Tried punching for the first time yesterday

[tstone]

Decided to give punching a try yesterday so I picked up a 1 oz tungsten weight and some bobber stops.

It was a rough day with the cold front , but still managed to catch 4. I'm definitely hooked on punching, one of my favorite ways to fish, just behind frogs.

I did miss two fish. I was using a sweet beaver rigged on a 5/0 offset worm hook. I know that isn't the right hook, so I'm going to get some trokar flipping hooks.  My question is should I go down to a 4/0?

I normally rig them on the offset 5/0 for t-rig, but seems alot of people punching are using 4/0.

What do you all think?

Thanks

[iClass]

Congratulations on the new addiction!!!  Sounds like you had a good day.  Hook size depends on the size of the plastic you are using.  Just like anything you need to make sure it doesn't ball up on the hook and prevent a good hookset.  I use the smallie beaver, a super hog, or the like and most times and can get away with a smaller hook.  It boils down to the size of bait your using.  I definately recommend the Trokars.  Good job, sounds like you had a good day!

[Mike Cork]

A 5/0 is going to be a little big for a beaver. A 4/0 will be perfect. Of course this is for a straight shank hook. With a Offset I'll use a 5/0 for a beaver.

Welcome to the addiction.

[tstone]

A 5/0 is going to be a little big for a beaver. A 4/0 will be perfect. Of course this is for a straight shank hook. With a Offset I'll use a 5/0 for a beaver.

Welcome to the addiction.

Awesome thanks.

Tried Dicks sporting goods and they don't have the hooks, so I'm going to order some online tonight.

It's definitely a completely different experience. I was punching some thick mats, so it was quite a fight getting the fish out, but a ton of fun.

[HunterFB]

Hook size depends on the size of the plastic you are using.  Just like anything you need to make sure it doesn't ball up on the hook and prevent a good hookset.

So, if the bait balls up on the hookset, go larger for the hook?

[Bigwrench]

I can't wait to try this technique out ! I have seen very little in the way of vegetation in the lake I normally fish but I think this may also work well for log falls and the like . Our lake level is regulated by the TVA and usually drops 30 foot a season through winter then in the spring when water levels rise you have tons of floating driftwood which usually piles up in the coves. I love getting back in these coves and trying to pitch my lures right into the mess. I have pulled some fairly nice bass through this stuff and lost quite a few also, along with tons of tackle lol . If dropping in this sort of cover do I need to try and use a much heavier setup than you would with normal vegetation do to line breakage issues ? Or if they happen to wrap around some limbs it won't much matter cause your gonna most likely lose it anyway ? Could you guys give me some setup scenarios for this type of fishing ? I want to try and fish some different lakes this year so hopefully I can find me some thick vegetation to try out ! Thanks. Rick .


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[Mike Cork]

So, if the bait balls up on the hookset, go larger for the hook?

This is not always true. Your plastic of choice could be having and issue. Look for ways to keep the head of the plastic up on the hook. IE good bait keepers, toothpick through the eye of the hook. There is a product out there called the hitch series that is very effective at keeping the head of the bait up on the plastic.

Hook size should be determined by the ability of the hook to press through the plastic bait and into a bass's mouth. Balling on the hook normally isn't a result of a small hook.

[Mike Cork]

I can't wait to try this technique out ! I have seen very little in the way of vegetation in the lake I normally fish but I think this may also work well for log falls and the like . Our lake level is regulated by the TVA and usually drops 30 foot a season through winter then in the spring when water levels rise you have tons of floating driftwood which usually piles up in the coves. I love getting back in these coves and trying to pitch my lures right into the mess. I have pulled some fairly nice bass through this stuff and lost quite a few also, along with tons of tackle lol . If dropping in this sort of cover do I need to try and use a much heavier setup than you would with normal vegetation do to line breakage issues ? Or if they happen to wrap around some limbs it won't much matter cause your gonna most likely lose it anyway ? Could you guys give me some setup scenarios for this type of fishing ? I want to try and fish some different lakes this year so hopefully I can find me some thick vegetation to try out ! Thanks. Rick .

Fishing log and debris jams in a punching manner can be extremely effective. Using heavy line and strong rods will help. However, the problem with fishing this kind of stuff with a heavy weight is that the extra weight pulls the line hard against the log you are flipped over. As this happens and you lift and drop the bait, braided line will start to cut into the log or bark. Now as you try to pull the bait out the weight will hang in this grove. Unless you are close enough to punch the weight with your rod tip, you're not going to get it back unless it's small enough to pull to you. So I recommend heavy fluorocarbon for this type of application. It won't cut the logs. Where I recommend braid for vegetation because it will cut it.

