Punching Advice.

Trying a new thing for me this week. Punch Rig. How shallow can I find fish punching mats of grass And catch fish this time of year? How deep, is the technique practical. Looking for a range of water depth for this. Need advice from you experts.

Thanks in advance

Steve

The deeper the grass the better. The outer edge toward deep water works as a vertical wall. Find that wall of grass sitting on an irregular feature and you will be in business. Many ditches in this part of the country will have grass right down the middle if the lake is noted for grass. Without knowing your lake and the depth of the grass; I cannot help you much. I see you are a new poster to the forum and we want to welcome you and help as much as possible. This is the rig that I have used to win many tournaments on Lake Amistad when the Hydrilla was 30 ft. tall.



The Hoo Daddy Jr. in Watermelon Neon is the key bait here. This rig goes in without hunting a whole to pitch into. Use a 1 oz. weight on underwater grass that is tall and a 1.5 on the matted grass. I have caught them real shallow if they are feeding on Crayfish under the mat. This is a short rig and works much better than longer versions. There is about 4 inches between the Heavy Line hook and the weight. Weights at BPS come with swivels and are called trolling weight. It is not needed; so I cut the swivel off.

Steve,

Pay attention to what Donald Harper talks about, he is much more experienced in this matter than most. I use 65# braid to punch with a 1 or 1 1/4 oz jig, or a setup like Donald has above. It works VERY well. Sometimes called a FROP shot rig, but I do not care what it is called, because ti works. I fish that more than I do a drop shot rig, anyway. Hope this helps. OH, wherever the fish are located is where to fish this rig. Shallow to deep, I knot it doesn't answer your questions, but throw it where the fish live. Tight lines, keep safe and good luck.

Thad Rains

The weight Donald is showing in the picture is also called a torpedo weight and can be found online in just about any weight you want. I also have some in 2-3oz and use them as a lure knocker.