Ive been watching to many youtube videos of people punching mats on Okeechobee and now i have to try it out for myself.  Ill be making the hour and a half drive to Reelfoot lake rather than a 22 hour drive to Okeechobee though lol.

 

Im going to order a few Siebert outdors punch rigs but im not sure which size i need to get through the pads.  I would like to buy a few of what i need instead of spending a ton of money experimenting with several different sizes.

It depends on what phase of growth the pads are in!

I do quite well finessing lighter weighted Texas Rigs through the pads.

It depends on what phase of growth the pads are in!

I do quite well finessing lighter weighted Texas Rigs through the pads.

I agree.

 

If there are openings I like to throw a light weight on the pad and jiggle or drag into the opening.

Also Depends on :

 

 The water depth in relationship to what rate of fall you want to achieve  and where the bass are in the water column ~

 

What type & size Plastic you're fishing ~

 

The type & size line you're fishing ~

 

 Finally, if there are any Turtles in the area . . . . . . . .

 

 Ok, the turtle thing is BS - I made that part up.

 

 

A-Jay

3/4oz works for me. Just enough to get through thick pads. Gotta remember they aren't like punching inches of grass.

Thanks for the info guys.

The lilypads around here get pretty thick by the end of July and you can get through them with a 3/4 - 1 oz pegged weight.

Cool i cant wait to try it out.  I'll pick up a couple punch rigs in 3/4 and 1oz. to see how it works out.  Pads should be coming up good in a couple of months so i have plenty of time to look at a new combo for punching if i get into it.

 

I could save alot of money if i stayed off the internet lol.

It really depends on the plant species, the density of growth and whether you're just 'weed-probing' or truly 'mat-punching'.

 

For instance, punching through dense matted hydrilla or peppergrass will normally require between 3/4 oz & 1-1/2 oz.

You want your lure to reach the bottom and not stall-out in the foliage.

IMO, it's better to have more weight than not enough, because a faster descent tends to trigger more impulse strikes.

 

Roger

IMO, it's better to have more weight than not enough, because a faster descent tends to trigger more impulse strikes.

 

Roger

 

 

Thanks. Thats good to know.  I was thinking the lightest weight to get through was better.  I was worried 1oz might be to heavy.

With pads it all depends....on many things. That being said,  I do best regardless of what weight gets through them with 3/4 or 1 oz, it seems to trigger a few more reaction bites that I don't get with something lighter.

Granted I don't fish a ton of lily pads but I do flip/punch a lot and I've always had the best results with a 3/4oz. I had a conversation with the owner of our small town tackle shop and he said he also has the best luck with 3/4. I know that this isn't always the best weight to use, obviously, as other have already pointed out you have to have enough weight to get your lure to the bottom but I'd try 3/4 first just to see if it's adequate. If it is then that's the weight I'd stay with. Good luck.  

Punching lilypads is really much different than what I would normally think of as traditional punching.  When you are punching matted hydrilla or around here it is mostly primrose, you are trying to get your bait right through the middle of the matted up vegetation.  With lilypads you are not necessarily punching through the lilypads, you will still be aiming for the edges of the lilypads where they are starting to overlap each other.  In the summer I fish a place where there is a 3 acre patch of lilypads and they get so thick it looks like a solid mat but just aim for the edges of the pads and you should easily be able to get through with 3/4 to 1 oz.

Caught the LM in my profile pic punching hydrilla and kississimme mats with a 1.5 ounce in South FL this past December. On Lake Kississimme, there are pad islands offshore that I've punched into with the same weight. Hth

Huh! Interesting I seldom go beyond 1/2 oz

That half oz weight will work great at sitting on top of South FL mats lol.

Last time I fished the stick Marsh I was on a buddy's boat and forgot to pack the 1.5s. He had 3/4s but they wouldn't penetrate the surface very well at all. We eventually gave up punching and did OK just fishing the edges with senkos.

I like about a 4-ounce weight. This seems heavy, but you need it.

I fish a smaller, electric motor only lake in southern Illinois. When it gets late summer, about the only way to fish it is with a 3/4oz or bigger weight to get under all the submergent vegetation and thinner pads, flip the thick pad fields with a 1-1.5oz weight, dance a split shot rig over the weeds, or topwater/frogs outside of pads .

Cranks of any type, standard Texas rigs, drop shots, Carolina rigs, etc will get hung up or simply fall and rest on top of vegetation.

The crappie are huge for such a small lake. They'll go 14" or bigger. They cruise around under the vegetation on stumps but it's hard to get to them with standard jigheads.

I think you will be safe getting a few 3/4 and a few 1oz weights.

If you get there and find them lacking- I'm sure there is a place nearby to get a 1.5 or 2oz.

65-80# braid and learn the Snell knot. Have fun! Punching is a blast! !

I say the lightest weight possible depending on depth and thickness of growth. I feel in pads the most important thing is using braid line.It will actually cut the pad when trying to horse in one them hogs!

The pads & grass mats are no thicker in Florida than they are here in Southwest Louisiana/Southeast Texas...I've fished Florida to.

1/2oz is the lowest ill go 

To comment on the little sub-thread going on here. ... many times I have lobbed a 1.5oz weight 10ft+ up in the air and had it go "thuk" and not punch a mat here in N. Fla.

all you can do is bring it back and try a different spot!  I get why bass are comfortable under those mats.