Just Punch It

Fall is one of the best times to be on the lake. The fish are shallow and are feeding up before the winter. There are several ways to catch fish this time of year. Spinnerbaits, small crankbaits, and topwater baits, are all good choices. However, lakes that have an abundance of grass, I like to do something a little different. I punch it. In simple terms, this technique is the use of a big weight, a small plastic bait, and a heavy flipping stick. As the water cools, the bass get under the grass for warmth and also use this type of cover to ambush prey. Punching has been around for a long time in the far south, but only recently in the last several years has it graduated north. This technique really excels where the grass is matted on the surface. It takes a little practice but can be learned in a relatively short period of time. The equipment I use is stout. I use a 7’6” heavy flipping stick, an Ardent F700 Denny Brauer Flipping reel, and Vicious 65 pound braid. The baits I like to flip into the mats are a Strike King Rodent, a Strike King Space Monkey, or a Rage Craw. These are small plastic baits that are able to slide through the grass with ease. My terminal tackle consists of a 1 oz. to 1 ½ oz. tungsten weight and either a Mustad Big Mouth Tube hook or a Mustad Denny Brauer Flipping hook. Both hooks have a heavy gauge wire. There are a couple of things I like to do different than just a traditional texas rig. I use a modified snell knot to increase hook ups and a small bobber stop that I place an inch or so above the weight. The bobber stop keeps the weight form sliding up and down the line but also gives it a little wiggle room so that the bait can penetrate through the grass. The knot helps the hook protrude upward upon the hook set increasing your hook up ratio. The best way to learn is to get out on the lake and start punching. Run grass lines flipping your bait into small holes or just penetrating the grass itself. Let the bait fall to the bottom and then bounce it a few times. If you do not feel a bite simply pull it out and make another flip. Most of the time the bite will occur when the bait is falling through the grass. One of most important things to do is upon the hook set, getting the bass’s head turned upward and start winching him in. The faster you get him up, the better chance you will get him in the boat. A lot of times the bass will stop fighting once you have him up in the top part of the grass. Another key is to concentrate on an area once you start getting bites. Usually there are several fish in a particular mat for whatever reason. It could be a little deeper or there might be a few stumps under the grass. For whatever reasons make sure you take the extra time fishing that area once you get a bite. There are times when you can fish for hours down a grass mat without a strike and then all of a sudden you start getting bites. Punching is a close quarters battle and can be very rewarding. Hopefully these few tips will help you become a punching machine.