Punching em'!!
There’s nothing like rippin’ toads out of the slop with a big old flippin’ stick and heavy line! It just gets my adrenaline and heart pounding. It sure is not as easy as it looks. There is a lot of fatigue and hard work to punching. One needs to focus on the little details in punching and not just find a mat and begin fishing it. Things need to be figured out.
Being a local to the punching capitol of the world (CA Delta), learning how to punch is a must. I have attained quite a bit of information on it over the years. To start, look for points, pillars, docks, current breaks, and bait fish. Just try and find mats that stand out from the other thousands of mats that are out there. As punching excels in the hot summer months, I have found punching to work all year round; things need to be changed throughout the year though. Slowing down, fishing with lighter weights for a slower fall, and more subtle type baits work very well in these cold conditions. Punching is a very effective way to catch big fish, that’s why I like to use the technique whenever I can.
Having the best gear to do the job is a key to success. After lots of trial and error; I have found which gear works best for me. For me, it’s an iRod Gen II 7’11” Bub’s Punch Rod, Abu Garcia Revo SX, 65-80 pound power pro braided fishing line, Picasso Punch weights, 6th sense Punch Stops, various types of soft plastics, Gamakatsu Superline hooks, and Paycheck Baits Punch hooks. To suit ones punching needs, these are in my opinion, the best choices of gear one could choose to get the job done right. Using the iRod gives an extreme advantage to putting fish in the boat. It has a soft enough tip to not tear the hook from the fish’s mouth, but shuts off into a stiff back bone to wrench those fish out from the nasty stuff. The biggest mistake that is made while punching is fishing with either a rod that’s too stiff or too soft, where the iRod is perfect. So get out there and get yourself some heavy gear, find some mats that really stand out and catch some toads!
Being a local to the punching capitol of the world (CA Delta), learning how to punch is a must. I have attained quite a bit of information on it over the years. To start, look for points, pillars, docks, current breaks, and bait fish. Just try and find mats that stand out from the other thousands of mats that are out there. As punching excels in the hot summer months, I have found punching to work all year round; things need to be changed throughout the year though. Slowing down, fishing with lighter weights for a slower fall, and more subtle type baits work very well in these cold conditions. Punching is a very effective way to catch big fish, that’s why I like to use the technique whenever I can.
Having the best gear to do the job is a key to success. After lots of trial and error; I have found which gear works best for me. For me, it’s an iRod Gen II 7’11” Bub’s Punch Rod, Abu Garcia Revo SX, 65-80 pound power pro braided fishing line, Picasso Punch weights, 6th sense Punch Stops, various types of soft plastics, Gamakatsu Superline hooks, and Paycheck Baits Punch hooks. To suit ones punching needs, these are in my opinion, the best choices of gear one could choose to get the job done right. Using the iRod gives an extreme advantage to putting fish in the boat. It has a soft enough tip to not tear the hook from the fish’s mouth, but shuts off into a stiff back bone to wrench those fish out from the nasty stuff. The biggest mistake that is made while punching is fishing with either a rod that’s too stiff or too soft, where the iRod is perfect. So get out there and get yourself some heavy gear, find some mats that really stand out and catch some toads!
Winter Fishing: Slowing Down
This tournament is a result of slowing down, while only 2 people were able to bring in fish for the day out of 8. I managed 15.10lbs for the win! The next closest had about 4lbs.
11/15/2012
Winter is near and that means Thanksgiving, Christmas and lethargic bass. Everyone knows the bite gets pretty sluggish in the winter. It's cold and miserable most of the time, just not enjoyable conditions. We as bass anglers are faced with many challenges throughout the year and a lot of the time can overcome them. Winter though, is a hard one to overcome. A lot of it is mind set, and one can go out there and have the best day of their life any time any day as long as the work is put in, as almost nothing comes easy.
