Punching what do I need to know

[Mike L]

I use a skirt almost always when I want a bulkier presentation and always when I know they're feeding on bluegills, and also in stained water.

 

Don't get hung up in thinking a punch skirt should only be used for punching either. It gives a different look entirely to your t rig that they may not have seen in areas where most won't think of useing one. 

 

 

 

 

Mike 

[Dypsis]

I've pretty much done zero punching, but I do love jig fishing (getting better every year). When punching grass do you find the hook, while it does have the weed guard, gets cluttered with grass or is it not too much of any issue.

[fissure_man]

Pretty sure you'll get a macho response about how "real men can punch with jigs"...

 

But for us mere mortals, a punch rig will come through thick matted weeds more easily than a jig.  Any benefit you get from fish "preferring" the jig profile over the punch rig will be offset by the lost efficiency from more frequent hang-ups, IMO.

 

If you do go the jig route, your choice of head design and weed guard will make a big difference; look for one designed for punching/grass fishing.

 

 

[Catt]

Some guys just cannot fish jigs in grass

 

The key is to stay as vertical as possible

 

The farther off away from the boat ya flip your punch rig/jig the more grass ya gonna have to come through. The more grass ya pull through the greater odds of loosing fish.

 

The hottest technique on Toledo lately is big football head jigs in grass!

 

Below is a EyeMax Jig

[ClackerBuzz]

On 1/5/2017 at 2:52 PM, XzyluM said:

 

You mind explaining your typical setup for punching that? Like what size weight it normally requires? I plan on attacking it that way the next time I have the opportunity to fish it and am looking for an idea where to start.  And thanks for the reply, always enjoy reading your posts. 

 

I fished a small lake like this for several seasons. it would get choked with Hydrilla just like in the pix.  like Catt mentioned, short casts are key when punching. don't worry about the bass seeing you 10ft away b/c the grass is so thick it becomes a wall.  i used two approaches when punching:  attacking the upper half of weed column; and attacking the bottom half of weed column.  the bottom half is easy and required a 1-1.5oz punch weight.  the upper half requires less weight and more finesse. i got more bites if i used 1/4-3/8 oz and spent time gently shaking the lure down the weed 'branches'.  a beaver trailer is standard but don't restrict yourself.  a 4-5" senko, zoom finesse worm, Zman Zinker etc slip thru Hydrilla like butter.  one Zinker will last you all day.  forget standard craws b/c the weeds alone will tear them off.

 

the bass in my lake are very skittish so a little finesse goes along way.  the typical heavy punch rig didn't produce well so i used a 1/4-1/2 cylinder drop shot, with short leader, an EWG hook, and 5" senko (i called it my punch-drop).  I used braid as my mainline and a small tag of mono or lighter braid for the drop shot leader.   it went thru weeds much better and I got more bites b/c it fell slower.  the bass also prefered the gentle shake thru method.   I don't fish the lake anymore but if i go back i'm going to use @J Francho rig. having the line above the weight tremendously helps the vertical physics of gently shaking lighter weight downward.

 

also try a buzzbait or ur favorite topwater in 1-6ft skinny water at dusk/dawn, cloudy/prefrontal conditions.  bass often hold in the bottom half of the weeds in the heat of the day but will sit in the tops at night.  topwater is useless when they are deep in their caves but they have no problem surfacing when they are in the upper column, especially if the upper half is only 3 ft.  Horny toads are a nice alternative to buzzbaits b/c they float on thick weeds or slow sink in pockets so you can add pauses if the bass aren't in a chasing mood. frogs work great.  if you like frogs make sure to cast them onto the shore and hop them in.  

 

it's what's under the Hydrilla that's most important.  the creek channel is key and is one of the easiest things to locate.  find the creek channel under those thick weeds and you'll find gold.  Start where it enters the shoreline and work your way from there.  also do some recon this winter while the grass is dead and find deep timber that will be swallowed by weeds this summer.  timber is another prime spot b/c they hold both bass and bait.  rocks//pebble/sand are harder to find and you just have to focus on feeling the tick with heavy weights.

 

be on the lookout for when two different kinds of weeds come together.  they create a seam that fish love to relate to.  or where lily pads meet the Hydrilla.

 

if ur having a hard time stick to shallow water 1-3ft.  the bass are much more likely to bite b/c they don't have to travel far.  try slow dragging a weedless senko thru the tops but put a glass bead in front of it.  it will slip thru w/o getting hung up.  don't forget to periodically burn it like a topwater.

 

thick hydrilla is a mess for anglers but bass sure do love it.  it's worth learning how to fish it.

 

[Catt]

Dead on @ClackerBuzz

 

Most anglers try forcing a T-rig/jig through grass which is all wrong, you gotta finesse the T-rig/jig through grass!

When you feel the lure starting to load up in the grass...stop! Release pressure, pull up until you feel heaviness again but apply slightly more pressure, then release, continue until the lure breaks free. You want the motion to be similar to & as fast as working a shaky head, you're just applying more pressure.

[Turkey sandwich]

I haven't fished much water requiring punching in a while, but this has produced extremely well for me in the past.  When I taught myself to fish heavy, matted vegetation back in the 90s, all I had to work with were T-rigs and grass/Arky jigs. That said, there is definitely an art to dragging a T-rigged worm across vegetation and working it into pockets, and it's well worth learning.  In addition to having a heavy punching rig, I really like a lighter 3/8 - 1 oz T-rig and 7-9" plastic worm of choice to work the surface and area just below pads or holes in mats once I start to pattern fish sitting high in the water column.  I prefer pegging the weight 90% of the time.  You can do the same with a jig (I like a durable trailer like a beaver with the front end trimmed off, or even pork if I can still find it).  

 

[bigfruits]

when i think of punching, i dont think of fishing grass or pads. i think of a layer of vegetation that a mouse could maybe walk on top of 

 

for this kind of punching i will use one or two bobber stops every time. if i dont, i get the bait wrapped up too often in the muck or it hangs on top. sometimes i lay the bait on the top of the layer and shake it until it works its way under. having the weight pegged makes this easier for me. your results may vary.

 

 

[Dypsis]

How important are double footed guides vs single footed or is this something you don't think about as long as the power/taper are correct?