Worth Punching?

[NoShoes]

Home lake has what I believe to be matted hydrilla throughout, and some areas pretty well covered. Depth for most is about 4 ft, but the pond at its deepest is only 7-8 ft. 
 

tough bite here, but there are giants. Although it’s South Georgia, it resembles what I hear about Florida in that is shallow, no structure, with lots of grass and the bass don’t chase. 
 

Before investing in a punching set up, just wanted to see what you guys thought about it. I’ve done well on Texas rigs around the cypress trees here, only other cover is the hydrilla. 

[Luke Barnes]

Personally I would be throwing a frog over that stuff. Ive never punched before so no help there. I'm a frog fanatic so thats probably why!

[David 7]

Can’t catch bass on a frog no matter what I do. I’d just drop a senko right on the outskirts of that. 

[NoShoes]

Ive thrown frog after frog and haven’t had much success. They don’t chase here, aren’t overly aggressive. 

[bigbassin']

That’s not hydrilla.

 

If you break a piece off is it firm or does it turn to mush once you pull it from the water? 

[NoShoes]

1 minute ago, bigbassin' said:

That’s not hydrilla.

 

If you break a piece off is it firm or does it turn to mush once you pull it from the water? 

It’s firm, and strong. If I run my trolling motor through it it’s like a bunch of small ropes that I have to pull off. 

[bigbassin']

Just now, NoShoes said:

It’s firm, and strong. If I run my trolling motor through it it’s like a bunch of small ropes that I have to pull off. 

I’d give punching a shot then, especially once the sun gets up.

 

Fishing the edges with a speed worm, swim bait, or trap would be my first choice in the morning.

[NorthernBasser]

When in doubt, punch! 

[HaydenS]

Punch it for sure.  Try and use the lightest weight you can get away with.  If the stuff is like little ropes use big braid, 65 pound+, and big flippin hooks.

[Bluebasser86]

Is there a canopy or is it solid grass? If there's no room for them to hide under it, there's not going to be many in it. If you have holes under it or between the stalks of grass, I'd give it a shot for sure. It's going to be a hassle, but just remind yourself it's a big fish technique, it'll be worth it in the end if it works out. 

[Catt]

Can't tell if it's hydrilla or not but punch it I would.

 

Punch it with the same lures you're having success with on your Texas Rig. 

 

Start with a 1/2 oz weight & work upwards.

 

Don't be afraid of a Jig-n-Craw 

[NoShoes]

6 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Is there a canopy or is it solid grass? If there's no room for them to hide under it, there's not going to be many in it. If you have holes under it or between the stalks of grass, I'd give it a shot for sure. It's going to be a hassle, but just remind yourself it's a big fish technique, it'll be worth it in the end if it works out. 

it mats up to look like what I believe to be a canopy, I’ve tossed some heavier T-rigs at it and after the initial impact it pulls line freely to the bottom. Is that how you’d tell there’s space under it?

31 minutes ago, Catt said:

Can't tell if it's hydrilla or not but punch it I would.

 

Punch it with the same lures you're having success with on your Texas Rig. 

 

Start with a 1/2 oz weight & work upwards.

 

Don't be afraid of a Jig-n-Craw 

thanks Catt,

 

The resources I’ve looked at on punching usually recommend smaller bait profiles to get through the grass. Pretty much all my fish here come on 10” Ol monsters. Would you still try that bait punching?

[Bluebasser86]

1 minute ago, NoShoes said:

it mats up to look like what I believe to be a canopy, I’ve tossed some heavier T-rigs at it and after the initial impact it pulls line freely to the bottom. Is that how you’d tell there’s space under it?

Can you pull an entire plant up? Usually the "leaves" grow thicker towards the tops/ends so there's space below but sometimes the stalks of certain plants grow so close together that it doesn't matter. I run into this issue with water willows here that if there's too many plants growing too close together, the bass won't get in them simply because there's no room. If you can pull a plant and there's not much on the bottom of the stalk and the plants don't grow too close together, there should be some kind of canopy. At the very least, you'll have one on the edges of the grass that you could try punching. 

[ATA]

I would for sure do weighted Texas rig with 3/8oz and peg. also I would do weightless Texas rig as well. Then you might think I am crazy but I would use my LV500 and burn it just upper the submerged grass.

Always not bed to try buzz bait or spinner or frog with ball bearings in early morning or about sunset. Hey I am through fisherman and I would try all this and see which one will get me bites. Good Luck

[Catt]

5 minutes ago, NoShoes said:

Pretty much all my fish here come on 10” Ol monsters. Would you still try that bait punching?

 

They're eating an Ol Monster & you wanna change...why!

 

When punching you want to stay as near vertical as possible, this allows your lure to go in & out of the grass easily. With a vertical presentation & additional weight the ribbontail will punch through. Is there a possibility of the tail hanging up, yes but I ain't afraid of that.Target sparse areas & openings.

 

If you're catching around cypress trees start there & work outwards. 

