Q&A AI

Best way to punch fishing for bass?

Punch fishing is a highly effective technique for targeting bass, especially when they're hiding in thick, heavy cover like matted vegetation. Here’s a breakdown of some of the most effective strategies for punch fishing:

Choosing the Right Gear: Start with a heavy-action rod that can handle the stress of pulling big bass out of dense cover. Pair this with a high-capacity baitcasting reel and braided line, which offers the strength and abrasion resistance needed for this technique. Typically, line strength should be around 50-65 pounds.
Selecting the Right Weights and Baits: The weight of your punch rig is crucial. It needs to be heavy enough to penetrate the thick cover. Weights usually range from 1/2 ounce to 2 ounces, depending on the density of the cover. For baits, compact, streamlined soft plastics work best. Baits like the Missile Baits D-Bomb or other creature baits are popular because they can easily slip through vegetation.
Rigging: Use a straight shank hook with a snell knot for better hook sets. A punch skirt can be added for extra bulk and to mimic the look of a crawfish or other prey. Don’t forget to add a punch stop (or bobber stop) to keep the weight fixed close to the bait, ensuring the entire rig punches through the cover effectively.
Technique: When you cast, aim to land your rig right on top of the matted vegetation. Let it punch through to the water beneath. Once it breaks through, let the bait fall to the bottom. This sudden entry often triggers a reaction strike from bass. Work the bait with subtle hops or shakes before retrieving and making another cast.
Setting the Hook: When you feel a bite, a strong, swift hook set is crucial due to the heavy cover. The braided line and heavy rod will aid in this, giving you the power to pull the fish out quickly.
Location and Timing: Punch fishing is most effective in warm months when bass seek shelter under thick cover. Look for areas with dense lily pads, hydrilla, or milfoil. These are prime spots for punch fishing.

Incorporating these techniques will significantly enhance your effectiveness in punch fishing for bass. Each element, from the rig setup to the retrieval method, is designed to maximize your chances of hooking bass in challenging environments. Happy fishing!

Related videos

Transcript

11:15

13:34

Video

The Best WAY To Catch Bass? Summer Frog and Punching Tips by Bass Fishing Declassified → that's that's what I'd pick what would you pick punch it if you guys enjoy the content in this video and want more personalized instruction head to our website fish the moment.com then go to the virtual lessons page here you can book one-on-one virtual lessons with each member of the fish to moment team in these one hour lessons the fish loan team member will break down your Lake using Google Earth in a contour line map and answer any questions you have whether you're preparing for an upcoming fishing tournament or a fun weekend on the lake make sure you sign up for one of these one-on-one virtual lessons so you're fully prepared to catch as many fish as possible possible on the water check them out at fishthemoment.com okay guys it's hard to decide on how I'd rather would catch them on a frog or punch him but my friends that know me my fellow Anglers know I am a punch guy guys I love to punch mats and catch fish and it's something that you could say is pretty new to me uh it's probably about four or five years ago when I moved down to a different part of the state where I'm living at right now there's a lake nearby lake Millwood as you've seen footage from and people that know I fish it a lot and it's became a very very Lake that I'm familiar with one of the

Transcript

14:44

17:03

Video

PUNCHING for Bass EPIC Techniques and Tricks (Updated) by mikeybalzz fishing → because there's a lot of it but what i did too and this is something to keep in mind when you're fishing expansive flats like this i dropped waypoints on on where i caught the fish and i think there's something to that i don't know if there's a ditch i don't know if there's harder bottom but uh it helps me to isolate kind of an area to focus on when you have such an expanse if you're not getting bites you gotta expand and go look somewhere else but i've gotten too many bites and caught too many big fish in this section not to slow down and that's how you can kind of hedge your graph even though you're really not using it you're using kind of your map but you can hedge those waypoints to give you a little bit of confidence stick with it and focus on the on the juice bros and broads i get to sit down pitching that one and a half in that three quarter all day will take a toll it'll make you all ripped so fun day try punching and try that alternative punching it's a way that you can kind of extend your water i guess you could say a fluorocarbon a half ounce three quarter ounce you got to play around sometimes go up to a one ounce it's a fun way to get big bites because they really don't see baits presented that way

