Bass Digest April 2014 Issue 6 | Page 21

Bass Digest/April, 2014

can use it in so many different ways.

often I use it as a power fishing

technique to draw out any big fish

along the shoreline. This consists of

quick casts and constant

movement along the bank. Also it's

a very effective follow up technique:

try tossing your lure into a spot you

ff with floating weed and then going

in for the kill with your punching

rod. There are many ways to keep it

interesting.

The Fight is over

before it began

Punching is not for everyone. The

fighting a fish. You are using tackle

made for the task, pulling very big

fish out of heavy cover, fast. The thrill

of punching comes from finding the

fish, feeling the bite, hooking it and

getting it out of cover. Once that's

done there is not much else the fish

can do besides shake the hook. So

it's a trade-off, bigger fish or an

acrobatic fight? I pick bigger fish.

We are in autumn now and the

fishing are going to start feeding

more aggressively and for longer as

we transition into winter. It's a great

time to learn a new technique such

as punching and once you land a

few bucket mouths, it will be less challenging.