The thing that has gotten me in the past with winter fishing is slowing down. While I know the fish are there, they are just not active most of the time. As a teenager, the easiest way for me to get out and fish is in a smaller boat; I choose a float tube or kick boat. I spend about 50 percent of my time fishing in it while the other 50 percent is in a big boat. One positive thing I have learned while fishing in a kick boat is SLOWING DOWN! For example, many times while out at Clear Lake or any lake for that matter, I’ll be in an area I know holds fish and know that I have to slow down to get them. Throughout the day, I'll see countless bass boats stop right in front of me and leave within minutes. Most often, I'll go right over the same spot and catch fish where they had just been. This is due to the lack of slowing down. It is one of the biggest and hardest things to learn in bass fishing.
Whether I am throwing a large eight inch swim bait or an itty bitty three inch drop shot worm, during the winter I am almost always slowing down. My favorite baits and techniques to fish in the winter are, slow rolling Optimum’s swim baits, jigs, yo-yoing Ima’s rock-n-vibe lipless baits and drop shot and shaky head fishing Fish Hunter Bait finesse worms. To me, and accustomed to my confidence, there are few better winter time techniques that are equal to or any better than the ones mentioned. So this winter, try out some of the baits I mentioned, slow down and I think you’ll catch more fish!
Winter is near and that means Thanksgiving, Christmas and lethargic bass. Everyone knows the bite gets pretty sluggish in the winter. It's cold and miserable most of the time, just not enjoyable conditions. We as bass anglers are faced with many challenges throughout the year and a lot of the time can overcome them. Winter though, is a hard one to overcome. A lot of it is mind set, and one can go out there and have the best day of their life any time any day as long as the work is put in, as almost nothing comes easy.
The thing that has gotten me in the past with winter fishing is slowing down. While I know the fish are there, they are just not active most of the time. As a teenager, the easiest way for me to get out and fish is in a smaller boat; I choose a float tube or kick boat. I spend about 50 percent of my time fishing in it while the other 50 percent is in a big boat. One positive thing I have learned while fishing in a kick boat is SLOWING DOWN! For example, many times while out at Clear Lake or any lake for that matter, I’ll be in an area I know holds fish and know that I have to slow down to get them. Throughout the day, I'll see countless bass boats stop right in front of me and leave within minutes. Most often, I'll go right over the same spot and catch fish where they had just been. This is due to the lack of slowing down. It is one of the biggest and hardest things to learn in bass fishing.
Whether I am throwing a large eight inch swim bait or an itty bitty three inch drop shot worm, during the winter I am almost always slowing down. My favorite baits and techniques to fish in the winter are, slow rolling Optimum’s swim baits, jigs, yo-yoing Ima’s rock-n-vibe lipless baits and drop shot and shaky head fishing Fish Hunter Bait finesse worms. To me, and accustomed to my confidence, there are few better winter time techniques that are equal to or any better than the ones mentioned. So this winter, try out some of the baits I mentioned, slow down and I think you’ll catch more fish!
Fishing The Swim Bait!!
10/30/2012
California, where the surfs up, the weather is nice, and the BIG bass are munching swim baits! It's really not as easy as it looks. Many of you watch videos of guys going out and hammering 10 pound bass like no other. It's really not like that... all the time. Watch some of Butch Brown's videos on YouTube and check out the fish he's caught on his 8" Huddleston Deluxe swim bait. He is out there all the time just chucking and winding those big swimmers. Like any other bait, work needs to be put into it, whether it be learning to pitch your bait in a two inch by two inch hole in a tree or just simply placing a drop shot in front of a bass suspending in deep water.
In my book, there are four different types of swim baits:
Hard swim baits
In-line swim baits
Top Hook swim baits
Weedless/heavy cover swim bait
All these baits have their time and place. To start off, I'll begin talking about hard swim baits. There are 2 different categories of these. You have floating and sinking hard swim baits.
I don't like to break out the floating hard swim baits til pre spawn, which where I live is around February and March and put them down in late November. Under rare occasions the floating hard swim baits come out in the winter, while the sinking ones may stay out all year.
