Flip’n Out
Clent Davis of Montevallo, Alabama touts Mister Twister’s Flip’n Out as the best flipping bait he’s ever used bass fishing. “The Flip’n OUT is responsible for every bass I weighed in during 2015 Toho and Lake Seminole Bassmaster Southern Opens.” These finishes ensured Clent Davis advanced to the 2016 Bassmaster Elite Series.
Clent fished the last four years on the FLW Tour. He was crowned Rookie of the Year in 2012 and qualified for the FLW Cup twice. No stranger to high-level competition, who better to ask about his first and only choice when it comes to flipping baits.
I caught up with Clent on the backside of a recent trip to one of his home lakes, Lake Mitchell. He was pumped to say the least, “Mike, I have been crushing the bass. This time of year, with the cold, high water I usually expect 8-10 bites a day. With the Mister Twister Flip’n Out I’m catching thirty to forty bass a day.”
We all know this winter’s (2015-2016) weather has been very unstable with ups and downs. One day it’s unseasonably warm, the next bitter cold. With continually changing conditions an angler might think a variety of bait options would be needed-Not Clent. Clent continued, “The Flip’n Out offers every action an angler can want in a flipping bait, so no matter what feeding mood the bass are in I can catch them with the Flip’n Out.”
I asked Clent what made the Flip’n Out so special compared to all the other baits on the market. His response had two answers. Clent said, “The material Mister Twister uses is tougher than other companies. Now don’t confuse increased durability with stiffness. All of the Mister Twister baits are very pliable and have tremendous action. But, I find that all Mister Twister baits hold up longer and catch more bass per bait.” Clent’s second reason is the twister tails at the ends of the baits paddles. “Those mini twister tails move with the slightest water current. On those days where I have to soak a bait to get bites [let it sit for extended periods of time], those tails are still moving. The bait has action even when it’s sitting still.”
Digging deeper, I wanted to know specifically what he’s doing with the Flip’n Out, weight, line, hook, etc. Clent tells us how it’s done, “I fish the Flip’n Out on a standard Texas Rig the majority of the time. I’m a power fisherman; I rig the Flip’n Out with a ¾ ounce weight and get after it. I want to cover a lot of water and find the aggressive bass. The Flip’n Out is great about generating a reaction strike when it’s falling. Occasionally I’ll drop to a ½ ounce weight when I can’t get the faster reaction strike.” Clent went on to say, “If I’m punching I’ll use a heavier weight and braided line. If I’m flipping to cover its 17 to 20-pound fluorocarbon.” He closed this part of the conversation saying he always uses a 3/0 Gamakatsu Super Line hook, “the 3/0 fits the Flip’n Out perfectly.”
Clent tells me the Nichols Bulldozer Head is a very good casting application for the Flip’n Out. Using the swiveling jig head, cast it along ledges and points. According to Clent, “The casting side of the Flip’n Out can be very impressive. Don’t get stuck on the name, it works well in various situations where anglers use creature type bait.” Clent also mentioned the Flip’n Out is a fantastic jig trailer, and he’s been catching a few using it on the back of a vibrating jig.
The compact size and shape of the Flip’n OUT make it perfect for punching through vegetation. The appendages, while creating strong action, are close to the body of the bait and do not hang on the vegetation when falling through or pulling out of all types of grass. The extra durability of the bait keeps an angler punching versus re-rigging baits. This durability is crucial in tournaments when punching; there is less time spent change baits, which equals more punches and more strikes.
Overall Clent’s favorite place for flipping the Flip’n Out is to wood or brush. “Mike, there is something irresistible about the Flip’n Out as it bounces through limbs.” Clent elaborated, “It’s the way the bait bounces, flares, and ungulates as it climbs through the wood. It gets their attention, and they eat it.”
To close our interview I asked Clent what his tools are for flipping. While he rattled off a couple of different reels and rods, the common answer was Okuma. For flipping and punching, Clent uses a high speed 7.1:1 Helios reel. His rod is also Okuma, a 7’ 6” Heavy action. Clent explained, with the heavy weight and the places he fishes, he needs the power of a heavy action rod and the 7.1:1 reel gives him the ability to take up line quickly. “Mike, when you hook one of those big bass deep in the wood or grass, you have to get their heads moving towards you and take up line as fast as you can. The Okuma line of rods and reels have been a real game changer for me.”
As anglers, we can get caught up on what colors we need. Companies, to include Mister Twister, offer a huge variety of options to fit our water conditions. According to Clent, he starts with the basic colors for water conditions. Clent assured me, “If I’m in Florida, fishing grass, or moderately stained water I will always have the Okeechobee Craw tied on. When I get into ‘gin’ clear water situations, I start with watermelon or green pumpkin.” Clent Chuckled, “In clear water it depends on which of those two colors happen to be closest because they both will work.” I fish a lot of heavy stained to muddy water and asked Clent what he would do in my conditions, “Definitely black neon, and you’d be surprised how many bass I’ve caught in those conditions with solid white.”
After this interview with Clent I’ll be stocking up on the Flip’n Out. I love to flip and according to Clent this is the end all of flipping baits. He went as far as to say, “The Flip’n Out is absolutely the only bait I flip with now, there is no reason for anything else.”
Flip’n Out Giveaway
Ultimate Bass is going to give away two Plano boxes filled with Flip’n Out baits. Two lucky winners will get enough of these baits to fish the season…
Flip’n Out
There are three ways to enter the giveaway.
1 – Visit the Ultimate Bass Forum and follow the rules for email entry Ultimate Bass Contest Forum
2 – Share the contest post on the Ultimate Bass Facebook page Ultimate Bass Facebook
3 – Share the contest post on my personal facebook page Mike Cork’s Facebook
Do all three for three entries
Contest runs from now until 31 January 2016 with winner being drawn on 1 February 2016
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