punching

[yjjustforme]

Hey guys how's it going? I was wondering if I could get some tips for punching. I cant figure out where and what to look for when looking for mats to punch. I can catch em flipping and cranking and while using a finesse presentation but I haven't caught a punch fish for a LONG TIME. any help would be great like punching on high or low tides in current or not what setups you like jigs or punch rigs hydrilla or other stuff? Thanks in advance!!!

[yjjustforme]

I can catch quantity its just that I need quality almost like I need to learn how to catch BIGGER fish if that makes sense

[Zak Elrite]

Good post. I am in the same boat(well different boat but same prob ). I can rip a few decent ones here and there but finding these "BIG punchin' fish" everyone talks about eludes me. Also maybe technique tips or preferences, like once it pops through do most guys let it fall once then yo-yo it or just pop it through and keep moving? I've watched a couple of videos but really doesn't get into specifics(maybe for a reason ). Getting through isn't too much of a problem as I use a Dobyns Savvy flip rod and standard 1 1/2oz tungsten with a punch skirt and a bait(beave or hog usually).

Sorry to jump in on your thread but I thought it was a good one. Thanks in advance!

[yjjustforme]

No prob I was wondering the same thing I've tried the standard 1.5 tungsten weight setups and 1 ounce punching jigs with no resultes??? Once you get through how many times do you yoyo do you keep it just under the canopy? I have watched dozens of vids but they all say the same things about gear and stuff but not on where (what to look for).

[thukidad]

look for green vegetation, this will produce the most oxygen and more likely hold a fish than dead veggies..

tide - doesnt really matter much, but most of my success coming from outgoing to low tide..

one of the funniest thing I see when people are punching is that they're trying to damn hard.. when was the last time you see a crawdad go UP and DOWN; UP and DOWN; UP and DOWN.. just throwing it in (sometime the bite occurs upon entry).. wait 10-15 second, and maybe a small tap or just reel and flip again to a different area..

also, you hear people say the bites are vicious, this is true in most cases, but i've also detected sutle bite from bigger fishes as well..

[mac (Doyle McEwen)]

As far as yoyoing the bait goes, one maybe two lifts and falls should do the trick, if there is a fish there that is interested..I have had then hit on the initial fall, when it settles on the bottom, and when yoyoing the bait..I have gotten more hits with a slow lift and fall, than with ripping the bait off the bottom and then letting it drop..Fenerally I have found you need to make a number of casts to any cover you can find to get results..Outgoing tide seems to provide the most targets to cast, flip, pitch to..Although I have probably caught just as many during high tide as during outgoing..If you are punching a large clump , don't think twice about hitting it several times in different areas..Sometimes they hang around the edges, other times it is more toward the center..There is no one sure way of punching..

mac

[zaldain]

yj,

Yes, "punching" is the newest trend on the river. I went out last Sunday and it sure seemed like everybody I ran by had a big stick in their hands. It takes time on the water to figure out how they eat it. My best advice is, before you get to the river, make sure you have the best equipment available AND stay on the move. Always look for something different. If what you've been doing isn't working, simply make an adjustment! You wont learn how to "Punch' on an internet forum; to understand the bite, you must encounter certain situations by putting in your OWN TIME!

That being said, my perfect day of flipping consists of my Powell 7105 flippin stick, Shimano Curado 201E, 60lb Seaguar Kanzen braid, and a 1.5oz treat fished fast on a low tide in current!

Enjoy,
Chris Zaldain

[yjjustforme]

My punching /flipping rig is a 201e7 and a diawa zillion rod. I got the right quality stuff and have put alot of time on the water its just that I can't pick which mats to choose from.

[Zak Elrite]

Chris, thank you for your input. With that, punching does vary from one(person) to the next on technique. I think both 'yj' and myself aren't looking for someone to tell us where specifically to go or a 'for sure' technique, but rather a general quest to possibly take a consensus. I (and I'm sure YJ) believe in putting in my "OWN TIME" as you said and that was not the answer or scold we were looking for. My time on the water is nearly always spent learning and trying to perfect techniques. Thank you for your input and knowledge, as well as all the others. It is always appreciated to hear that some 'sticks' out there are willing to help with SOME and NOT ALL tips, tricks and techniques.

