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t’s anything but subtle, but punching proves undeniably productive when bass tuck them- selves under thick canopies of topped-out hydrilla, dead tules, pennywort and just about any other floating vegetation. The epitome of “in- your-face,” this bold bass tactic defines intrusion and every presentation holds homerun potential as snoozing largemouth typically respond violently to heavy objects that suddenly crash through their roofs. Fundamentally, punching is the beefed-up version of flipping – sometimes pitching for targets a little farther away. The main difference is habitat. Flip or pitch a standard texas-rigged bait into cover and it falls relatively unhindered. Such presentations, though, will stop well short of their targets when confronted by an organic barrier generically known as a “mat.”
Varying in width and breadth, mats present shelter under which bass snooze away the year’s warmer hours. in truth, winter also finds bass in shallower water bodies utilizing mats, as the vegetation holds heat and provides a cozy environment. in either season, bass find protection, sun shade and ambush feeding points amid a fortress well-oxygenated by the very structure under which they hide. on the practical side, punching mats offers an attractive balance of access and availability. When bass are on the beds, it’s either really good or really bad – often a higher dose of the latter, as nesting fish tend to be awfully spooky. Moreover, when bass are out and about, roaming and chasing shad as they do for the fall feeding marathon, they can be
summer 2013
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