My favorite hard swim baits:
Uncle Manny Minnow
http://www.catchemcarobaits.com/reservations.html
River2sea S-waver
http://www.river2seausa.com/jointed-baits/451-s-waver.html
Spro BBZ series
http://www.spro.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=95
Next up is the In-line swim baits. These are probably the swim baits I fish the least for a few reasons. First, is because I can normally get away with a top hook or a weedless swim bait more often. Second, is when I am fishing a swim bait, at least around here, there's typically a large amount of cover I am fishing around and they get snagged a lot. Now, I certainly do not count these baits out when fishing around cover as one of my favorite way to fish these baits is around standing timber. They just seem to excel when other baits don't, especially the Optimum Baits BLT. When I am fishing an in-line swim bait it's typically in the summer as fish often suspend then and are not exactly oriented to the bottom like they are in the winter. In my opinion these baits truly excel on these suspending fish compared to any other type of swim bait. The time I fish these over say, a crank bait is when I am around a lot of big fish and I am of course, looking for a big bite.
My choice of In-line Swim Baits:
'Optimum BLT
http://optimumbaits.com/OB2/2008/10/blt-2/
Optimum Top Of The Line
http://optimumbaits.com/OB2/2011/07/top-of-the-line/
Top Hook Swim Baits are probably the most popular out there and have caught probably the most BIG bass over the years. There's just something to throwing a huge top hook bait out there in the winter, slowly winding it in and feeling that little tick knowing there is a toad down there just ready to completely engulf your bait. It's just something else. Putting in the hard work then coming out with a TROPHY size bass just really gets me going. The top hook is the main swim bait I am throwing in the winter. one thing I really try to do is make sure I have bottom contact during these cold winter months as the bass like to hold very tight to it during these times. Depending on the bait I like to rig up my swim bait "Butch's Way", normally it's the Huddleston. The other top hook bait I typically throw is the Optimum Baits Original Optimum. This when I am looking for more of a boot style tail (more aggressive) type kick. This bait is my favorite for the all year round, deep water type swim bait. The Huddleston has a more lethargic style kick to it which makes it good for winter time bass.
My choice of top hook swim baits:
Original Optimum
http://optimumbaits.com/OB2/2008/10/150/
Huddleston Deluxe
http://www.huddlestondeluxe.com/
Weedless style swim baits are by far my favorite baits to fish. There is a very large assortment of weedless swim baits. You can fish them everywhere, whether it be docks, tulies, rocks, weeds, lay downs, or brush piles. I really enjoy fishing these baits in place of a spinner bait or crank bait. Something most people don't do is fish them over mats dropping them into each and every hole it comes through. It is probably one of the most effective techniques for big fish I have ever come across. In fact, this technique helped my cash a check at my last tournament at Clear Lake. This bait is a bait that can easily be fished all over the country with confidence compared to the 8 inch Hudd, where that seems like a goliath type bait in some states.
My choice of weedless swim baits:
Optimum Baits Double Diamond:
http://optimumbaits.com/OB2/2009/04/double-diamond-2/
3:16 Baits Mission Fish:
http://www.316lurecompany.com/baits/mission_fish.html
Little Creeper All American Trash Fish
http://www.littlecreeper.com/All_American_Trash_Fish.php
Reaction Innovations Skinny Dipper:
https://www.reactioninnovations.com/estore/products/detail/?prodid=8&optionid=162
California, where the surfs up, the weather is nice, and the BIG bass are munching swim baits! It's really not as easy as it looks. Many of you watch videos of guys going out and hammering 10 pound bass like no other. It's really not like that... all the time. Watch some of Butch Brown's videos on YouTube and check out the fish he's caught on his 8" Huddleston Deluxe swim bait. He is out there all the time just chucking and winding those big swimmers. Like any other bait, work needs to be put into it, whether it be learning to pitch your bait in a two inch by two inch hole in a tree or just simply placing a drop shot in front of a bass suspending in deep water.
