How I learned to love punching

[txchaser]

Bottom line up front - if you are frogging carry a punch rig, it might open the technique up for you. Use it as a followup bait so you don't spend all day looking for them. Once you catch one lock down on that spot and catch her sisters. Watch Glenn's video.

 

Ok short story, long post: I drug around punch gear for quite some time, and was a bit intimidated by the "it takes all day and you get no bites till you find the spot" thing everyone says. I was frogging one day and a big fish kept missing the frog... But the cover was way too heavy to throw a senko or whatever. It made me mad because that fish wanted to eat and I wanted to catch it. So I cut the frog off my line and rigged up the punch rig. I caught that fish, and a couple of his buddies, and they were all 5+. It was so much fun. 3' of water right next to a 30' dropoff. I feel like I have a lot more to learn, but here's what I've figured out so far:

 

I got really lucky in the stuff I bought, there's nothing I really want to change and every part of it is important to the system.

 

Here's what I'm using:

1.25 oz punch rig. IMO brand doesn't really matter that much. Too heavy is better than too light. 

Jethro Baits Big-Itz stops. Just need one

Jethro Baits Bump Itz (it's a rubber bead). I think this protects the knot from monster hooksets, and it definitely cams the hook up. 

Jackall Archelon - it's hollow, and on the stiffer side. It is WAY different than trying to punch anything else I've tried, if you are in and out of heavy cover. 

Owner CPS Flippin Hook 4/0 - Like all CPS hooks, it could use a bigger CPS spring, the large is the right size

Whatever skirt color I feel like is going to be the deal. 99% of the time I've used the PBJ-ish color archelon (JL craw) and a matching skirt. 

8-carrier braid. really. this matters. 4 carrier is loud. 

XH 8' rod (I fished this on a H 7'3" rod for a while. The bigger and heavier rod is better on every front. 

JDM Zillion HD 8.x - this reel feels like it was built for the technique

 

What's the minimum I could start with? 

1.25 oz weight (too light will make you crazy, doesn't have to be a punch rig)

double regular bobber stops

owner CPS flipping hook (can fish a couple of baits all day)

bump itz

archelon

whatever braid you have

heavy rod (although I've done it on a MH it was sketchy)

whatever reel - tatula SV worked just fine and it didn't break.

 

What about not using a skirt so I catch more fish? 

Eh, that's fine. Those aren't the fish I'm trying to catch. Last two weekends I was trying both. The skirted was outfishing. Results aren't conclusive so far, and I'll keep trying. 

 

Can I just use a rage bug or a [whatever[?

No not really. The hook will constantly poke through it if you are in heavy cover and it'll make you nuts. I wasn't paying attention to reorders and ran out of the color I was using and tried a rage bug in the same color. The archelons are not expensive and they last forever. The most likely cause of replacing one is a short strike on a claw that gets ripped off. 

 

What knot should I use?

I like the Fish-n-Fool for braid. Two rounds through the eye then a uni knot with 12 turns. Use whatever you have confidence in.

 

What's the bite like? 

Most days they eat it like they are trying to kill it. Some days I can just barely feel a little nudge in the line. Watch your line the whole time, I've had it just start moving off. 

 

Where should I throw it?

Right where that fish missed. And if you are just punching not frogging, you can start closer to the boat and move deeper until you find out how far in the weeds they are. Like Catt says, the structure under the weeds matters a lot. Look for something different, like grass points, different grass intersections, etc. 

 

What's on my learning list? 

Someone I trust mentioned a drop-shot like presentation for the same use case, using short braid on the dropper. Brambuie makes a heavy cover drop shot weight that will fit the bill here. I think it might get through the nasty mats better. I was missing a lot of fish on a two oz weight. 

 

Bonus fish:

When you are headed past a grass point throw that same bait right at the end of the point. And again another 5-10 feet out from that visible grass. Hang on and don't get shocked when you find a biggun that moved out of the mat right down that point.

