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JL: I was excited to come to the Delta, but it is always changing. I won this time; but I could go out there the next week and not win. That’s just how it is there.
WB: Let’s talk patterns.
JL: I had two main patterns. I was flippin’ out west on a low tide to get some keeper bites in the morning. Later in the day, once the sun got up, I would follow the low tide east to clearer water, so I could work my sight fishing bite. I was chasing the low tide from west to east each day.
I was flippin’ several different areas in the west part of the Delta, where the water was a bit dirtier. This was mainly for some keeper fish to compliment the bigger ones that I was getting off of the beds on the east side. I was only getting about 12 to 15 lbs in the west side.
WB: Tell us about your flippin’ rig.
JL: It really was as standard as it gets. I was using a 5/16 oz Tungsten weight and a 4/0 straight shank
hook. I only had on a Berkley Havoc Pit Boss, no punch skirt at all. The Pit Boss was the color Vampire Orange. It is a black and red color, which the fish always love at the Delta. It was straight out of the pack.
WB: Describe your productive flippin’ areas.
JL: I fished 2 ft of water on the lower tide. My areas didn’t really have any grass. I was mainly flippin’ straight tules or areas with wood. There was a minimal amount of bait fish present. Those bass were mainly crawfish feeders. Sometimes, I could see the crawfish holes.
WB: Anything unique about what, how or where you were flippin’?
JL: I feel the important thing was my rod, reel and line. I feel like my rod, reel and line has made me a better shallow water flipper. I am using a heavy action, 7’6 Abu Garcia Veracity flippin’ rod. It is super-light, very sensitive and really, really strong. It is the best flippin’ rod that I have ever found for a ½ oz bait.
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