Punching for Post Spawn Bass

    Professional Bass anglers refer to a common post spawn technique for fishing thick mats of vegetation as ?punching,? which has gained much popularity among anglers because the vegetation is preferred cover for big bass. The technique was developed as a way to get a lure into the densest, unreachable areas, invading the home of largemouth bass with an offering they cannot resist. The late spring and summer technique gives anglers that willing to go through the salad a couple of advantages, first to boldly go where many anglers do not, and to the place where the big ones are.
 
 Many anglers will only pitch to the openings or holes in the vegetation while others turn to a frog or other top water baits over and near the mats, and have some success provoking a strike from the bass within. However, anglers that choose to ?punch? through the mats can be greatly rewarded for the effort. The technique works through lily pads, milfoil, Hydrilla, and other surface foliage that creates shade, cooler temperatures, harbors forage and adds oxygen to the water, which are the conditions that attract bass when the water begins to warm up in late spring through summer.         

 The next time your fishing and see mats of grass, remember there may be some big bass beneath that matted salad. By using a heavy jig or a Texas rigged and pegged soft plastic creature (to peg stick a toothpick in the hole of a sinker and break it off to keep the weight from sliding) you can punch through the grass and shake it until it goes through the mat. You may be surprised by the size of bass that could be hidden inside. Kayak and Canoe anglers can even get in the salad better than boaters.          

  Happy Fishing!