Fishing With Danny King's Punch Bait
I discovered Danny King's punch bait some time in 2003 when I decided to make catfishing a way of life in my fishing experience, instead of just a periodic interlude from bass and bluegill fishing. Little did I know that the combination of that decision, and the discovery of Danny King's punch bait would change the way I fish for life and turn catfish into my favorite fish on the planet.
Now I, like any life long fisherman had caught my share of catfish during the "easy" times when anybody can catch one on anything they throw in the water. But when I decided to really pursue them, I knew I would have to undertake some preliminary study to be able to add to my limited arsenal of catfish gear, supplies and bait. And while in the midst of that study, I found Danny King's Punch Bait. I don't remember where or how I found it. I think it was online, but I'm not really sure. But I did check it out online and found that it had become a favorite in the boats of top catfish tournament fishermen, which I thought to be good news for me. But the limited experience that I had with "dip baits" remained in the back of my mind as I secretly doubted the validity of the claims about DKPB.
Then there were a couple of catfish forums where hard core catfishermen swore all baits other than that caught naturally out of the rivers in which the fish swim were useless. On the other hand, I saw videos and got first hand reports of tournament fishermen catching 15-30 pound catfish on Danny King's. So, armed with all the information my brain could hold, I finally purchased my first tub of Danny King's Punch Bait.
Now I don't really know why I feel like I have to do this, but like with all other prepared baits I felt an obligation to open the tub and smell it. Kinda like some masochistic task that made me fantasize that in spite of the nastiness and repelling smell, it would somehow bring me some kind of joy. Well, not exactly from smelling it. The smell was musty and thick, but not rancid like some home made baits that the makers believe should make you throw up and faint when you smell it. Contrary to many catfish beliefs, catfish do not require something "rotten smelling" to bite. Just pungent enough to follow the "scent" in the water which they do better than any fish in fresh water. So, next it was time to go fishing with it.
I had already learned that the standard rig for Danny King's Punch Bait is a carolina rigged number 4 treble hook.
The hook is put in the bait, pushed down with a stick and pulled out at an angle. That's it.....pretty much.
It contains cattail fibers and the stuff stays on your hook without having to touch it.....pretty much. I keep saying pretty much, because in a day of using Danny King's you will touch it various times for various reasons, but basically it works the way the company says it does. More on that later.
The first time I used it, I really just couldn't bring myself to expect much so I had plenty of standard catfish bait with me. Small crappie minnows, worms, chicken liver, stuff like that. So I baited up with all the other stuff, then put a rod with the Danny King's Punch Bait out on the bottom in about 21 feet of water in a narrow channel with some current, near a bridge. Just as I set the rod down, it began to bounce. I set the hook and reeled in a 2.5 lb blue catfish. Ok. That's one. And I rebaited. Out went the bait. Maybe a minute and a half went by and wham! The rod doubled over by another blue catfish, this one about 5 lbs. And so it went on and on like the fish in that channel had a death wish. They bit on some of the other bait, but after a while, seeing that the Danny King's was getting the lion's share of the action, I put the other bait up and just used a couple of rods with DK which kept me as busy as I could stay catching and baiting one after the other until I just got tired of fishing.
A trip like that gives you a bit of confidence in a bait, so next I went out to a small bait shop that carries it locally, and invested in a gallon of Danny King's Punch Bait. The next place I took it was to the Arkansas River at Ozark, Arkansas' Ozark-Jetta Taylor Lock and Dam. It was early summer and there was no power generation or water coming through the flood gates. Just still water, so I rigged up a slip bobber rig and put the bait out just above bottom in about 32 feet of water. Over an hour I caught several nice channel cats. And then I heard the sound that all dam fishermen love to hear - the warning siren. I repositioned my boat, fixed up a couple of quick carolina rigged treble hooks with 3 oz sinkers and cast just as the water started flowing under my boat from the generating plant.
I had anchored just on the edge of the current where the current and still water form a line that carries the bait downstream but doesn't feel like it's gonna pull the rod from your hand. The bait sat for about 10 minutes on the bottom in the current and then it started. One bite after another. I ended up with three lines out and at one point I had catfish hooked on all three at once and I almost always had two hooked up, reeling one in, hoping the other didn't get off. All around me were the "natural" catmen fishing with shad, catching a fish every few minutes while I caught 10 to their one. And mine were as big as any caught around me, up to about 7 lbs that day.
Since then, I have caught catfish on Danny King's Punch Bait in just about every place that I know they live. I have filled a big chest freezer several times over. Danny King's is hands down the best catfish bait I have ever used bar none.
To put things in perspective, this is the only catfish bait I always have in the boat, because 80% of the time catfish will either bite it best or only. The other 20% of the time, they will favor something else. But if they are biting anything they will always bite Danny King's.
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When you see the price of a gallon that runs about $40.00 it makes you kinda start at first, but then you realize that a gallon weighs about 9 pounds and will last for a lot of trips. Compare that to what you pay for minnows, worms, crickets and you find it's not a bad deal at all. I usually have a couple of gallon jugs around just in case. I always use the original, though it is made in both blood and garlic flavors also. I just never have seen a need to get anything but the original.
Tips for using the punch bait: Use a number 2-4 treble hook according to the size fish your are expecting. Don't forget to take a dipping stick with you to push the hook down in the punch bait (make sure the stick is long enough - at least 12 inches). Fish it in current - current maximizes the pungent effects of Danny King's - catfish will find it from a good ways off. Leave it for about 15 minutes before moving it. I have let the bait sit for about 20 minutes before cats found it and started biting. The good news is that when catfish find the Danny King's Punch Bait, they will start feeding on it. They will be waiting for the next cast. In the hottest parts of the year, an ice chest big enough to hold the punch bait will help keep it firm and easier to bait up with.
This bait will stay on in the heaviest current. On a well baited hook, it will hold on for an hour or more no matter how strong the current. And this is where we get into the "touching" thing with DK. From time to time when the bait gets stirred up in the container, I just go ahead, suck it up, and use my fingers to solidify the bait on the hook. And it makes your hands stink. For 36 hours on the dot, your hands will smell like | this stuff. Use anything, regular soap, lye soap, abrasive cleanser, bleach, gasoline or battery acid....your hands will still smell like Danny Kings. You can mask it a bit, but you cannot get the smell out of your skin. It just has to dissipate. If you don't believe it, try it. You'll see. And sometimes to rebait if you have some left on your hook you will have to use your fingers or a pair of pliers to pull it off. So, you will probably have to touch it sometime during a day of fishing. But.....it's worth it.
So, that's my take on Danny King's Punch Bait. The best catfish bait in my fishing world.
Here's to your good fishing ~ Mark Rogers
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