In my book, there are four different types of swim baits:
Hard swim baits
In-line swim baits
Top Hook swim baits
Weedless/heavy cover swim bait
All these baits have their time and place. To start off, I'll begin talking about hard swim baits. There are 2 different categories of these. You have floating and sinking hard swim baits.
I don't like to break out the floating hard swim baits til pre spawn, which where I live is around February and March and put them down in late November. Under rare occasions the floating hard swim baits come out in the winter, while the sinking ones may stay out all year.
My favorite hard swim baits:
Uncle Manny Minnow
http://www.catchemcarobaits.com/reservations.html
River2sea S-waver
http://www.river2seausa.com/jointed-baits/451-s-waver.html
Spro BBZ series
http://www.spro.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=95
Next up is the In-line swim baits. These are probably the swim baits I fish the least for a few reasons. First, is because I can normally get away with a top hook or a weedless swim bait more often. Second, is when I am fishing a swim bait, at least around here, there's typically a large amount of cover I am fishing around and they get snagged a lot. Now, I certainly do not count these baits out when fishing around cover as one of my favorite way to fish these baits is around standing timber. They just seem to excel when other baits don't, especially the Optimum Baits BLT. When I am fishing an in-line swim bait it's typically in the summer as fish often suspend then and are not exactly oriented to the bottom like they are in the winter. In my opinion these baits truly excel on these suspending fish compared to any other type of swim bait. The time I fish these over say, a crank bait is when I am around a lot of big fish and I am of course, looking for a big bite.
My choice of In-line Swim Baits:
'Optimum BLT
http://optimumbaits.com/OB2/2008/10/blt-2/
Optimum Top Of The Line
http://optimumbaits.com/OB2/2011/07/top-of-the-line/
Top Hook Swim Baits are probably the most popular out there and have caught probably the most BIG bass over the years. There's just something to throwing a huge top hook bait out there in the winter, slowly winding it in and feeling that little tick knowing there is a toad down there just ready to completely engulf your bait. It's just something else. Putting in the hard work then coming out with a TROPHY size bass just really gets me going. The top hook is the main swim bait I am throwing in the winter. one thing I really try to do is make sure I have bottom contact during these cold winter months as the bass like to hold very tight to it during these times. Depending on the bait I like to rig up my swim bait "Butch's Way", normally it's the Huddleston. The other top hook bait I typically throw is the Optimum Baits Original Optimum. This when I am looking for more of a boot style tail (more aggressive) type kick. This bait is my favorite for the all year round, deep water type swim bait. The Huddleston has a more lethargic style kick to it which makes it good for winter time bass.
My choice of top hook swim baits:
Original Optimum
http://optimumbaits.com/OB2/2008/10/150/
Huddleston Deluxe
http://www.huddlestondeluxe.com/
Weedless style swim baits are by far my favorite baits to fish. There is a very large assortment of weedless swim baits. You can fish them everywhere, whether it be docks, tulies, rocks, weeds, lay downs, or brush piles. I really enjoy fishing these baits in place of a spinner bait or crank bait. Something most people don't do is fish them over mats dropping them into each and every hole it comes through. It is probably one of the most effective techniques for big fish I have ever come across. In fact, this technique helped my cash a check at my last tournament at Clear Lake. This bait is a bait that can easily be fished all over the country with confidence compared to the 8 inch Hudd, where that seems like a goliath type bait in some states.
My choice of weedless swim baits:
Optimum Baits Double Diamond:
http://optimumbaits.com/OB2/2009/04/double-diamond-2/
3:16 Baits Mission Fish:
http://www.316lurecompany.com/baits/mission_fish.html
Little Creeper All American Trash Fish
http://www.littlecreeper.com/All_American_Trash_Fish.php
Reaction Innovations Skinny Dipper:
https://www.reactioninnovations.com/estore/products/detail/?prodid=8&optionid=162
Below is a video of 2 fish that were caught on the Little Creepers Baits Trash Fish and a random fish at the beginning :