Punching Matted Grass for Bass | 6 Key Tips - Beginner to Expert

This content-rich video is an excellent watch if you're looking to get started with punching grass or advance your existing skillset. Like Seth Feider, Bassmaster Elite Series pro Bob Downey learned to bass fish on heavily vegetated lakes. Downey takes us on an ultra-thorough punching tutorial with topics ranging from finding mats and fishing them effectively to top tackle and rod setup recommendations.
TACKLE USED & BOAT CONTROL
• HOOK - VMC Ike Approved Heavy Duty Flippin Hook, 4/0: wired2.fish/VMC-HD-FlippingHook
• WEIGHT - VMC Tungsten Flippin Weight, 3/4 or 1-ounce: wired2.fish/VMC-TungstenFlipp...
• PEG - VMC Sinker Stops, Large: wired2.fish/VMC-SinkerStop
• ROD - St.Croix Legend Elite Series Casting Rod (Replaces Avid Series), 7'6" MedHvy ModFast: wired2.fish/LegendEliteCastin...
• REEL - Daiwa Tatula Elite Flip/Pitch Casting Reel 8.1:1: wired2.fish/DaiwaTatulaEliteF...
• LINE - Sufix 131 G-Core Braided Line, 50-pound: wired2.fish/Sufix131GCoreBraid
• SOFT PLASTIC BAIT - Reaction Innovations Spicy Beaver: wired2.fish/ReactionSpicyBeaver
* Additional links at the bottom.
Downey's 6 Tips to Grass Punching Success:
1. Locate grass mats fast. Grass mats develop where free-floating grass collects against hard stem cover such as lily pads, cattails, bullrushes, and cane. Consider prevailing winds -- the densest mats will be located on the windward side of the lake.
2. Quickly identify high-percentage areas in mats. Reading mats is like breaking down grasslines, with points, inside turns, bottom composition, and depth changes all bass concentrators (areas of change). Bass favor the heavy shade and open water beneath mats, but additional elements like shade lines, grass edges, and deeper pockets congregate fish. Run a pattern to add efficiency to your fishing day once you determine bass positioning in mats. Here's an additional tip -- focus your efforts on smaller mats over large expansive ones when time is limited. A smaller mat concentrates fish in a smaller area and fewer pitches to get the bite!
3. Stay in direct contact with your line and bait throughout a pitch cast. Direct contact is essential for bite detection, quick hook sets, and determining the bottom composition and depth change. To build on this, Downey recommends learning to pitch with the same hand you reel with for the simple fact that it reduces wasted time and energy while enhancing contact with the bait. Regardless of what hand you pitch with, keep your index finger in touch with the line to detect bites you otherwise wouldn't.
4. Keep quiet and listen to your surroundings. Just because the bass are tucked into heavy cover doesn't mean they're not spooky. Shallow water bass don't like a trolling motor and boat noise overhead. Downey advises getting off the troll and using your shallow water anchors when you come into a productive area. Nature often comes alive after sitting quietly for a minute or two. Listen for feeding fish such as the "kiss" of bluegills underneath pads or busting baitfish. If you see and hear life, you're in the bass zone.
5. Pair your tackle and rod setup to the cover. The weight leads the charge here. Downey selects a tungsten flipping weight that punches through the cover at least 90% of the time. If he can get away with it, 3/4-ounce tungsten is preferred; increase weight if it's needed to punch the mat. A 4/0 heavy-duty flipping hook is king when it comes to hook, but he'll increase to a 5/0 or scale back to a 3/0 depending on the size of his soft plastic. And forget the pool cue when it comes to a rod. A medium-heavy, moderate-fast taper casting rod in the 7'6'' range has plenty of power for controlling bass but with some give to keep them buttoned.
6. Adjust your retrieve cadence to the mood of the fish. So how long should you work a bait after pitching? Downey is a hop, hop, move guy. Most bites come on the initial fall or first hop or two. You have a lot of water to cover and fishing vertically -- you need to keep moving to get your bait in front of bass. That said, you may want to slow your cadence when fishing high-percentage areas after a cold front.
OTHER GEAR
• SHALLOW WATER ANCHOR - Minn Kota Talon, 8ft Black: wired2.fish/Talon8ft-RMP
• TROLLING MOTOR - Minn Kota Ultrex 112/US2 Trolling Motor w/i-Pilot Bluetooth - 36V-112lb: wired2.fish/MinnKotaUltrex-RMP
• SUNGLASSES - Costa Del Mar Corbina: wired2.fish/Costa-CorbinaSung...
• HAT - Rapala Trucker Cap Center Logo: wired2.fish/truckercap
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[@richardsousa2625]

Perfect timing. So much grass up here I can practically walk across it

[@softaildiaries]

That's funny you say that because I took my dog fishing with me the other morning and he thought the same thing and jumped right out. He was wrong! 🤣🤣🤣

[@DJloudpack3208]

Lol 😆

[@Wired2Fish]

Dogs can definitely keep things interesting when fishing 🤣!

