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Great Flipping Stick
Another Innovative Idea
from Jim Pope
Dateline 11/16/98
When I decided to purchase a flipping stick, I visited three or four fishing supply centers and was unable to locate the rod I wanted. Slightly frustrated, I went home and designed one for my personal use. Being a 'diddler' in rod repair, golf club building and repair, and countless other things, I had all of the materials necessary for a good flipping stick.
I started with a graphite golf club shaft and trimmed it to a length of 33 inches. I then took a heavy, fast action, 5 1/2-foot casting rod and trimmed the butt in to attain a length of 57 inches. These odd lengths were necessary to match the outside diameters of the club shaft and rod butt. Using a four inch section from another discarded golf club shaft, I attached the two sections together with some golf club shafting epoxy. This epoxy remains flexible after curing, preventing it from cracking under stress.
I then fitted the rod with new guides and installed a 15" section of 1/2" pipe insulation using golf grip tape and solvent. I then taped on an old Ambassador 2500 reel and spooled it with 25-lb. test line. The small 2500 is an excellent flipping reel, and it will handle heavy-duty action. The resulting 7 1/2-foot flipping rig is all I need. The lightweight technology used in the production of both golf club shafts and fishing rods resulted in a reasonably light flipping stick.
I promise you that it will jerk a big fish out of heavy cover before the fish has time to think about escape.
