Punchin? 2025

bluenitrouscoupe reply :

i have heard alot about this "punchin" technique. Is has caught my attention especially all the heavy cover in these florida lakes. Are the miller punchin weights the way to go? What kinda sucess have yall had?

Thanks,

Mike

Skeet22 reply :

I don't know of many people who have tried the miller weights that stay with them. I'm not much on drop shotting but I can help you with anything to do with punching.

I would recommend a 1- 1 1/2 oz insert free Tungsten weight of your choice. A 4/0 or 5/0 straight shank flipping hook of your choice and a small craw or beaver style plastic of your choice. Also peg your weight with bobber stoppers they work better for me than the tapered pegs.

My preference is Strike King Flipping weights, Trokar TK130 Flipping Hook and either zoom z hogs or RI Sweet Beavers. Punching is 100% reaction so you basically just need something to hold the hook that slips through the thick cover well. In my experience color does not make much difference when punching. For line 65# Braid will do, I use Sunline FX2 and have no complaints.

Also a Snell Knot will help put the hook through the roof of the fishes mouth almost everytime.

1234567 reply :

I personally have never used the Miller punching weights and I don't think there will be reason for me to do so. Most tungstens I have tried have worked well. Generally speaking, depending on how compacted the matts are, I'll punch with 1oz to 1.5oz. Trailers, I keep it simple, netbait paca craws and you may consider adding a punch skirt which my help it slide through the matt better and give a different profile. As skeet22 mentioned, he covered punching gear, might I add a high speed reel with a fairly stout rod in the 7+ foot range. I just started about a year and half ago and it is fun!

bluenitrouscoupe reply :

My combo setup I just got for punchin is revo mgx 7.9/1 ratio with a 7' mirco magic duckett rod with 65 lbs power pro braid. Should this be a good setup? Thanks for the help!

Skeet22 reply :

Reel is perfect esp if your pitching to targets it will help you get that bait back and ready for your next pitch faster. Most claim you want a high speed reel to get the fish out of cover quick but in my experience your on short line anyway so by the time you reel down and set the hook your already pulling the fish out of cover with the sweeping back of the rod which is why I prefer a 7'6" or longer it alows you to move the fish a little quicker as well as get closer to your targets when flipping. You definitly want a rod rated for 1.5 oz minimum but preferably 2oz or more.

bluenitrouscoupe reply :

Ok I might get a different rod made for 2 oz. Like you said. What exact rod do you recommend?

Skeet22 reply :

Depends on how much you want to spend. For $99 a 7'6" MH Veritas is hard to beat or a 7'6" H Vendetta. The Veritas is rated for 1 1/2 oz so its borderline but has served me well for quite a while.

If you want to spend a little more I would recommend this rod below. You can check it out at tackle warehouse.

Phenix Bass Recon Casting Rod 7'9" Heavy

1234567 reply :

On 10/17/2012 at 10:55 AM, bluenitrouscoupe said:

My combo setup I just got for punchin is revo mgx 7.9/1 ratio with a 7' mirco magic duckett rod with 65 lbs power pro braid. Should this be a good setup? Thanks for the help!

That setup is actually very nice. Is that rod rated H or MH?? Either way it should work great and as you get more comfortable you'll figure out what you may prefer later on, longer rod, rod strength.....I'd start with a 1 to a 1 1/4 ounce tungsten, should get you through most anything on the water unless you go to Big O.

bluenitrouscoupe reply :

I plan on using 1 1/2 oz. And the rod is heavy action.

bluenitrouscoupe reply :

I plan on using 1 1/2 oz. And the rod is heavy action.

gobig reply :

The miller weights work good in really thick stuff. Not to mention the brass adds some flash to the bait. Most of the time I just use a normal 1.5 tungsten but I feel the millers have a spot in my arsenal. For the most part I agree with skeet22. I will add that I like to use several different baits for varying actions. A RI sweet beaver is a gliding bait with little secondary action. I have the most confidence in a sweet beaver. My second choice is the pit boss which has a tone of secondary action. Because of the way the appendages hang off the back of the bait they go right through the mat and don't hang up. And last but not least I will punch a senko.

I have two rods that I punch with. One is a phenix ultra swimbait 7'11''MH. I want a rod that has a good parabolic bend with a lot of power and this rod fits the bill. The other rod that I punch with is a gen2 Bub's punch rod made by Irod. Both are close to the same action. If I had to pick one over the other I would choose Bub's rod. I like the balance a little better.

As for the reel I use a Shimano Castaic. People seem to either love or hate this reel. It has a thumb bar that engages the reel with out having to turn the handle. Like a lot of other people I make a cast and switch hands. If I get bit before I change hands I can set the hook right away.

Skeet22 reply :

I've often thought about that Irod punch rod with the parabolic action but never could commit to that theory.

bluenitrouscoupe reply :

Parabolic action? I'm lost. LOL

gobig reply :

Quote
Parabolic action? I'm lost. LOL

A parabolic bend means that the rod has a more consistent bend that starts closer to the handle, more of a C shape. Where a rod with a fast action is going to bend closer to the tip in more of a J shape. There are advantages and disadvantages to both.

