I've seen people having a lot of luck by flipping onto lily pads (especially on the mystic lakes.) I really don't get to fish dawn/dusk so a way to be more successful during the sunny afternoon would be great? What are some of your favorite flippin' rigs? How do you set them up? What's your cast/retrieve? 
What is great about flippin pads is that it works best when tough conditions are "tough". when the sun is bright and high, and no wind this actually works the best. The bass seek shade so they group up under the pads.
Couple tips:
All pads not made the same, work the sets of pads that are out away from the shore. I am guessing this is a rest-spot when the fish move between the shallows and deep water. i never have any success on pads up near the shoreline... go for the ones nearest deep water. At Upper Mystic Lake there are several spots where the pads form an offshore pad-island, these are the only ones I fish, not the shore pads. Start in the middle and work your way around, another hunch of mine is that there is a dominat fish guarding a key spot under the pads, staking out his territory. Don't wast time, you will get a hit on the first 5-10 flips. If after 5-10 flips no hit, then move on and come back later. I hit the same ket sets of pads 3 to 4 times a trip rotating amongst the best spots. Some of the best fish came on my 2/3rd rotation through, but always the first 5 flips of the rotation.
For equipment, go big: braid line, stiff rod, 1oz weight and big creature/craw. Set the hook hard, need to pull the fish out. Must have a landing net, half the fish I get a land with a mess of pads in the net.
I actually look forward to the bright sunny days now knowing the fish will group up under the pads. Actually tougher when they are out roaming.
Couple tips:
All pads not made the same, work the sets of pads that are out away from the shore. I am guessing this is a rest-spot when the fish move between the shallows and deep water. i never have any success on pads up near the shoreline... go for the ones nearest deep water. At Upper Mystic Lake there are several spots where the pads form an offshore pad-island, these are the only ones I fish, not the shore pads. Start in the middle and work your way around, another hunch of mine is that there is a dominat fish guarding a key spot under the pads, staking out his territory. Don't wast time, you will get a hit on the first 5-10 flips. If after 5-10 flips no hit, then move on and come back later. I hit the same ket sets of pads 3 to 4 times a trip rotating amongst the best spots. Some of the best fish came on my 2/3rd rotation through, but always the first 5 flips of the rotation.
For equipment, go big: braid line, stiff rod, 1oz weight and big creature/craw. Set the hook hard, need to pull the fish out. Must have a landing net, half the fish I get a land with a mess of pads in the net.
I actually look forward to the bright sunny days now knowing the fish will group up under the pads. Actually tougher when they are out roaming.
Same here, as volume had said. Texas rig. Bump across
Toe tops of the pads, dropping into openings. I'm actually interested in trying next with frogs. Something like the spro bronze eye, if I get down to bass pro before the weekend. I will let you know how it worked!
Toe tops of the pads, dropping into openings. I'm actually interested in trying next with frogs. Something like the spro bronze eye, if I get down to bass pro before the weekend. I will let you know how it worked!
If you're going pad fishing, bring a frog setup along with your punching setup. The frog is a fantastic search option in thick pads. Even if the bass fails to connect, you know that it's there and active. And it just created easy access to the area when it blew up on your frog. Drop your punching setup into the gap created.
Occasionally this won't work too well, as the bass will be wary after a missed strike. More often than not, if a fish is willing to hit a frog it's willing to hit something else shortly after.
If nothing hits the frog, make sure to punch the pads anyways. Sometimes they just don't want the frog at all =)
Occasionally this won't work too well, as the bass will be wary after a missed strike. More often than not, if a fish is willing to hit a frog it's willing to hit something else shortly after.
If nothing hits the frog, make sure to punch the pads anyways. Sometimes they just don't want the frog at all =)
I tend to fish the edges of the pads where they're closest to deep and/or moving water, usually tossing 5" Senkos rigged Texas-style or Zoom trick worms weightless; I especially like to drag the latter across the pads and let them drop in the gaps. I've found that the smaller bass tend to congregate along the edges where they can make a quick ambush out into open water then duck back under the pads. The bigger fish I've latched onto have been deep in the pads, often halfway between shore and the edge of the pads. Been doing this for a month now as the weeds and pads have really filled in, using a 6ft casting rod and reel using 40lb (equivalent) Spiderwire.
