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Punching Grass.. #11552482 04/19/16 05:44 PM
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reeltexan Online Happy OP
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Grass is growing so it's coming soon......

What's your favorite bait / hook / weight, etc., for punching grass mats?


"..The pleasantist angling is to see the fish
Cut with her golden oars the silver stream,
And greedily devour the treacherous bait.
Bill Shakespeare





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Re: Punching Grass.. [Re: reeltexan] #11552573 04/19/16 06:16 PM
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Firebassin Offline
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5/0 straight shank, lightest weight you can get by with pegged, usually at least a 1 ounce, rage tail menace. 65# braid

Re: Punching Grass.. [Re: reeltexan] #11552583 04/19/16 06:17 PM
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fouzman Offline
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It's been so long, I've forgotten.


"Things turn out best for those who make the best of the way things turn out" - Zachary Troy Schrah - a young man with vision far beyond his years.
Re: Punching Grass.. [Re: reeltexan] #11552588 04/19/16 06:18 PM
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bigbass94 Offline
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D&M Punch Craw

I love to use this bait for punching. One thing that's sometimes frustrating, is getting your bait to fall through cleanly. Baits that a lot of appendages sticking out different ways aren't good for penetrating the grass. The D&M Punch Craw has a very streamlined body that's great for penetrating through heavy grass. These baits are custom made and have served me well.

Trokar TK133 Big Nasty

This is the only hook that you'll ever need for punching grass. I pay the extra few bucks for these because they're better at keeping the fish hooked up. One problem with punching grass is, when you hook a fish, you can get the best hookset in the world and still lose em' because they bogged down in the grass and pulled off. The TK133 Big Nasty Flipping hook has unique bend near the point of the hook that pins fish and doesn't give them any leverage to throw the hook. These are fantastic hooks and you really get what you pay for.

Reins Tungsten TG Heavy Slip Sinker

The only weight I use is this one, the TG Tungsten weight. Tungsten is crucial for punching grass because it allows you to feel the bite easier. Knowing the difference between a bite or your bait ticking the grass is hard to do, but tungsten makes it easier. These weights also have the best paint job and they don't chip like others. I typically use the 1.2oz, and it's yet to let me down.

Sunline Flipping FC Flourocarbon

One of the biggest debates on topics surrounding punching is what type of line to use. I've used braid and flouro, and more often than not, I find myself using flourocarbon. I feel like braid is great for muddy water or low light, but in clear water on sunny days, I like the invisible properties of flourocarbon. I highly recommend you try the Flipping FC Flourocarbon. This line was built for heavy cover flipping. IT IS STRONG! The impact resistance and shock absorbing powers of this line is incredible. I really thought I was gonna get my heart broken if I used flouro but I feel perfectly confident using the Flipping FC.



One really important thing to remember is that you need the right rod for punching. You need a long rod with a good backbone so you can really lay into the fish when they bite.


"If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there'd be a shortage of fishing poles." - Doug Larson
Re: Punching Grass.. [Re: reeltexan] #11552615 04/19/16 06:28 PM
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Jake Shannon(Skeet4Life) Offline
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Owner jungle hook 5/0 or 4/0, 1oz strike king weight 65lb braid, and any creature bait or an xcite raptor tail craw

Last edited by Jake Shannon(Skeet4Life); 04/19/16 06:28 PM.
Re: Punching Grass.. [Re: reeltexan] #11552622 04/19/16 06:31 PM
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reeltexan Online Happy OP
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Which size on that Trokar Big Nasty?


"..The pleasantist angling is to see the fish
Cut with her golden oars the silver stream,
And greedily devour the treacherous bait.
Bill Shakespeare





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Re: Punching Grass.. [Re: reeltexan] #11552716 04/19/16 07:17 PM
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Ryan Somerville Offline
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Power Tackles New Keith Combs Series Punching/Heavy Flipping rod 7'6 or there old PG105 or Grassmat Special Same blank. The new Jungle flipping hooks are nice from owner or Strike Kings Hack Attack hook is great also. And 65lb braid is a must have!