Quote
I've often thought about that Irod punch rod with the parabolic action but never could commit to that theory.

There is more of one school of thought on the subject. I believe it makes a big difference. Especially with heavier baits. Because there is a deeper more consistent bend, it slows the speed of the rod as it flexes. This absorbs impact and It also takes away from the increased leverage a fish has with heavier lures. Which helps keep them pinned. The rod is less likely to fail because the flex point is in the backbone of the rod and you have more power fighting fish in the middle of the rod.

Skeet22 reply :

Makes sense. I thouhgt it was to help with blowing holes in the fishes mouth being on short line with braid but what you said makes sense. I may give it a try.

LgMouthGambler reply :

I just use a telescoping H Flipping Stick Shimano Sellus rod. Have no problems, and its rated for 1oz, but I use a 1 1/2oz tungsten weight pegged in front of a 1/2oz jig. The extra weight helps with punching mats, and loading the tip to help Flip further.

sarcazmo reply :

I didnt want to start a new thread but I've been curious about punching. Hope you all dont mind.

Is punching basically just throwing a lure into the thick of the nastiest vegetation you can find? Provided you're using the right tackle of course (Heavier rod, big weight, appropriate hook etc)?

shallow thinker reply :

Punching is for the real thick stuff where a standard flip or pitch won't get through the cover. You want to toss your bait up 6 feet or so and have come straight down so that heavy weight can bust through the cover. Do a YouTube search to see guys doing this and it will become obvious.

I've tried the Miller punch weights but prefer 1 to 1.5 oz Tungsten when puching cover.

Skeet22 reply :

^{That is an extreme form of punching but I would consider penetrating heavy cover with 1oz plus weights punching also. Atleast around here it's known as punching. Guess it really does not matter what you call it. I hear people refer to pitching as flipping all the time...}

sarcazmo reply :

On 10/19/2012 at 1:05 AM, shallow thinker said:

Punching is for the real thick stuff where a standard flip or pitch won't get through the cover. You want to toss your bait up 6 feet or so and have come straight down so that heavy weight can bust through the cover. Do a YouTube search to see guys doing this and it will become obvious.

I've tried the Miller punch weights but prefer 1 to 1.5 oz Tungsten when puching cover.

Most of the vids I've seen havent involved tossing the bait 6 feet or so and having it come down. Most I've seen just have them flip it into heavy weeds/grass/pads etc. Definitely foregin concept to me because I usually try my hardest to avoid snags. Another thing to practice!

gobig reply :

My idea of punching is penetrating anything that forms a canopy above or below the surface. For instance on the Delta when the tide comes in and the once visible surface mat goes subsurface, it is still there. Dead tullies or trash that blow into a pocket also form canopies. In my mind its not just limited to a surface mat.

Quote
You want to toss your bait up 6 feet or so and have come straight down so that heavy weight can bust through the cover.

Most of the time I feel there is no need to sling the bait up in the air. If you can pitch or flip with some degree of accuracy you can hit areas in the mat where you can shake your bait through. Out here everyone and there mother punches on the Delta. 90% of the people sling there bait up in the air and I feel the fish have become wise to it, especially the larger ones. The other mistake that is even more critical that I often see people make is that they blow out the mat with there trolling motor. Or they allow the boat to hit the mat.

ChrisAW reply :

I personally would not use the MGX for punching. Its a nice reel and everything, but it only has a 12lb drag pressure. Seems to me it was built more to fit finesse applications than power fishing.

I figure you're using it because you already own it, but I would pick any other Revo to do that job. They all have drags closer up to 20 pounds. I personally use an SX for punching and can still get the drag to slip on a good fish.

sarcazmo reply :

Anyone know of any decent vids demonstrating this? The ones I see its pretty difficult to see whats actually going on.

bluenitrouscoupe reply :

piscicidal reply :

Theres our buddy mikeyballzz. Flippin/punchin guru...

To Jack's point before...sometimes when it's windy, the mats get packed really tight. You might have to flip the weight up to get it through. Watch JT Kenney pitch that bait in the air and punch it thru a spot on a mat...its an art form. If you can pitch it low its better, though. The best approach it the most silent.

Grizzn N Bassin reply :

quick question i just went this new pond which my buddies dad own never is fished and he said there are monster bass in it. there some timber sticking out and a laydown tree..and pretty much the whole pond is pretty much dead grass all around the pond and some big spot on a drop off i found.. Do you think the large bass with be in the dead stuff.. Im thinkning they are, soley on the fact i caught only one bass two times i fished it. should i be punchin the think stuff this time of year?

1234567 reply :

If the mgx has only 12 pounds of drag he should be okay. In the vid above I believe he's using a curado e7 which only has 10 pounds of drag and seems to be doing fine with that? I personally like the revo stx with 18-24 pounds of drag but I have pulled to hard before with that.

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Punchin? 2025

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