The Spro and Spro mini frogs in light green/yellow have produced a great number of bass for me. The only thing is, the hook up percentage is 50/50 on a good day! Every other frog I've used had a 10-15% hookup percentage, though. You really have to let them take it... Listen and look for the splash, feel the weight, count to 3, and then slam!
I love the hooks on these Spros. They are sharp, close to the body so they hardly ever snag, and these things glide over plants, pads, everything! There are two of them too, so if a bass gets it good, it's not getting off!
I love the hooks on these Spros. They are sharp, close to the body so they hardly ever snag, and these things glide over plants, pads, everything! There are two of them too, so if a bass gets it good, it's not getting off!
i agree with everything but i always fish the outside edges of pads n weeds before pitching into the middle. if you start in the middle or thickest part and hook up with a fish 9 times out of 10 your going to spook just about everything around the pads. so if you get a couple fish on the outisde edges of the pads without ripping pads out and making lots of noise other fish deeper in the pads wont every know your there. ill try n go light as possible with weights. for docks light lillys and weeds 1/4oz and for thicker weeds n slop 1/2oz to 3/4oz depending on situations. def 50lb or bigger braid depending and 7ft or bigger mh/h flipping rod with a fast reel.
The Spro and Spro mini frogs in light green/yellow have produced a great number of bass for me. The only thing is, the hook up percentage is 50/50 on a good day! Every other frog I've used had a 10-15% hookup percentage, though. You really have to let them take it... Listen and look for the splash, feel the weight, count to 3, and then slam!
I love the hooks on these Spros. They are sharp, close to the body so they hardly ever snag, and these things glide over plants, pads, everything! There are two of them too, so if a bass gets it good, it's not getting off!
I have the LiveTarget frog in brown and it produces lots of strikes and never snags. I'm not sure about the hookup rate as I just started using it and just realized I'm trying to set the hook too fast.
Wow. That thing looks pretty awesome and I will probably get one. But, how do you flip that thing onto pads with that many treble hooks?!
Are you talking about the Live Target frog I just posted? If so I think you saw the wrong thing. It only has the two curled hooks in the back. Casts a mile, never fills with water and always floats right-side-up.
If you meant something else disregard lol.
http://www.basspro.com/Koppers-LIVETARGET-Frogs/product/10209867/-1839760
Hah! Yeah! The thing I saw had trebles coming out of it like a jitterbug!
Wow! I'll definitely have to try one of these! Looks just like the Spro but way more realistic! Love that topwater bite! Hate having to wait 2-3 seconds to set the hook and finding that there's no weight at the end of the line...
But still fun nonetheless! 
Wow! I'll definitely have to try one of these! Looks just like the Spro but way more realistic! Love that topwater bite! Hate having to wait 2-3 seconds to set the hook and finding that there's no weight at the end of the line...
But still fun nonetheless! 
Wow. That thing looks pretty awesome and I will probably get one. But, how do you flip that thing onto pads with that many treble hooks?!
Are you talking about the Live Target frog I just posted? If so I think you saw the wrong thing. It only has the two curled hooks in the back. Casts a mile, never fills with water and always floats right-side-up.
If you meant something else disregard lol.
http://www.basspro.com/Koppers-LIVETARGET-Frogs/product/10209867/-1839760
$9.99 is a good price! They are $14.99 at Dick's Sporting Goods.
I totally agree with Creaturefiend, starting on the outside of the pads works best , I actually work my way INTO the pads themselves, I flip the thickest nastiest slop I can find, that type of stuff forms an umbrella of shade that the Bass Love, keep in mind just because its thick doesnt mean you can just plop it in there, the perfect pitch slides right along the top of the water and lands with out ANY splash, even in the thickest pads you can shake the bait and eventually it falls through, and you know while your shaking the bait on top of that pad Larrys looking up at it saying "Here comes dinner"