Punch bait
A stiffer relative of dip bait. You push the hook down into the tub and lift it out loaded, without touching the bait.
The name describes the method. Punch the treble straight down into the tub, twist, and pull it back out with a lump of bait moulded around it. No stick, no gloves, no contact with your hands, which is a meaningful improvement over the alternatives.
It is thicker than dip bait, often with fibres mixed through it that hold the mass together on the hook. That means it stays on longer and casts better, and it does not need a ribbed worm to carry it.
Like dip bait, it is aimed squarely at channel catfish and works on scent. The same rebaiting discipline applies: when the smell washes out, the bait is done, whether or not there is still something on the hook.
The tradeoff against dip bait is subtlety. Punch bait holds together in current where dip washes away, and it releases scent more slowly in still water.
Use a treble on a short leader and let the bait mould around all three points. A single hook holds far less of it.
Related terms
Where this comes up
The guides that use punch bait and show it on real gear.
Punch bait is one of 206 terms in the glossary.
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