Bub Tosh at Paycheck Baits came out with the punch skirt a couple of years ago, and it’s been the rage for punching heavy grass. Not only did it add bulk and action to a favorite bait but it also allowed the bait to slide through the cover more easily. Designed for punching, the skirt has several other strengths that we have found not only helps us get more bites but also will increase the odds of catching bigger bass in highly pressured water. It adds sound because of its tungsten core and the color selections Bub chose were awesome.
We especially like Bub’s Watermelon, Boat Payment, Money Maker and Entry Fee.This past year we have been using two other skirts that we really like equally as well. We have been using the Warrior E-Z Change Leg’Ns and the new Jewel Hole Punch on many of our favorite baits. The Paycheck Punch Skirt has a metal insert that allows the weight and the skirt to become one, but each of the other offerings if properly modified, can do the same thing and will allow for a softer and more subtle presentation. Both types are technique specific and we like them both as tools to help us catch more and bigger bass.
The Warrior E-Z Change is a heavy volume, rubber-collared skirt that can be glued to the pegged weight. We recommend tungsten weights for this technique. We especially like the Magic Craw and Moccasin Blue colors for our neck of the woods. They retail for $3.49 for a package of 3. We team this skirt on a chartreuse dyed Gene Larew Mega Ring Tube and always add a Zoom rattle as well. A Mustad Grip Pin or Trokar Flipping Hook in the 4/0 size seem to work best. We have also used a EWG Gamakatsu on ocassion and like it better with baits like the Zoom Brush Hog or the Strike King Rodent.
The Jewel Hole Punch Skirt uses a specially designed conical coller, Hypercone, that fits nicely into the concave recess of flipping weights. It protects the knot and gives a great place for sinker to rest. It too is a softer feel and we have been utilizing it on everything from Berkley Chigger Craws to big worms. When used on a big worm its imperative to peg the sinker and glue the skirt to the weight. We try to blend the colors to match the worm we are using. For instance, we have been using a peanut butter smoke on both plum and junebug worms and although it matches it is also enough different that it adds a dimension and flash that a worm by itself doesn’t have. We have also built a tube/worm combo, worm inserted into tube, with this skirt and created a unique creature style bait that can be cast and flipped. Jewel has a wide variety of colors of this skirt and they are reasonable priced at $4.99 for a package of two.
To see other punching gear click here.