In log jam situations I like to use the lightest weight I can. Because you're not going to punch though wood and you'll actually have to find holes or cracks to get your bait through. A 1 ounce weight won't be necessary but a 1/2 weight will get you a fast reaction type strike. Also their are not as expensive.

As far as getting a bass out, hook set fast and pull hard. Getting them on top is vital. Once on top keep the light tight,  experiment with rods that will help you do that. A medium heavy rod with a fast tip (not extra fast) will help you keep the line taught. Should a fish get you wrapped up, there is a steel head fisherman trick that will sometimes work. Why it works I don't know but I've done it and it's helped. Steel head fisherman, while in river systems fishing the "run", often get fish that will not turn or get wrapped in dock pilings along the river. They will take the line and start rubbing a dry finger up and down it in front of their reel, some use the side or back of their hand. The vibrations run down the line and cause the fish to turn around or change directions and has helped un wrap them from pylons? Again I don't know why, I don't know how, but I've seen it work several times. If that doesn't work start digging  Or you can do like the pro's and push the boat up in the debris with the big motor

Sorry for the book, yes it will work, use flouro instead of braid, and down size weight some and it should put monsters on the end of your line, getting the out use a MH rod and pull hard and fast. The rod I use for punching is perfect for this application as well, I've hauled 8 and 9 pounders over logs that were in a jumbled mess.

[NateG]

I can't wait to try this technique out ! I have seen very little in the way of vegetation in the lake I normally fish but I think this may also work well for log falls and the like . Our lake level is regulated by the TVA and usually drops 30 foot a season through winter then in the spring when water levels rise you have tons of floating driftwood which usually piles up in the coves. I love getting back in these coves and trying to pitch my lures right into the mess. I have pulled some fairly nice bass through this stuff and lost quite a few also, along with tons of tackle lol . If dropping in this sort of cover do I need to try and use a much heavier setup than you would with normal vegetation do to line breakage issues ? Or if they happen to wrap around some limbs it won't much matter cause your gonna most likely lose it anyway ? Could you guys give me some setup scenarios for this type of fishing ? I want to try and fish some different lakes this year so hopefully I can find me some thick vegetation to try out ! Thanks. Rick .

Well Cork beat me to it.. Like he said I like to downsize in weight.  The fish will often sit immediately below that logjam, and oftentimes there's several feet of water under them.  As soon as that bait falls through they usually take it right away.  My favorite bait for this is a 4inch senko on as light a weight as I can get away with.  It falls through the logs easy and the fish just love it.

[Bigwrench]

Sweet I'm all over it thanks for the detailed info!  I'm hoping to get out this weekend some if my back holds out. Of course the water is way down and probably 46 degrees , I'd guess so won't be many coves with water in  them or log jambs for that matter. But real soon I'll be trying these tips out thanks again !
Rick

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[tstone]

After hitting the lake again with my old setup (5/0 worm hook) and catching a few more, I now have it rigged correctly.

Hitting the lake saturday to try it out. 1 oz tungsten, 4/0 Trokar flippin hook, Paycheck punch skirt, and the california 420 sweet beaver which I've been catching quite a few fish on.

[Hydrilla Gorilla]

Nice punch rig. What are your guy's opinions on painted v.s. non-painted tungsten for punching?

[HunterFB]

Mike C, thanks for the input!!  Good to go- toothpick through the eye of the hook to keep the plastic's head in place never occured to me.  Has Mann's not made a hard head beaver yet?  I haven't seen one.  Heard bobber stops might do the trick for the weight liding up the line- will have to try that.
Hope to get to try some soon. 

[saint romain]

As far as getting a bass out, hook set fast and pull hard. Getting them on top is vital. Once on top keep the light tight,  experiment with rods that will help you do that. A medium heavy rod with a fast tip (not extra fast) will help you keep the line taught. Should a fish get you wrapped up, there is a steel head fisherman trick that will sometimes work. Why it works I don't know but I've done it and it's helped. Steel head fisherman, while in river systems fishing the "run", often get fish that will not turn or get wrapped in dock pilings along the river. They will take the line and start rubbing a dry finger up and down it in front of their reel, some use the side or back of their hand. The vibrations run down the line and cause the fish to turn around or change directions and has helped un wrap them from pylons? Again I don't know why, I don't know how, but I've seen it work several times. If that doesn't work start digging  Or you can do like the pro's and push the boat up in the debris with the big motor

I have had a few problems getting the fish out when they "re-tangled" themselves on the way back to the boat. I had never run my finger across the line or anything, but if it got to the point where if I couldn't move the fish, I would let off a little and 9 times out of 10 the fish would work itself out and then I could get it to the boat. Did this out of trial and error one time trying to make sure I still had a fish on, I felt it start moving and started pulling again and then there was a 4lb bass coming right at me!