 

 

[river-rat]

 

I'm a big fan of punching. I usually start with an Oldham's Jigs 3/4 - 1 oz. Eye Max Grass Jig with a Gene Larew Salt Craw trailer on 65# braid.

 

If I'm not having any luck with the jig I have another rod rigged with a 1 oz. tungsten weight and a Strike King Punch Bug. I seldom use a punch skirt on this set-up.

 

 

[Bankbeater]

Most of the time I start off with a craw or a creature bait to get a feel for how thick the mat is.  I'll fish that on with a double weight if I'm having trouble getting through the mat,  Usually a bullet weight in front of a barrel weight.

[BustedSwimbait]

16 hours ago, Bankbeater said:

Most of the time I start off with a craw or a creature bait to get a feel for how thick the mat is.  I'll fish that on with a double weight if I'm having trouble getting through the mat,  Usually a bullet weight in front of a barrel weight.

Never crossed my peanut brain to add a barrel weight when you don't enough oomph to get through the mats. Thanks for opening my mind! I know what I'm doing tomorrow.

[Darth-Baiter]

i just started punching last season.  i got a few hits. and it was FUUUNNNN!

 

i cant blend it with frogging, because i think frogging is a more of a distance game.  i pitch it to the mat.  punching, i am on top of the mat, and our mats are not the kind you can frog.  i grows tall.  

 

i start with a 1oz.  i like to use a light a weight as i need to get thru.  and about getting thru.  there is a weird elation when the bait goes thru.  it feels like success already.  i love it when it drops thru.  and the anticipation.  

 

last season i set the hook so hard, my body slipped and i went full horizontal with my body.  luckily i fell in my kayak.  

[LrgmouthShad]

I use owner jungle flipping hook and 65lb original power pro. Any bait that has a thick body to hold the hook well and engulf the tip completely is already halfway there to being a good punching bait. I like the Gambler lineup

[Mike L]

 The opportunity to punch is what I look to do first and foremost. 

Trokar hooks exclusively (usually a 4/0 or 5/0 TK 130)

65# or 80# braid

Always use a Snell knot 

 

Usually june bug, or red shad

 

3/4 to 2oz weight 

 

Single bobber stop for 3/4 to 1oz weight, double to 2oz

 

Punch skirt about 50% of the time. 

 

Always a plastic with the most tail action and the least amount of appendages 

 

 

 

Mike

[Bankc]

23 hours ago, BustedSwimbait said:

Never crossed my peanut brain to add a barrel weight when you don't enough oomph to get through the mats. Thanks for opening my mind! I know what I'm doing tomorrow.

Or do double bullet weights, back to back and peg them together.  

 

This thread got me to thinking, why don't I punch more?  Then I remembered, it's because I fish mostly water reservoirs, and they keep spraying the vegetation down so not to clog the filters.  So it's rare to find something to punch.  But I do like doing it when I get the opportunity!

[papajoe222]

I sort of stumbled into using a punch rig about three years ago.  I was fishing an extensive  milfoil bed and couldn't buy a bite on my usual offerings.  I had a C-rig tied on another rod and cut off the leader, The brass weight was maybe 3/4oz. and the hook was a 4/0 worm hook I tied on with a palomar knot. I pegged the weight, threaded on a big beaver weight and sitting directly over the weeds, just lowered it into them.  I missed two solid hits before hooking up with a nice girl and ended up with only three fish from that bed, but I'm sure that was three fish more than I would have gotten if I'd stuck with fishing the tops and edges of those weeds.  I've since refined the terminal tackle and was surprised to find the heavy weight/hook/line didn't affect the rig's catchability.

[Alex from GA]

Does anyone use a tube as a punch lure?

[Kirtley Howe]

I don't punch often, but yes, I have used a tube as a punch bait. I have some very much oversized tubes (3 1/2" long, but 2 1/2 times bigger around than a standard tube...I can't remember the brand...) that work well for that.