prowess and shared some of the basics to the big fish techniques.
Let’s start at the beginning, what is your go-to gear for punchin’?
There is no better rod for punchin’ than a 8-foot daiwa Steez, which is what i use. My reel is a 7.3:1 daiwa zillion-r with 70# daiwa Samurai Braid.
What do you tie on for your punch rig?
For the hook and the weight, it’s always Paycheck Baits. Bub has designed the best Punch products, out there. of course, the Paycheck hook has the welded eye and the barb; i usually use a 5/o Punch Hook. i tie on my hook with the Snell, it gives that kick for the hookset. i have a rod with a Punch Skirt and one without. The Skirt gives a bigger profile and can get the bigger bite, so i always want to have that ready to go.
For my weight, it is all about the river2Sea tungsten trash Bomb. i use the trash Bomb because of the color. That dark, flat black finish makes the difference. i don’t have to worry about the flash that shiny silver or glossy colored weights can give off; that is an unnatural look. Mostly, i will have on either an ounce or an ounce and a half. The plastic i’m using is still in the prototype stage so i am not going to show that, right now.
What colors do you like for punchin’?
i worked with Paycheck to help with the color design of Kash Money. Kash has a more natural green shade with flake. a lot of the time, i will use the dark Under the table skirt in black and blue. When it calls for it ...you cannot forget to match the hatch, bluegills, crawdad, shad, whatever it may be.
How do you pick where you’re going to punch?
There is a lot of different variables, depending on
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conditions and you’ve got to just go out and try different places and see what works. For the most part, i like the thickest vegetation. i like the Hyacinth that is the tallest; because that means it has been growing the longest. i look for areas where different vegetation comes together. i always hit the points, even vegetation forms points and that is a high percentage area, you just cannot pass that up. edges, ledges, drop-offs, can all be good, but i like shallow water. Vegetative clumps off the banks in shallow water, i really like those. i like to move fast, keep going, hit more areas, cover more water. i will hit those clumps in the center and pull out a big one and keep moving. The more casts that i can get in the more opportunities i give myself to get a bite.
How do you work your punch rig?
Flip it in, let it fall, a couple of quick hops and then i am on my way. Setting the hook, can go either way. Sometimes you just lean on it and other times you set it hard, it depends on the bite; but either way once it is hooked you want to yank that fish out of there before you lose it. drag it up, reel hard and swing it in the boat. Sometimes, you might have to drive in after it.
What about your frog gear? For frogs, i’ve got my daiwa Steez XBd Frog
rod, it’s a 7’4” rod and again,
the 7.3:1 zillion reel. i only fish
frogs with braid. i use 55#
daiwa Samurai Braid. You
should only fish topwater
baits on braid; fluorocarbon
sinks and then it cause the
bait to porpoise, instead
of what it was intended to
do. and of course, my Snag
Proof Phat Frog.
Photo by Jody Only
The Phat Frog comes in a lot of shades, how do you pick which one you will throw?
Most of the time, Papa Midnight (black) and da Man (white), but you know ‘cause there are times when some of the others make a better choice. i