Transcript

00:00

02:41

Video

How to Catch the BIGGEST BASS by The Bass University → one of my most favorite way when i'm fishing to win is that right there when i'm fishing to win that is probably the first and foremost most technique that i am trying to do and it's the punching technique and no you do not have to have heavy matted grass for that the punch rig right here is what i've kind of transformed it into is called dropping bombs it's a scenario where i'm using anywhere from an ounce to an ounce and a half weight with a punch skirt sometimes with sometimes without a missile baits d-bomb and a big heavy straight shake flipping hook that i have tied like a snail with a punch stop in front reason i like this technique is two reasons one i can put this in the heaviest possible cover that you can find anywhere any lake anywhere in the country whether it's grass or bushes i'm able to put this rig in the middle of the thickest place once again fish are like humans the biggest bass lifting the thickest hardest cover the richest fattest guy lives on top of the hill in the biggest house so when you're looking for a big bass you have to put yourself in that mentality i'm kind of staying away from the riprap banks i'm staying away from the easy place of the cast so i'm fishing this rig i'm going out fishing for seven or eight bites in a day when

Transcript

12:25

14:39

Video

The Best WAY To Catch Bass? Summer Frog and Punching Tips by Bass Fishing Declassified → ways you catch them there is by punching and it was totally new to me four or five years ago guys I've never ever even owned a one ounce weight so when I got my rig set up and started doing this man I became you could say addicted to it it was a fun fun bite it was probably I think that 20 20 year I don't want to make my ears mixed up I think I caught two bass in the seven pound range punching and guys I mean like I said that right then I'm hooked okay and now with that last year I did not punch as much as I would have liked too and this year I've already had one really good punching trip and I'm going to try to get more trips with the pantry last year I was doing specific videos with fish the moment and you know we kind of have a Content deal we go by but this year guys I want to try to get some punching footage for you guys some punching content what I love to punch with okay and I've been punching with this for three years okay is this is the Big Bite baits BFE okay BFE big bike baits now I caught it the BFE for just two years and then eventually I found out that BFE met best flipper ever what a name okay best flipper ever you can Texas Rig and flip

Transcript

05:32

07:52

Video

The Best WAY To Catch Bass? Summer Frog and Punching Tips by Bass Fishing Declassified → a punching bait is something more compact that can slip through that cover very very quickly and that imitates anything from Little crayfish to a little grass shrimp or or even bluegill down there underneath the surface but really it's more about having the compact profile to get through that cover but anyways guys that is the reason why I like to use punching during the summer versus the hollow body frog hey guys Kyle cordion here with bass fishing Declassified listen today I'm supposed to tell you whether or not I prefer to throw a frog or prefer punching mats when it comes to fishing so one versus the other bottom line is I like catching fish I love punching mats that's a blast but if I got a pick between throwing a frog and punching a mat I'm gonna pick throwing a frog and I'll tell you why and I'm going to tell you the baits I like to throw and a little setup maybe a little tip or two but if I'm gonna pick between the two I'm probably gonna throw a frog and the reason I'm gonna throw a frog is because a frog is a lot more diverse than a punching rig you lose fish doing both but you probably lose less fish on a frog than you do punching uh in my opinion because I'm talking about punching really thick heavy cover it's hard to get them big fish out of there

Transcript

01:07

03:14

Video

Punching, Flipping, Pitching for BIG Bass w/ ISH MONROE by The Bass University → five feet back further and then another five feet back further and for me it's making one pitch in hop it one time wind it up make that next pitch hop it one time wind it up make that next pitch and I feel like within a five to eight foot radius if there's a fish within a five to eight foot radius he's gonna swim over there and eat that bait within that time of me making one hop on it because they don't see baits that often up underneath there so they're going to be very very aggressive that's the one thing I like about punching is that it's very very it's it's the fish get very very aggressive underneath there sometimes you have the cold fronts like you do get in Florida and you have to finesse them but the majority of the time you can still create a reaction strike that bait punches through there and those fish they immediately grab it they don't have time to look at it because it's flying by them so fast and when I tell you I take that one hop and what it does is when it goes through that first time it's going to hit the bottom and it's either going to make some noise or it's going to kick up mud or kick up sand or kick up dust and that's going to trigger that fish into striking so that's what

Have a question? Ask FishGPT