Forum | Panfish

Well Lilmule, if there's one thing I'm glad I did when packing to visit Steve, it was to pack my float suit.  I probably could have gotten by without it, but in the same light, I was glad to have it today.

Temp was 36, winds from the NW to N at about 10-15 mph, and a chop on the water depended upon the strength of the wind.  Rather than go with the rig we used yesterday, I decided to give the recoil rig a shot and experiment with it on panfish as suggested by yourself.

Since it was the first time I'd used it, Steve told me where the gear was, so I used a Steve Huber signature rod in med-light rod with a fast tip, Shimano 1000 reel spooled with six pound test. 

With the temps as chilly as they were, the recoil rig really simplified set up.  Gee, how simple it is in the cold.  I simply used a three/four inch piece of SpecTastic, slid a tiny bit through the Line-Lock swivel, did the same with the other end of SpecTastic using a 1/2 oz bell sinker equipped with a Line-Lock swivel, tied the line to the eyelet, and voila, I was done except for tying on a couple #6 medium length shanked hooks and I was ready to fish.  The SpecTastic and swivel combination did away with two of the knots I'd have had to tie n the cold.

I picked the spot where Steve and I fished yesterday as we'd done pretty well, but the fish weren't there.  I had the dock to myself except for a young lad and his girlfriend that spent twenty minutes fishing without a bite, so I began to work my way down the dock until I contacted fish. Now my guess is that there's a dropoff about thirty/forty yards from the dock, because the fish were in deeper water. The first cast yielded nada, the second cast a keeper, and the third cast a big fat 3/4 lb gill that spit the hook at the surface.  BUGGER~!~ That was a nice gill.  The next two casts also yielded keepers, then pfft…nothing for awhile despite moving.

Yesterday I kept some bow in the line and could see the hits, hit the trigger and catch the fish.  If I kept a taunt line with no slack, I couldn't get a hook in the fish, so I opted for bow in the line.  Today was the opposite. It was like one of those ice fishing bites, they weren't doing that run and gun things gills usually do, today the bite was subtle, almost like a crappie bite under a spring bober where they field a minnow on the drop without even a 'tic' in the line. 

I could pull the line tight to where the SpecTastic was taunt, but at the same time, move the rod back toward the bell sinker, taking some of the tension/ tauntness out of the SpecTastic to some degree, but still have enough slack in the line to see the hit and hook the fish.  I only had three hours and kept eight fish. 

I lost one pig gill, a decent yellow bass, and two dandy crappies…grrrr.

I'd like to fish the SpecTastic again through the ice up north to check out ice fishing applications as well.  I"m thinking it'd be a ball on iced smallies and walleye, not to mention perch, and if I got to Simco on the whitefish in 100', there's no doubt the SpecTastic and tiny flukes would ice some whities in short order…that'd be a cool experiment.  I'm gonna have to beg or steal some of Steve's supply methinks.

In the spring they can be had all over Paris landing sometimes exceeding 1 pd in weight.

Bet that recoil rig would work on them as well.

Hmm that said when are we a going crappie fishin,are you going to use that spinnerbait on them?

Worked for three sunfish one day,rather odd catching three wasnt it while bass fishing.

All the same size as well,rather large bait for them one would think.

I have been getting into fishing panfish throuh the ice for a few years. I have a lake that I'm having trouble with for finding pan fish, not a big lake but a lot of structure they can be in. I have fished this lake most of my life and I still can't find the big pan fish. We know that there are nice gills in the spring, but after that we can't find them. What are some tricks and tips that you have used to find these fish and what kind of tackle? I know where to find the big pike and other big fish in the winter but the pan fish and crappies are hiding from me.

Panfish are my favorite "eatin" fish, and they're also one of the best for introducing children to our sport.  Crappies, bluegills (bream), and perch to name three, are prolific, and found pretty much everywhere in North America.

This thread is dedicated to the panfish.  What's your favorite panfish and why?  What tactics do you employ to catch them.  Are they an alternate species you go after if the bass or walleye bite is slow, or are you strictly a panfisherman?  What makes the panfish fascinating to you as an angler?