For the past year I have been hearing all about guys throwing big swimbaits and catching some monsters. At first I just brushed it off, but as the months went by and I heard more and more (Byron Velvick at Clear, Rob's 15 on the MS Slammer, etc.) and by now I am pretty intrigued. I figure since it is spring, all the big fish are coming up, and they are much easier to catch, maybe I should try them out. My question is, am I gonna have trouble throwing them on a flipping stick? Also what are the best styles/brands of baits? I hear the castiiacs were a joke, but what about the osprey ones or basstrix? Thanks.
tight lines
Charlie

I always recommend to people to buy a real trout plug rod and not use a flipping stick. Not that you can't catch fish on a flippings stick, it just decreases your odds of hooking and landing fish on a big lure. A flipping stick is designed to flip, not to cast. It has a tip that's usually about as stiff as the rest of the rod. For a big lure you want a relatively soft tip and a stiff butt section of the rod. I recommend the Calstar 800XL or Calstar 800L. The XL being a good all around rod and the L being a big heavy plug throwing beast. If you haven't read my article on the subject you should check it out.
http://www.calfishing.com/freshwater/big_wood/index.html
I am a big MS Slammer fan for a lot of reasons, but other lures have thier place. I will throw the optimum swimbaits, the AC Minnow, and the stocker trout occasionally. I will not throw any of the the Castaic trouts, hard trout excluded. They are junk in my opinion.

Are there any big baits that are good in the under $6 category for a guy on a "wife and 2 kids budget"?

Tight lines,
Wade