[@jasonbrewer8488]

I feel that where I’m at it’s straight grass as some of my favorite spots

[@funkymojo111]

Saved to collection for future reference. Very well made; covers a lot important aspects, no clowning around, no complicated terms.

[@abulsar]

Bob is a charismatic pro, even-tempered, and eloquent, contrary to many other anglers I came across on KZbin.

[@Steve-en8if]

One of the best punching videos ever..!👍

[@darthjar9117]

This video was very informative. Aside from the info on the technique I didn’t realize there were different sizes of bobber stops.

[@davidstewart5014]

That’s a great video that is my favorite way to fish good tips and technique I love it keep up the good work

[@fisherofmen9897]

Very good information/video. 🔥🔥🔥

[@czykrepublic4323]

I didn't know Ray Romano was a bass fisherman?

[@kasonf2176]

Great video. Thank you

[@georgeadcock2347]

Great video Bob. Great camera work. If you come to Florida now be prepared to practice this technique. Especially if you go to the Headwaters.

[@Wired2Fish]

Appreciate the comment George. The Wired2fish staff had a lot of fun filming with several folks on Headwaters this spring. Awesome place with a crazy abundance of habitat.

[@afishhint4053]

Awesome video thanks I’m on the West Coast of Florida we’re covered up with mats and pads super helpful video thanks again

[@Wired2Fish]

Great to hear! We're really impressed with Bob's ultra-analytical approach to fishing (go figure, accountant by trade). A lot of what he says rings so true and has value in the different grass regions of the country.

[@taylormoore4991]

Great video

[@bryaneckert6371]

Bob Downey , A consistent Elite Angler !

[@northernbassalliance1442]

Northern MN here been on a pretty good grass bite lately punching.

[@Fueledbyfishing13]

I also find. that the mats that stick out the farthest are the high percentage areas too. but you need to be suuuper quiet. like glide into the area. set up the talons and pick it apart from 15 to 20 feet away with good accuracy.

[@shawneldridge4465]

Now that is a perfect place to catch a lot of fish and it's the perfect place to use those weedless frogs, mice and rats. Also the perfect spot to use lunkerhunt phantom spider lures too.

[@bassandgrass567]

24 mins of punching action after I just rigged up a sweet Tokyo rig 😎 the grass in the southern end of the lake I fish has grown like crazy the last week or so. Time to get in there!

[@Wired2Fish]

Good luck dude. Hope you've been liking the Tokyo setup.

[@firstlightangler6049]

A 24min wited2fish video?? I’m speechless lol.

[@Wired2Fish]

Good or bad?

[@firstlightangler6049]

@@Wired2Fish Always good. Just took me a cpl days to get it all watched. I would’ve like to have seen a little something on variations of rigs; like using various Tokyo rig setups with flipping hooks or EWG hooks. On a Tokyo I use tungsten flippin weights and go opposite directions with them to penetrate going in and out is the cover. Covering some different plastics would’ve been good too. Some days they want that spicy beaver/rage craw kickin action, other days they want that flat, dead no action of a sweet beaver/rodent style bait. Some times I even punch with a 4-6” curl tail worm, not a ribbon tail just a single curl or like a cut tail worm.

[@tinman6514]

The punching bite is really heating-up here in Northern Wisconsin - Frog, Swimjig/Texas Rigged Swimbait, Pitching/Flipping Rig, and a Punch Rig. Catching them from a FOW in the slop, out to as deep as 15-18ft on the grass edges of our really clear lakes. A couple more weeks of heat & pressure before the spinning rod and light line will be a necessity on the deep edges... Peace ~

[@phillamoore157]

I find it really odd that none of these guys talk about the actual technique. They’ll talk about gear for years on end, but that technique (as far as the “flip” itself) is very difficult if you’ve never done it. It can turn into a train wreck if your reel isn’t set right, even if you’re proficient at using a baitcaster in every other manner. If your not used to how loose your reel has to be to flip it 20yrs with that little effort, you’ll have a MASSIVE birds nest before you make it to your 2nd cast. This was very informative, regardless…

[@Ben-by1hp]

Just drop the fish and comment after, no need to keep the bass out of the water for nothing !