Thanks again to all!
Zak

[Terry Smith]

Fish the healthy grass and floating mats that has open water under it. Depth is up to the fish. I have cought fish in mats with water over 20' deep into as little as 1' deep. 1 1/2 oz tungston beaver or chigger craw in your favorite delta color. Pitch it to the spot you want and gently wiggle it until it falls through. If it doesn't fall pick it up and try to hit the same spot again and repeat. Most of my fish come as it first gets through and have even had them come up and suck it right off the mat. It's slow fishing but can produce great fish. As for area's well fish the area's that you normaly catch fish and start hitting those mats.


Good luck, Terry

[ash]

The way i started wrapping my head around punching is in two places on the river Sand Mound and Dissapointment Slough - both areas have many big floating mats, and various grass varieties. As said I look for the green healthy stuff with some water depth on em or VERY close nearby - think deep pockets that get filled up in the summer time - heavy flipping grass is a differnt deal for me.

BY spending time in these two areas, you will start to get the hang for it - like zaladin said time on the water is the only way to "get it" - but these are two great places to go to until you start dialing it in.

[yjjustforme]

Chris, thank you for your input. With that, punching does vary from one(person) to the next on technique. I think both 'yj' and myself aren't looking for someone to tell us where specifically to go or a 'for sure' technique, but rather a general quest to possibly take a consensus. I (and I'm sure YJ) believe in putting in my "OWN TIME" as you said and that was not the answer or scold we were looking for. My time on the water is nearly always spent learning and trying to perfect techniques. Thank you for your input and knowledge, as well as all the others. It is always appreciated to hear that some 'sticks' out there are willing to help with SOME and NOT ALL tips, and techniques

Thanks again to all!
Zak

X2 I don't want to know your spots I was just wondering what makes a spot more appealing than another to fish I have put alot of my OWN TIME in trying to learn better punching methods and techniques but when you don't got much to show from it must mean that your doing something wrong thanks for the input guys!!!

[b2customrods]

Dont just look at the mates or green vegetation. Try punching the dead laid down tulle's. I have caught a many fish there.

I built a 8' rod using a Rainshadow SW967 blank. I have 9 double foot guides and a curado 100DSV with Power Pro 80lb braid and a 1.5oz tungsten weight.

With the 8' rod I can get back into the deeper lay downs and drop my lure in also with the 7 power it allows me to pull almost anything out and through the tulle's plus out of the cheese.

[Dom]

Thats all great advise and to be honest I am faily new to puniching I started last year and this is what I have learned and I learned it from my 10 year old son at the time. Just as metioned above dont over think it , My son and i were in old river last year when we started and I was looking for mats with some current and close to deep water like bends and cuts . Anyway I was trying to be all "PRO" about it flip it to a certain spot let it fall to the bottom (some hits come on the fall) If no hit i let it head to the bottom and then sit for a moment then I would pop it once or twice then reel it in and pick my next target in the mat. Well while i was being the dad and trying to explain to my son how to do it he lobs his rig up in the air it crashes into the mat and next thing I know he is hollaring fish on!!! I seriously thought the crash would spool the fish but he continued to kick my butt for the next few hours !! So I backed off the mat and we both started dropping BOMBs and we stuck em and stuck some quality . I am sure there are times when you want a stealth approach, I have not found them yet , But I theriorized the bass must feel way more comfortable and protected under them mats.

This was last Summer and this year I have found the bigger fish holding on the outside weed line in 10-12' of water so I have been cranking them have not had to do much punchin. But I keep a punch rig on the deck incase I see a ggod mat or miss a frog fish then i will follow up with the punch gotten a few on the frog and on the punch, but down south here the crank bait bite has been on if you look for points with deep ( 10' or deeper) water and some current they are in the weeds rip that crank into the weeds (use braid) as you feel slop pause and let it float up alittle then crank it down till the hooks catch the top of the weeds and rip it on thru. Hope this sheds some light and good fishin to yall

[yjjustforme]

Thanks dom I have been knocking em dead while cranking craw kvd's 1.5. Its just that I want to get better at punching so I should look for grass, pads, mats etc on points or around current ? Anyone ever have luck on the outside west side of Mildred? So start outside of mat and work my way in what about that real thick green plant (hydrilla?) Are those the best to punch through?

[Dom]

I could be way off base here but I dont think I am , I look for where the fish are if its high tide I will start at the bank and work out on incoming those fish move up and vise versa on outgoing the move down so I start on the outside weed line and work in. The water down south is 70-74 degrees so current and deep water has been key .

