I’ve recently tried a little bit of the punching with a 1oz jig out on tonka. Little success. I also tried with a 5/8 oz texas rig pegged with a tube on the back. White baits in both applications. Got one small bass on the tube. I’ve read up a little and some people refer to punching thru the vegetation and others refer to pitching into holes in the vegetation (milfoil in most cases). Any input from ido members? 
I’ve been using a Paycheck Baits punch skirt with a 1/2-3/4 oz tungsten weight depending on how thick the vegetation is. Anywhere there is thick junk, even if there are small holes, I consider it to be “punching.” Catching a few fish with this technique, as with most others, will boost your confidence and you will feel more efficient with it.
A big key to being successful with punching is having the ability to notice those subtle differences in the vegetation you’re punching. Some are relatively obvious, but once you find those key little changes it can make a world of difference. 
I wonder how far I have to drive to fish milfoil? None up here…yet… 
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I wonder how far I have to drive to fish milfoil? None up here…yet…
Becareful of jinxing yourself there Tom. There are a few lakes we fished up near you that had it. Its sickening to think that its just a matter of time 
As mentioned, its a matter of picking up on the subtle differences. Could be the density of the weeds, a “pocket” within the weeds, depth beneath the mat. For lakes down here, I like to get more of a verticle pitch and work an small hole or pocket. Long casts or dragging will make it more frustrating.
Flipping weeds can be a feast or famine sort of deal. Down around me they tend to stack up in the weeds, but it seems you can flip for hours with barely a bite and the next flip you get into em thick and load the boat in a quick hurry. I start flipping the weedline keying on points and turns and work my way into shallower water if I’m not getting bit. A lot of times I’ll find them right in the middle of the weedbed but it can take a lot of work to find em. It’s worth the effort to keep your head down and keep working at it. I don’t even worry about flipping into the little pockets since who knows what it looks like 8 feet or whatever below the surface. As far as baits go, plastics ALWAYS work better than a jig for me. Don’t know why, don’t care, but that’s the way it is. Sweet Beavers, Chigger Craws and Paca Craws work. Green pumpkin and June Bug are good colors to start with. They’re expensive, but get yourself some 1/2 and 3/4 tungsten weights. Start with the heavier of the 2 and make sure you use braid. You’ll get a few more bites from random fish with a lighter weight but you can cover more water with the heavier weight while in search mode looking for a school. And once you find em, its GAME ON. BTW, punching is a method used to bust through the slop. it’s the same sort of deal, but you generally use a heavier weight. Speaking of which, don’t be afraid to use a 1 oz while working the milfoil.
I am no expert at pitching. I used the presentation last Sunday. Booyah 1/2 oz green jig, Rage craw. I just had to try it. short cast or pitch in a break in the pad field 1′ 9′ to 3′ fow. If there was a current I couldn’t tell. Just tip it off a pad and let fall. Waited a bit and then lifted the rod a bit to lift it off bottom and then repeat. No bass but boated 3 small northern. Lost a few (?) That is no big shake because “they” say northerns are every where.The method work hmmmmmmm next time 3 thirty to forty incher. That isn’t 2 cents worth maybe 3/4 of a cent.
I use to do a lot of Milfoil Jigging on Tonka – The secret will all of the Milfoil on Minnetonka is finding heavy Milfoil with rocks below. With some of the current electronics they tell me if set up correct you will be able to ready rocks thru it – I’ve never been able to get mine to do so. If you find some really old maps of the lake some of them have rock spots marked – you would just need to check them to find some will milfoil growing over them. If you know of any rock spots there is most likely milfoil close by with those rocks still continueing into the milfoil. As far as fishing the Jig / bait as someone else said you need to stay almost vertical. Shake the bait to get it falling thru the thick surface mat – once it starts to fall watch the line – if it twitches or jumps reel down and set the hook hard. Reel like crazy – you want to get the fish up thru it as fast as you can. If not you will end up with a ball of foil about the size of a large boulder and almost as heavy. it will take you a long time to pick thru it to the fish. If the bait get to the bottom without a bite bounce it off the botton a few time and them lift it up a few inches and if nothing picks it up in a few seconds reel up and start the pricess over in another area. Usually the fish grab it right away when it clears the top mat or the will grab it right away after raising it a few inches off the bottom. Don’t bother looking for holes in the foil to pitch to just pitch it out and shake it to get it to fall thru – How heavy of a jig you need will depend on how thick it is on the surface Most of the time a 1/2 or 3/4 will be enough – use as light of a jig as possible to get thru. The slower it falls after it punches thru the longer a bass has to get to it on the fall. The best areas on tonka tend to be where the matt grows almost all the way to the surface in 11 Ft of water. A good place to start trying it is marker Cans with heavy foil around them. A lot of the cans mark rock area and I’ve caught some nice fish right next to the cans. You may have to fish a ton of foil on tonka to find a few good spots but once you find them they can hold a lot of really big fish in a rather small area – good luck!!!!
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Flipping weeds can be a feast or famine sort of deal. Down around me they tend to stack up in the weeds, but it seems you can flip for hours with barely a bite and the next flip you get into em thick and load the boat in a quick hurry.
Minnetonka to a tee!
Some schools are nomadic. Some stay put. Some like rocks. Some like sand. Some like chairs. Some like whatever other trash you may find in the lake. Some spots last year after year. Some spots last 5 minutes.
Some fish will bite on the bottom right away. Some after a few seconds. Some on a fast sink. Some on a slow sink.
You might need a 1oz jig on one spot, then an 1/8th oz Worm on another.
Not too much consitancy. It takes a lot of determination to figure out a good milfoil bite on Minnetonka.
some great info here. I tend to start smaller, 3/8 weight. smaller hook, smaller bait. (tube, craw, black blue flake) 30# braid. I think the trick is maximum number of drops, watch your line, hit will be on the first fall!!
I’ll ad my own little experience here, don’t forget about the worm. A 10″ worm is getting them good for me this year…
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I think the trick is maximum number of drops, watch your line, hit will be on the first fall!!
I would say 70% of the time I get bit on the fall with the majority of those fish being smaller. I usually get my bigger bites after a couple hops.
Once you get the technique down, you’ll be addicted! 
Thanks for the good input. I’ll be out there tomorrow and mon and tues checking it out 
Its hard (for me)to cover water punching so i often throw a brovarney swim jig or a frog to find fish, and if the bite shuts down or the slop looks like a county road map from all the frogs ill punch with or without a punch skirt. It is a fun way to fish for sure!
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