PRODUCT
REVIEW
STRIKE KING RAGE PUNCH BUG
By Matt Williams
PHOTOS BY MATT PACE
Sometimes you can just
look at a new bait and
tell right off the bat it’s
gonna catch ’em. As punch
baits go, Strike King’s Rage
Punch Bug has “money”
written all over it.
First Impression
The Rage Punch Bug
packs all the goodies you
might expect to find in a
high-performance punch
bait, and they’re put together
in a nice streamlined package
designed to slip in and
out of heavy cover without
fouling.
At 3 1/2 inches, it’s a
compact creature with a
chubby body profile and two
flappers that create the
unique swimming action for
which the Rage family is
famous. Like all Rage baits,
the claws perform thanks to
a patented cup or flange on
their edge that causes the
appendages to flail and disperse
water when moved.
Another cool design trait
is a series of 26 soft ribs that
swaddle the bait’s much
firmer inner core. The squishy
ribs increase the profile and
give the fish something soft
to “chew on,” while providing
just enough extra meat for
hiding the point of a flipping
hook but without so much
bulk that they affect the
hook-up percentage.
It’s available in eight fishcatching
colors.
In Action
I’m no expert at heavycover
combat, but I’ve done
it enough to know the difference
in a bait that’s suited
for the task and one that’s
likely to be trouble. In punching
plastic arenas, it’s all
about finding one that penetrates
thick slop easily without
snagging, gets bit while
it’s in there and will hold up
to a beating.
I put the Rage Punch Bug
to the test around some of
the roughest stuff east Texas
lakes can muster, including
matted hydrilla, reeds, torpedo
grass and flooded bushes.
The bait didn’t disappoint.
There weren’t any
giants caught, but it did produce
several fish up to 4
pounds, and the hook-up
percentage was excellent. I
paired it with several
straight-shank flipping hook
models, and because of the
length of the body, it fit nicely
with most in the 4/0 and
5/0 size range.
Three features I really like
about the bait are the soft
ribs, durable core and its
action. Fish seemed to hold
on to the textured body really
well, and the rounded head
held up for multiple fish
before getting torn up badly
enough it would no longer
securely hold the hook. The
claw action varies from subtle
to intense, depending on
whether the bait is hopped
near bottom or racing
through the water column
under the pull of a heavy
tungsten weight.
Final Thoughts
There is plenty to like
about the Rage Punch Bug,
but I was particularly
impressed by how easily it
sneaks in and out of thick
blankets of muck that shield
the shady caverns where big
bass like to seek refuge. It’s a
dapper little bait that also
gets high marks for durability
and fish appeal.
Whether you’re punching
hyacinth mats in Florida,
hydrilla mats in Texas or
tules on the Cal Delta, this is
a bait you can have confidence
bringing to a fight.
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FLWFISHING.COM | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING.COM | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2020