a 7'6"-7'8" H F rod. I like the control the shorter rod gives me when pitching, but when flipping, the longer the rod, the longer you can flip. Like I said, I don't flip much, so the 7' H F usually gets the call. But it's not really about what fits my, or anyone else's style/needs, but what fits yours. Picking out a rod for yourself will depend on a lot of things, but let's start with these:

Do you prefer flipping or pitching? Which do you use most often?
What lure weights do you use most often?
How tall are you? - This is an important aspect when picking a pitching rod. I'm not a tall person, so I have trouble pitching with a 7'6" rod. Someone who's 6'3" may not.
What platform will you be fishing from? - pitching from a bass boat is easier than from a v-hull or jon boat where the sides are much higher than the deck. pitching from shore is another story completely.
What is your budget? - As always, this is a main factor. Seeing as you'll be getting this for X-mas, you may not know what your parent can spend on it, but try to give a rough estimate.

Knowing this stuff will help in choosing a rod that will work good for you.

The biggest difference you'll see between the rod you've got and a non-micro is balance. Balance is quite important (IMO) when pitching and flipping. It also becomes a big deal when you move in the over 7' range of rods. I can guarantee that BPS rod will be tip heavy.

BB

Thank you for all the information. I prefer and pitch most of the time. mainly 1/4-1/2. I am a little over 6'1" now. I am 15 so I will most likely grow more. i am mainly going to be using this from a bass boat. but occasionally from the shore. the budget is basically not there. my birthday is 4 days after xmas so my parents group it together. but i would prefer to keep it under 150-225 range
Thank you again

[pig n jig]

The reel is the most important part of a good pitchin' setup.I'm going to try a Ardent F500 for next summer.They are $89.99 at the Ardent site right now.I can't really recommend them for I haven't used one but they look pretty darn good for that price. If I were on a budget,I would seek a good reel and then worry about a designated rod.You probably already have a 7' MH rod that will work as a pitchin' stick until you can replace it with a designated pitchin' rod.I hope this helps.

[Tavery5]

Originally Posted by pig n jig

The reel is the most important part of a good pitchin' setup.

Curious, as to why you feel this way, can you expand on your thoughts a little.

[pig n jig]

Originally Posted by Tavery5

Curious, as to why you feel this way, can you expand on your thoughts a little.

I feel that the reel is most important because it controls the majority of what makes or breaks your presentation when pitchin' jigs. The reel needs to be able to freespool smoothly to allow the jig to fall freely through the water colum but yet does not backlash at any time during the pitch.It has to have a strong drag system to get the fish headed in your direction through heavy cover.If the drag tension is too light by design,the drag will slip upon the hookset and getting the fish turned and coming towards you.If you cannot get the fish turned and coming towards you, you've lost control and stand a good chance of losing the fish.It has to be designed to retrieve line smoothly under the torque weight of fish and possibly pull a ball of weeds that is pulled up with the fish.When I pitch,I'm making Hundreds of pitches in a day, I want the reel to be able to allow the jig to fall freely and still have line control so I'm not dealing with backlash problems on every pitch throughout the day.I can concentrate on watching my line during the pitch rather than trying to adjust the settings to compensate for the reels shortcomings.

There is a time when a fish inhales your jig on the fall, the line will jump on the spool.If your reel is not able to smoothly control the line during the pitch, you will never see the line jump.When the line jumps on the spool, it is most likely the best fish of the day.I was partial to Daiwa because you could push up under the thumb bar and engage the reel, rather than having to turn the handle to engage the reel.You could push up on the thumb bar and set the hook .I use the old Daiwa TD2 reels because they have a strong drag system and the Daiwa magnetic brake system works pretty good compared to other magnetic brake systems.