[@Wontonnoodle301]

Bruh I literally had planned to go flipping today and first recommended is this video. It’s coo and all but damn the FBI know what I wanna see😂

[@user-ed2vn4jy9k]

Can you use zoom super fluke

[@ohgeeesyy]

will a 7 foot medium heavy fast action work?

[@basswhisperer4803]

Still trying to learn with a flippin hook, but it seems I always go back to an EWG. Is it OK to just stick with the EWG hook? I seem to be better with them.

[@bassandgrass567]

I only use EWG Tokyo rigs to punch and I also love a heavy duty ringed gamakatsu or vmc for Texas rigs. I hated using flipping hooks when I tried them

[@Bk-qz3yk]

I'd say stick with a5/0 and you'll be ok. Flipping hooks are stronger. You could bend a 3 on a big fish in cover

[@norcal_angler5310]

Unless its a thick guage hook no. I wouldn't trust a EWG hook, it will bend out. Just use a flipping straight shank hook.

[@richardsousa2625]

Would you ever make a video about types of grass? And maybe like a quick breakdown of how to fish each? Thanks

[@ship4427]

BassfishingHQ already has. Check his channel out.

[@andys1170]

Ship 4 beat me to it. Ty does a nice job

[@DiegoMills4]

First comment let’s go!

[@zenith3515]

"He not real big.". say what. I would take many of those fish any day.

[@canhhuynh5537]

I don’t own a boat. Is it worth it to punch through grass on the shore or use a frog going across it? I don’t see many videos where ppl are punching or flipping from the bank.

[@kylescurio427]

Punching from the bank works.

[@canhhuynh5537]

@@kylescurio427 thanks 🙏🏼

[@kylescurio427]

No problem. If you don't have a heavy action rod I would get some braid so you can just walk backwards and drag the fish out.

[@sleetherookie2929]

I have a few videos on flipping and pitching heavy cover from the bank. It was hard for me to find tips so I learned it the hard way. Go take a peek and you’ll learn some tips I guarantee you.

[@canhhuynh5537]

@@sleetherookie2929 thanks I will do that 🙏🏼

[@jarod5179]

Is this in Minnesota? If so I may know that lake!

[@Wired2Fish]

This actually was. What's your guess for lake?

[@jarod5179]

@@Wired2Fish kinda reminds me of one of the boat launch areas on Forest Lake?

[@pescaenfamilia477]

Subtitle in spanish please

[@makcatchem9614]

Lol video live for 54 secs, and already 2 likes. Not even long enough to watch the first minute of the video 😁

[@paulwalleyefisher8983]

Wow

[@Wired2Fish]

The nature of social media 🤷‍♂️

[@Twangtown7]

Med-heavy for punchin??

[@RyanSmith-fb8rf]

Heavy is what I use

[@Wired2Fish]

The St.Croix Legend Elite Series Casting Rod is a powerful rod series. Bob likes using their 7'6'' MH ModFast for punching bass in the Great Lakes States.

[@fjin1]

Those are big sunfish there

[@Wired2Fish]

Decent, 7 inchers but not the 9 and 10'' bigs we love!

[@kylescurio427]

Good information. But it really irritates me how long he waits to engage the reel. Works for him but if he was my tourney partner, we would be talking.

[@svanginault]

Yep. Seems like he would be missing a bunch of fish.. but I'm sure he's always watching his line and can detect, and he says he keeps his finger on the line to feel. Myself I always gotta engage it asap or I'll miss those reaction bites

[@paulfrau5696]

au lieu de nous expliquer la situation le poisson a la main relâche le immédiatement merci

[@cjmrcjmr]

blah blah blah ,let the fish go

[@ivanradi4275]

I was thinking the same thing.

[@bassandgrass567]

Cry baby cry 🤱

[@DanGaron-ek3gg]

My experience is the reason you need to set the hook quickly, is because a lot of these bass will spit the bait after just a couple of seconds of feeling it in their mouth.