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Panfish Fishing

Panfish fishing is just plain fun; not to mention tasty. They are a schooling fish. Once you locate one, there is nothing in the world to stop you from having the time of your life-just as long as you remember to match your tackle to the task. And there is no reason to think that an angler needs very special or expensive fishing tackle for an excursion into panfish waters. But it goes without saying that a stiff bait-casting rod or a medium action spinning rod will not bring out the peak fighting quality in a panfish as it would if we were to scale down our tackle for the occasion.

A session on white bass or bluegills with an ultra-light spinning rod saddled with a matching open-faced reel leaves the fisherman surprised at just how scrappy panfish fishing can become when the odds are kept in favorable balance. Nor could anyone knock the merits of a sensitive, light-action fly rod, featherweight reel and matched fly line when it comes to getting the most fun possible from a session that is usually pure fun from the outset.

Panfish in general do not take well to fast currents or turbulent waters. Farm ponds, lakes of all sizes, or backwaters and slow-moving eddies of rivers will give you sessions with panfish that can last a man an all day. It's a good bet to do a little probing around weedbeds and areas containing brush or underwater deadfalls. And, since we have tried to stress the important role played by the effects of temperature on most fish, we will once again point out the general rules for locating fish throughout the seasons of the year.

When panfish fishing, like trout or bass, panfish move according to the thermometer. In so doing they are on a schedule that varies little, season to season. They stay deep in winter and early spring. When the water temperature. drops below 45 degrees you can bet schools of these fish are as deep as possible. In farm ponds and in the larger waters they will often seek out a favorable strata running from 10 or 12 feet right down to 20 or 30 feet. When panfish fishing near the surface, they can be caught with a small hook baited with a worm or enticed with extra-small ice fishing jigs. They can even be caught on the smaller, slowly trolled or retrieved fIy-and-spinner combinations.

Panfish Fishing Tips

From 45 to about 60 degrees, panfish begin to move out of winter hideaways, looking more actively for their food in medium depths. It is at this time that the weed beds lying in 7 to 12 feet of water produce so well. It is the same story wherever deadfalls and other underwater debris have collected and offer cover and food to both nymphs and baitfish. Knowing this food to be present, it isn't long before panfish move onto the scene. Drifting and still fishing with natural baits takes a large share of fish at this time of the season. Tops on the bait list everywhere is the common angleworm. Grubs, other small preserved baits and very small minnows are equally effective on most of the species. Many of the small spinning lures are made to order for fish living at this particular depth. The ultra-light jointed plugs are killers, as are the smallest editions of spinners such as the Mepps and similar action lures.

Just so we know all the species that make up the category of panfish, we'll name them and point out how they differ in habits and best fishing methods. Yellow Perch: This fish tends to avoid the areas used by his smaller cousins. He thrives best in waters from 20-to 32-feet deep. Whenever you find the bottom at 20 to 35 feet below the surface, chances are you're on the right track. These fish are prone to favor minnows and minnow-type plugs and lures above all others.

Last Fishing Update:
January 3, 2009

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