Example Say you have a point and on the down side of the point you have a cut or bend , you will find mats, weeds, ect... dont matter as long as its green( hot water less oxygen, green means more oxygen) and a deep hole thats where the water eats away at the bottom . Depending on which way the tide is coming say you are down stream on an incoming I would position the boat the same direction the bass are facing into the current and work my way back at an angle trying to find the depth they are at . (up shallow or on the drop in deeper water) and as for punching I would do the same instead of casting a lure I would start punching on the upside from shollow to deep or deep to shallow.

I dont know if you got that or not but not good with words LMAO

[ash]

I dont know if you got that or not but not good with words LMAO

Doms new signature

[Terry Smith]

Anyone ever have luck on the outside west side of Mildred?

YES that is A good place to start

[Dom]

Hey Ash

You know how us country boys are, right? we aint to good at words, but we can hunt, fish and run a troutline....LMAO

[bazs]

The coolest thing about the Punchin technique is it just plain works and the more you play around with it the better off you will be. I helped the guys out at basshookups.com and its the first segment of their EZ5 video from the delta. Here is a link!
http://vimeo.com/24900658.
Check it out, as some of you know I love this technique and have had some sucess with it the last few years. I went over some stuff to look for as well as the tackle i use and the baits i get bit on!
Good luck and tight lines!
Zack Thompson

[yjjustforme]

Great vid sack!!! Helps alot.

[Zak Elrite]

Sweet video! Thanks to all for input. Westernbass still proves to be a place where SOME knowledge can be shared. Now, I'm off to the delta to fine tune my punching technique on my own time..

Thanks again! Good luck YJ!

[davet.]

I like to throw at least 2 ounces, love debris pockets, where the current is pushing loose weeds and dead tules into a mat. If I'm running down a no nothing slough and see a lone hyacinth patch stuck against the rip rap, I'll hit it.
Also, some people use a heavy flourocarbon leader, about 3 feet long, for both stealth and to gauge how far under the mat your bait actually is, because I think, most times you find floating mats over deep water, the fish are usually tight against the roof. And if they're not, then they're up close to the bank at the first depth change.
Here's a short video I shot this summer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK6EK4tdqaE

[yjjustforme]

My own time! !! Haha

Nice vid dave I love to flip tules and all that fun stuff its just that I haven't pulled a hog out of a "mat" while punching for a while so I figured I was doing something wrong or fishing the wrong spot

[Cooch]

"Punchin", really isn't a new trend here on the River, it's a flippen tactic many of us have used for many years. The "when, where and how" we flip out baits into the heaviest of cover, has drastically changed over the past 5 years since the state's Hyacynth spraying program has worked so well, many of the natural surface plants are exploding and creating far denser coverage in many more areas than the hyacinth or trash pockets ever did.

Hyacinth was easy ta punch, due to it's sparce nature and thinner root system, we could use 1/2-3/4 oz baits to plop down through it, not anymore. With all the newer veriatles of surface veggitation, we are now presented with a more difficult task of getting through the cover that is far more dense, hence the recent explosion of various terminal tackle and heavier weights to better assist us in presenting our baits to the fish.

I have found that there are a few critical situations that we need to look for, in our effort to find better "punch" fish. First and foremost, is water clarity and depth. Clearer water and a 3-10' depth zone beneath the canopy has been best for me. Certainly you'll stumble on a big fish in dirty and/or shallower water, but it's not consistant. Second is current and depth. Having deep water nearby, along with the presence of current, is a river constant in what these bigger fish here prefer. The big bass here love to move verticle, versus horizontal in the summer & fall. Tulle islands provide the best instance for both of these situations, so this is a good place to start and focus for your punchin' adventures here. Ambush situations, THINK POINTS! Big bass here, don't sit directly in the current, yet they find ideal conditions under the right canopy cover, where they can find an eddy, right next to the current, and lie in wait for an easy meal. Time on the water and the willingness to change, not only the type of bait and presentation yer using, but the type of cover and your location.

Flippen fish on this River with the various "punchin" tactics, is time consuming and very tough, yet it can be one of the most rewarding ways to catch em big here at various times of the year. Like any other tactic here, you must give it the time and learn the ins and outs of how it works and what works best. Don't fear it, just do it and keep doing it until it all starts ta make sense.