There was a time on Lake Okeechobee when an angler couldn’t compete for a win without a punching stick in his hand. There was the rare occasion when the stars (and more importantly the moon) aligned and the bass flooded spawning flats to lock on beds. In these rare instances, a puncher didn’t win. But 9 times out of 10, the winner of all major tournaments on Okeechobee in the last few decades has had an ounce and a half weight in his hands the majority of the time.
Not the case this week. Logan Latuso and Tyler Rivet have caught a few fish punching, as surely several others who didn’t make the final day cut did. Bradon Palaniuk who finished 24th mentioned catching several of his key fish punching one “magical mat” for instance. But by and large, punching hasn’t played a major role this week.
Why is that? Well, that’s a great question. All the anglers agree that a decent number of fish are spawning, though they can’t actually see them. But it hasn’t been one of those sight-fishing frenzies we’ve seen in the past. And yesterday’s tough conditions were ideal for the punchers to rise and shine. But we didn’t see that either. The mats abound throughout Okeechobee. So, what’s the deal?
Well, we really don’t have a great answer. Some anglers attribute it to the high water, but most are still scratching their heads. Will this be the new normal on Okeechobee, with forward-facing sonar and reeling baits ruling the day? The punching contingent surely hopes not. Only time will tell.
