by Jason Mitchell
There is always an increased level of intensity whenever you are
fishing for your next meal. When you know that you and other people are
relying on what you put on a stringer or in a live well, you have your
game face on. For so many anglers, harvesting fish for the table often
involves panfish. In so many regions, crappie, perch or sunfish still
allow some harvest where anglers can proceed to keep some fish for a
meal.
Panfish are sometimes considered a fish for kids… sunfish off the
dock and a three-foot-long Snoopy rod; but lets face it, adults love
panfish as well. Big panfish are especially coveted, and big crappie,
sunfish or perch get anglers as excited as big bass or walleye. Match
wits with these fish with the right tackle and you have every bit of a
challenge with a fish that can just as easily break your line. Some of
the most popular television episodes we have ever done were crappie and
sunfish segments. Anglers love big panfish.
Some of the biggest panfish I have ever personally caught were caught
accidentally while targeting bass or walleye. Over the years, I have
caught fifteen-inch crappie on Carolina Rigs intended for bass; ten-inch
bluegills have hit top water poppers that were meant to target bass.
Big perch have been caught on spinner and night crawler setups meant for
walleye.
These accidental catches tell me a few things… first off when it
comes to finding big panfish and narrowing down lakes that have big
panfish, anglers are often going to find these fish by accident while
targeting other species. Some of the best Intel I get comes from
talking to bass anglers. What also becomes obvious is that big panfish
become predators and these larger fish have no issue hitting a
presentation that may be three inches or longer.
Panfish angling has evolved over the past ten years with a lot of
changes happening in the last five. Anglers targeting panfish are
becoming more selective with their harvest. In many regions, limits
along with size limits particularly on heavy use crappie lakes have made
anglers realize that panfish populations are not never-ending. Anglers
are starting to understand the importance of releasing some of the
largest size fish. New technology and equipment is making anglers more
lethal and efficient than ever before. The catch-and-release ethic for
trophy caliber panfish is gaining in practice.
In my opinion, few technological advances have changed crappie
fishing more than side scan or side imaging. Suspended schools of
crappie glow like lights on a Christmas tree, and finding fish suspended
in brush piles or under docks is so incredibly simple today. Hard to
believe how we used to have to work to find these fish and also how long
it used to take. Today, most anglers won't stop to fish until they see
fish on their electronics.
A lot of tackle refinements for open-water panfish have crossed over
from the ice fishing industry. Tungsten first became popular with ice
anglers in Europe and has exploded in popularity on the American front.
Anglers are discovering that the same advantages that tungsten has over
lead in the winter can also be used for open water applications where
panfish anglers need that extra sensitivity and weight, particularly for
finesse vertical presentations. Other presentation tweaks, like using
dropper chains below fast-falling spoons, are becoming more popular
amongst open water panfish anglers. The Clam Tackle Speed Spoon is an
extremely popular perch lure for ice anglers searching for perch over
deep water; boat anglers in the same locations for the same species are
using this same lure over open water.
New technology in sonar like side imaging or side scanning makes finding crappie in many locations easier than ever before.
Our Jason Mitchell Elite Series 48-inch Meat Stick rod was originally
designed as an ice fishing rod that was built with a two-piece finesse
tip action that loaded up to a fast backbone. Ice anglers used this rod
for hole-hopping shallow-water panfish. Open-water panfish anglers
have discovered this same rod action and length is a perfect vertical
jigging rod whenever anglers need extra finesse, and the 48-inch rod
length keeps the presentation in the sonar cone angle when fishing
vertically over deep water. Not to mention that a four-foot rod is a
lot of fun to fish with when vertically jigging for panfish.
Few presentations have caught more panfish than traditional
cork-and-jig combinations slowly retrieved back to the boat. Soft
plastic options really shine for crappie in particular. A classic
two-inch Lunker Hunt grub has caught countless crappie. For slow speeds
and slow pendulum affect on the jig when fishing a jig below a classic
slip bobber or casting bubble, the Kalin's 1.75 inch Crappie Scrub is a
twin paddle tail that has tremendous vibration at extremely slow speeds.
Slow fishing speeds might be popular when water temperatures remain
low in the early spring when fish first come up in the shallows to
spawn. But another situation where slow-rolling these soft plastics
works extremely well is around heavy brush and docks, because the fish
have more time to respond. Fishing fast presentations in heavy cover
can sometimes miss fish, particularly when fish have turn around or
leave the cover to hit the jig.
Micro-size crankbaits and trolling equipment is also changing the
game in some regions. While panfish are notorious for slamming bass or
walleye size lures, smaller-profiled hard baits like Salmo's H4F Hornet
are tremendous lures for panfish. As panfish equipment and methods
continue to evolve, we also see regional tactics and hacks getting
shared across a much wider region. Spider-rigging or long poles might
be regionally popular on one particular fishery, whereas something else
becomes popular right down the road. As more anglers discover the joys
of targeting panfish and more information gets shared, we begin to see
small scale regional tactics-like trolling small crankbaits behind
inline planer boards-become more mainstream.
Panfish presentations are quickly evolving. The use of soft plastic
designs and shapes continues to expand. Applying ice fishing jigs to
open water vertical fishing situations is another trend. Trolling
crankbaits is another growing presentation. Slip bobbers and live bait
still works, but more anglers are discovering that versatility and
confidence in numerous presentations allow anglers to catch more fish as
panfish anglers take on new tactics and equipment.
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