I've fished punch bait just a few times, even had some good success with it, but wondering if someone can fill me in on the best approach to use.

I've used bare treble hooks and treble hooks with springs. The other day I bought some with sponges on them and a couple with tubes on them. I haven't had much luck keeping the bait on the hook, so maybe I'm not doing it right. I try to clump a wad of bait on there about the size of a grape. Is that way too much? I'm lucky if the bait will stay on the hook longer than a few minutes. Maybe that's normal?

Also, I've learned that channel cat are skittish about pulling on a cork. I caught a couple of dozen channels one day last year fishing under a cork, but I was probably missing 5 bites for every one that I hooked. What kind of setup gives you the best chance of hooking up?

Thanks!
JB

Hey JB, like you, I discovered slip corking for cats was a bit more nuanced than I figured!

With punch bait, all you need is bare treble hooks. The hooks with springs are more for dough bait. The hooks with sponges are for dip bait. Punch bait is pretty much dip bait with fibers in it to keep it wrapped around the bare hook.

To bait your hook with punch bait, "punch" your hook down to the bottom of your bait jar with a stick, and pull back up at an angle. If you don't get enough to stick on, just try it again. It will stay on your hook pretty well this way.

If you have dip bait instead of punch bait, you'll need to use the sponges or tubes and you will need to re-bait frequently. That's why most people around here prefer punch bait to dip bait.

Yes, sometimes cats just like to mouth the bait, and if they feel resistance, they'll spit it out. Use the lightest slip floats you can get away with so that they don't have a lot of resistance when they go under. I like the Comal Tackle 3 pack slip floats at Academy for $.89. Use only enough split shot above the hook to get the float to stand up straight.

Other times, you might need to downsize to a #6 treble hook because they aren't taking the hook very aggressively. This might be a good place to start, and if you notice they are inhaling the hooks and you are gut hooking them, then size up to a #4.

Finally, sometimes you are just on a mess of dinks. If you find that you are not hooking up most of the time, and when you do it's tiny fish, get up and move to a new spot. Those small fish probably wouldn't be there if the larger fish were around...catfish eat catfish too.

Solid information from HeavyLead. I always make sure to keep my punch out of the sun and as cool as I can because most of the ones I have tried tend to be suet or tallow based and with any animal fat, when it gets hot, it gets soft and greasy. A paint stirrer works great for a punch bait stick because it's wide enough to push the hook down easily and flat so you can stir your bait if it starts getting gooey.

I think heavylead is right on target with the information he provided

I keep mine in a the bait cooler I normally keep my fresh shad in so it stay solid, other than that I am with everyone else here.

Heavy is dead on.

Heavy Lead fishes exactly like I do and it has proved to work. I liked his comment on hook size. I use #6's if I want to keep what I'm catching, but will switch to #4's if I need to. I bend the barbs down on both sizes so the hooks are easier to remove. If a fish isn't big enough to get a #4 in its mouth you haven't missed much.

I'm just repeating the great advice I got here. The catfish board is a really helpful place!

You guys would laugh at my fist slip cork rig. Looked almost like I was slip corking for sharks, lol.

All of the info here is spot on. You may want to try YouTube channel catfishedge. Lots of great info there.

Bobber stop, small balsa float, small split shot, and a small treble with barbs bent down.
When the really turn on replace the treble with a crappie jig tipped with nibbles.

Pretty much what everyone else said

My dad has been making punch bait on tawakoni for years and we just grab a handful and squeeze it on the hook by hand. If it's full of juice from being in the sun then we ring the juice out through a old T shirt. If it's good bait it will catch fish no matter how you use it. By the time u unhook your first fish yur hands stink anyways and if yur worried bout your hands stinking then go bass fishing lol

Luke said it ,I just pinch some off and put it on the hook. If it gets to sticky or hot then I just sprinkle a little bit of rice brand the kind you feed deer and that takes care of the sticking to your fingers .