Re: Punching Grass.. [Re: reeltexan] #11552835 04/19/16 08:23 PM
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Txmedic033 Offline
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Originally Posted By: reeltexan


Which size on that Trokar Big Nasty?


I use 5/0

Re: Punching Grass.. [Re: reeltexan] #11552906 04/19/16 08:54 PM
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dandeeks Offline
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man.. I was on Tawokoni 2 weeks back in Squirrel Cove (around the corner from Sky Point) and found tons of mats... for miles. Tried to punch them with my 1oz weight and it would never penetrate. How heavy do y'all really go?

Re: Punching Grass.. [Re: reeltexan] #11553005 04/19/16 09:42 PM
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TXwelder Offline
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5/0 hack attack straight shank hook 75#samauri braid lightest weight i can get thru the matts with a menace or a speed craw:)


Stay Positive
PB:9.08 lake arlington
Re: Punching Grass.. [Re: reeltexan] #11553030 04/19/16 10:03 PM
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Donald Harper Offline
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This will help you get that huge fish you have been looking for. Nothing will beat it. It works everywhere, shallow mat but best on the deepest grass you can find. You got to keep going until you find that sweet spot, pitch out the marker and circle it looking for others because they will be grouped up under the hollow.
If the wind is blowing you can get in there on the upwind side; put the trolling motor up and big motor up and walk the boat across the mat by rocking the boat from side to side.

Rig a heavy drop shot rig:
5.0 heavy super line hook. Tied on 50# braid. Use a Palomar knot. Leave the tag end at 5 inches long. Tie a 1 oz. weight to the tag end. I just tie a knot in the end of the tag, then use a overhand slip knot to attach the weight. It doesn't take much to keep it on. When I am fishing grass and hardwoods and it gets hung on the wood I can pull it off and come out with the hook and fish. You understand that the hook is about 4 to 5 inches above the weight, so the tails of the bait will hang down and cover the weight.
Use a Gene Lawrue Hoo Daddy Jr. in Watermelon Neon.
It will drop in the grass and come out of the grass with no hang-ups.
Fish vertical to 20% in front of the boat. Directly over the bait is best on the deepest grass. Drop it in slowly and soft so it is traveling slowly when it touches the bottom. The Bass hate anything sneaking in on them. Hold it there with a tight line for about 5 seconds without any movement. They don't want it bouncing up and down. This gives them time to swim through the hollow under the grass and nail the bait.
Vertical presentation and moving along the outer edge of the grass line, making pitches out in front of the boat so by the time it gets to the bottom you are directly over the bait for the hook set.
HAVE FUN!!


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Re: Punching Grass.. [Re: reeltexan] #11553076 04/19/16 10:34 PM
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Brad R Offline
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No argument intended here, just that I get stuck on the physics of things, so a point of discussion.

Why wouldn't a 6' or a 6'6" rod with a more parabolic action where it bends across its almost entire blank be the preferred rod choice for punching grass?

As it bends to its shut-off point, that will then be where the lifting point is: closer to the hands (the fulcrum) means a ton more power transference from the fisherman.

Here, relatively "short" is more powerful than long; here, parabolic action effectively shortens the lever more than a fast action.

If you want to hoist a fish out of heavy grass, this would give you more leverage, not a 7'6" rod with a fast tip. Have rod manufacturers pushed us based on what we think we want, not what we actually need?

I do get the idea that a rod isn't just a lever, that it also acts a bit like the arm on a crane and that can be useful in another way to control a fish.

Here, though, I don't know if that particular asset is all that valuable, not based on what I have seen where fish are jacked out and put up on the boat deck as fast as possible, often buried in a few pounds of salad.

*** I really like the idea Donald floated as a great alternative to the more traditional punching rigs with a heavy drop shot clearing and pulling the hook down.

Brad

Re: Punching Grass.. [Re: Brad R] #11553089 04/19/16 10:45 PM
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Originally Posted By: Brad R
No argument intended here, just that I get stuck on the physics of things, so a point of discussion.