[NoShoes]

1 hour ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Can you pull an entire plant up? Usually the "leaves" grow thicker towards the tops/ends so there's space below but sometimes the stalks of certain plants grow so close together that it doesn't matter. I run into this issue with water willows here that if there's too many plants growing too close together, the bass won't get in them simply because there's no room. If you can pull a plant and there's not much on the bottom of the stalk and the plants don't grow too close together, there should be some kind of canopy. At the very least, you'll have one on the edges of the grass that you could try punching. 

I’ll give that a try, thanks for the tip!

1 hour ago, Catt said:

 

They're eating an Ol Monster & you wanna change...why!

 

When punching you want to stay as near vertical as possible, this allows your lure to go in & out of the grass easily. With a vertical presentation & additional weight the ribbontail will punch through. Is there a possibility of the tail hanging up, yes but I ain't afraid of that.Target sparse areas & openings.

 

If you're catching around cypress trees start there & work outwards. 

thanks Catt!

1 hour ago, ATA said:

I would for sure do weighted Texas rig with 3/8oz and peg. also I would do weightless Texas rig as well. Then you might think I am crazy but I would use my LV500 and burn it just upper the submerged grass.

Always not bed to try buzz bait or spinner or frog with ball bearings in early morning or about sunset. Hey I am through fisherman and I would try all this and see which one will get me bites. Good Luck

will try!

[T-Billy]

Boy'd this turn into a great info filled thread in a hurry!!! I've not had much success punching milfoil here in OH. I think it's just as described above. It's topped out and matted but, I don't believe there's enough open space beneath for them to get in there. I do much better fishing the edges, and openings. That Ol Monster works great here too!!! I love SLOW rolling it on a 16th or 8th oz T-rig. They CRUSH it.

 

Pondweed is another story. The broad leaf variety that looks like willow leaves. I can generally get through it with a 3/8 or 1/2 and our bass love getting under that stuff, especially if there's wood in there too.

 

NoShoes, Try punching that stuff with the heaviest rig you have, and see how it goes before investing in a dedicated punch rig. If you're getting bit, then make the investment. Or do as I do and FEED THE MONKEY!!! I just gave my grandkids 16 combos. Now I only have 39 left. ?

[HawgHunter13]

I’m going to second the frog, learn how you walk the frog and really perfect it and you will get the bass to react. I had the same thing on one of my go to spots and the punching just wasn’t cutting it because of the over fished area so I really practiced with the frog and now it’s a whole different story. I almost only use a frog now haha. That said ……. If you really want to punch you could try adding a skirt to your Texas right to add more bulk presentation to your rig and that can help. Hope this helps

[NoShoes]

14 hours ago, Catt said:

 

They're eating an Ol Monster & you wanna change...why!

 

When punching you want to stay as near vertical as possible, this allows your lure to go in & out of the grass easily. With a vertical presentation & additional weight the ribbontail will punch through. Is there a possibility of the tail hanging up, yes but I ain't afraid of that.Target sparse areas & openings.

 

If you're catching around cypress trees start there & work outwards. 

Hit a 4.5 lber punching a mat off a cypress tree this evening!  Probably one the most exciting catches I’ve had. Missed another bite on a similar situation not long after, thanks again!

[T-Billy]

Rut Roe Raggy... Sounds like somebody's gonna be buying a punch rig!!!

[NoShoes]

1 hour ago, T-Billy said:

Rut Roe Raggy... Sounds like somebody's gonna be buying a punch rig!!!

I may have put an order in for a dobyns 766 this afternoon.... ?

[T-Billy]

On 7/29/2021 at 6:53 PM, NoShoes said:

I may have put an order in for a dobyns 766 this afternoon.... ?

Dang it NoShoes, You're a bad influence!!! I may have ordered a Sierra 766 this morning. Lol. How are you liking yours?

[river-rat]

 

I would absolutely be punching. Like Catt said, there is no reason to change from the Ol' Monster. It might take some time to get the hang of it, but it's well worth the effort.

[NoShoes]

On 8/14/2021 at 1:07 PM, T-Billy said:

Dang it NoShoes, You're a bad influence!!! I may have ordered a Sierra 766 this morning. Lol. How are you liking yours?

Fantastic rod, haven’t hung a fish on it yet but also haven’t been back to that particular pond much since. 
 

Ive been pitching a 1 oz weight on it and the rod doesn’t even feel the weight, the 735 I was using was already loading just from it hanging. 

[T-Billy]

2 hours ago, NoShoes said:

Fantastic rod, haven’t hung a fish on it yet but also haven’t been back to that particular pond much since. 
 

Ive been pitching a 1 oz weight on it and the rod doesn’t even feel the weight, the 735 I was using was already loading just from it hanging. 

Looking forward to getting my hands on it. I'm hoping it has the tip to pitch 3/8 and 1/2 as well as the big stuff. I fish a lot of nasty wood tangles and like to get back in the thick of them. Finding a rod with enough tip and enough backbone to pull em out has been a challenge. My 7-10 H MF SLX does a great job, but it's heavy. Grinding all day with that beast is a workout. Hoping the 766 can take over all around pitching duties, and just use the SLX for punching.