Also, I tried flouro but had no success getting fish to the boat (fishing wood, flooded timber, and nasty laydowns)? I first went out with 12lb and quickly realized that was a mistake. Next time was 17lb and I still broke off 3 fish if I remember correctly. It would always come up frayed around the last 3-5ft of line. This was with abrazx and red label. Both trips I switched to a pole with braid and didn't even miss a fish.

[Mike Cork]

Letting slack in the line can work many times. But I have seen it loose fish too. There comes a point occasionally though that you don't have a choice, either break it off cause you can't reach it or try different things and see what happens. When you have a hung bass, and pulling doesn't work, you can figure anything you try is better than giving up.

Saint Romain, braid is definitely the way to go, if you can. Sometimes wood that is extremely water logged is difficult to work braid through. If you find that you are constantly getting hung because the braid is cutting into the wood, Fluoro will help. If you have to go to 30 pound so be it. You are right in that you'll have to retie much more frequently. When using anything other than braid, I retie after every fish no matter what!!!!

[tstone]

Well I'd say the new setup was successful

[Mike Cork]

That's what it's all about

Great Catch 

Let the Addiction begin.... Soon you won't remember how to work any other baits

[tstone]

I'm definitely addicted. 5 best today went 24-1, which is way better than what I have been getting out there lately. Now I know where all the bigger fish went!



I learned a few things though.

I need a better reel. Since I just started punching I put my extra reel, a BPS Extreme on and have been using that. It's not a bad reel, but it just doesn't handle it very well. Looks like I'll be buying another Curado.

Always be ready to set the hook. I know other people have said the same thing in their posts, but it's true.

If the fish gets buried and tangled up, don't be afraid to go in and get the fish if you can. I lost one trying to fight him out of the grass.

Last, if you show someone else about punching, they'll be addicted too. Got my dad into it and now he's all about it too. His first fish punching was a 4-7.

[OutdoorFrontiers]

I wish my section of Kentucky Lake had enough vegetation that I could try punching...  I fish mainly in the Paris Landing section of the lake and the nice vegetation that was there in 09 disappeared in the spring of 2010...   

Steve

[-Shawn-]

Cork is right on with going with bigger Flouro.  When flipping and pitching
Flouro I never go below 20 and usually use 22-25lb.

When actually punching vegetation I use braid 90% of the time.

[bassindude]

Hey Tstone, what lake are you on?  Jim

[tstone]

Lake Thonotosassa

[RustnRoll]

Mike Cork is 100% right about fishing braid in the slop and fluoro in wood.
I'd also recommend getting a high speed reel, like about 7.0:1 ratio with a monster drag. I personally use quantum smokes when I punch with the drag pretty much locked down. you want to get the fish up and out of trouble after the hookset asap. I use 80lb braid. I'm really not worried about the fish seeing the line. theres so much stuff in the water column when youre fishing the slop that it blends right in. besides look at the fish the alabama rigs catch in clear water using that heavy wire and snaps etc.
if you lock down your drag and use a high speed reel, the other two components that you need to worry about are your hooks and your rod. the rod should be long for plenty of leverage but not a broomstick, as the tip needs to be soft enough to work the baits and to give a bit on the hookset so youre not ripping lips.
a straight shank hook snelled to the line is the ticket and the snell know is tough plus also provides a mechanical advantage on the hookset. I try to look for flipping hooks with welded eyes as well so the braid doesnt get cut/caught by the gap.

[Skeet22]

For you guys who love to punch if want to try a cheaper alternative to sweet beavers try the new zoom z hogs.. super soft for good hook penetration and last better than anything ive seen. They catch fish too..

[kidd]

For you guys who love to punch if want to try a cheaper alternative to sweet beavers try the new zoom z hogs.. super soft for good hook penetration and last better than anything ive seen. They catch fish too..

I just bought a pack of those to try.