Eagle, that is exactly what I did, and always do. Sometimes it works, other times it seems to throw me in a spin the opposite direction. When you say nose down, are you meaning apply pressure down on the stick (as you sould to initiate a dive)
Push forward on the stick to initiate a dive.
Remember while flying (and stalling) that AH models engine torque, gyroscopic effects and propwash effects quite well. In the "big" torque motors (like the Tempest or 109K-4) at low speeds it's sometimes impossible to drop the wing opposite the torque, which could lead to a flat spin if you tried to force it. I doubt this is what's happening to you though as the F6F is really pretty docile.
What you are experiencing is the F6F's low speed departure (instability). Go a little easier on the stick. When you feel it letting go don't over-react... just enough to get air back over the wing. Relax the stick slightly and lower the outside wing as you feel it begin to depart.
I'm not sure if you have your stall buzzer turned on or not, but between the stall buzzer and the buffeting you should eventually get some clues as to where the departure point is. The wing generally stalls gradually from the root to the tip so you do get some advanced notice of an approaching stall. Of course, when your in the middle of a fight yanking as hard as you dare to get the edge and get inside a guy it's possible (likely) to step over that egde once in a while.