Why wouldn't a 6' or a 6'6" rod with a more parabolic action where it bends across its almost entire blank be the preferred rod choice for punching grass?

As it bends to its shut-off point, that will then be where the lifting point is: closer to the hands (the fulcrum) means a ton more power transference from the fisherman.

Here, relatively "short" is more powerful than long; here, parabolic action effectively shortens the lever more than a fast action.

If you want to hoist a fish out of heavy grass, this would give you more leverage, not a 7'6" rod with a fast tip. Have rod manufacturers pushed us based on what we think we want, not what we actually need?

I do get the idea that a rod isn't just a lever, that it also acts a bit like the arm on a crane and that can be useful in another way to control a fish.

Here, though, I don't know if that particular asset is all that valuable, not based on what I have seen where fish are jacked out and put up on the boat deck as fast as possible, often buried in a few pounds of salad.

*** I really like the idea Donald floated as a great alternative to the more traditional punching rigs with a heavy drop shot clearing and pulling the hook down.

Brad


I have tried punching with a shorter rod. Quite frankly it sucks. Not a mental thing or anything at all. Hard to get hookups and harder to land them than a 7 1/2-8' model. I think a sub 7' punching rod would be a true broomstick and clunky as heck. The rod has to have some give.
I don't get too caught up in physics as I care more about actual hands on personal experience to dictate my preferences.

Makes no difference what the rod companies are pushing. The guys that are true grass masters/ punch masters all seem to gravitate to the longer setups. That is not by accident or for marketing. It is results driven.

As for bait selection I personally do not want any curly appendages,curly tails, wide body, ribs or anything at all that will hang up as its busting through the mat. I don't want fish grabbing that and not the hook. I want a decent size profile but yet still compact in some ways. That just means you have to waste time fixing the lure on the hook more as well as takes away from the fact that often in true punching its simply a reaction bite. I want that bait and hook coming through the mat or cover with as little hangup as possible.

Re: Punching Grass.. [Re: reeltexan] #11553102 04/19/16 10:54 PM
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Brad R Offline
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Agree, Mark, that in the end it is more about what works best, not any text book limitations.

The shorter rod, though, need not be a broomstick and clunky; it can be an appropriately powered blank with a parabolic bend, again both to pull the lifting point closer to the hands. A medium heavy would likely do the job.

Odd though, still to me, that when you look at rod preferences for deep sea saltwater fishing that rods intended to pull large fish up off the bottom are short/stout and parabolic. All of these assets are intended to increase the leverage the angler has to fight the fish. Then, when they target fish that "run" more horizontally and shallower, they use longer rods with different action to control the fish.

Brad

Re: Punching Grass.. [Re: reeltexan] #11553239 04/20/16 12:12 AM
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I have caught as many or more grass fish on Lake Amistad at 30 ft. deep with grass all the way to the surface, than most. I consider myself a Grass Master with hundreds of Bass coming out of that fishery over 34 years of fishing it. There is not many places on this earth that the grass was that tall for so many years. I am so thankful I was there during that time period to enjoy all those fish. I did it all with that heavy drop shot and a 6'10" Grass Rake using 50 lb. braid. I only remember one fish that may have been a big Blue Cat taking control of that set up.
I ordered Hoo Daddys by the thousand because that worked the best. I have used every set up know and fished along side great fisherman watching them be frustrated with their skirted jigs and punch weight systems not going through the grass because there was not a hole to pitch it into. So the shake, shake methods and pitching the rigs into the air to gain more momentum was a head shake to me. I was already into the hollow and coming out with a fish while they were still trying to break through.


Each person you work with holds some promise to your future success.
Websiite Sponsors:
www.eletewater.com - Staying Hydrated
www.lakeoviachic.com - Booking Mexico Trips
20 Hot Spot Mapping - GPS Contour Chips - Custom Spinner Baits - Jigs -Spooks
Pure Extracts - Minnow-Night Crawler-Crayfish-Craylic


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