whats needed for panfish tackle?

[mrpike1973]

hi i just use a aberdeen hook and float is there any thing else that works good for sunnies and crappies. i have tried tube jigs. they seem to big for sunnies is this true

[FisH_SLaYer24]

I like to use jigs from 1/64 all the way up to 1/4 depending on weather conditions. I like to use alot of plastics as well and find the collarless jigs to work quite a bit better than the ones with a collar. Crappie Tom makes somevery nicejigs you might want to check those out. Plastics I would look for alot of things that will immitate either the forage or insects. I have found twister tails and Gulp Alive to work very well even in the toughtest conditions. Don't be affraid to try inline spinners as well as they can produce some big slabs. I would look for beetle spins, blue fox small fry spinners, and even mepps. If your looking into an all around size rod, I would look into the 6' to 6' 1/2" range light action rods. I hope this helps, ask for more if needed.

Chris

[Slabasaurus]

Hi Senor Esox -

My setup is:

5' Ultralight rod and a 1000 spinning reel with 4' mono(I am on a green lake mostly so I use green).

I REALLY like tubes for panfish. This weekend I used them exclusively for Crappie/Gills and was catching 9-14" crappie and 7-9.5" gills.

I typically use a 1/32-1/8 jig for panfish, feathered if there has been a recent hatch of sorts, plain if there is nothing out of the ordinary about the ecosystem. this is a general principle of course, i have broken this line of thought many times.

I prefer a slip float as it allows you to modify depth very easily... even more specifically i use a light up slip float as I do quite a bit of night fishin.

A buddy of mine uses the in line spinners and has a lot of luck, but i still like the tubes better.

[ozzie]

sunnies will take a big bait!! I use Gulp Alive minnows in the 2.5 inch size on a 1/32 to 1/8 oz jig and regulary catch sunnies with the whole jig and minnow completely in the mouth. This will also avoid usually the smaller sunnies but the bass, crappies, and walleyes will eat this.

[MN BassFisher]

Slabasaurus - Have you been out to Peltier this year? I have heard in years previous some nice Gills have been found there, but heard the seem to be smaller this year. Just curious, if your experiences are similar.

[graybeard2]

I keep it pretty simple. 5 1/2 or 6 foot lite action rod and reel, 4 lb test, some aberdeen hooks, split shots and slip bobbers. Usually have a few mini-mites or small twister tails along also. For bait, I like leeches, waxies or worms, or some sort of Gulp bait.

[abcnerdd]

MN BassFisher are you talking about Lake Peltier in Centerville, MN?

[MN BassFisher]

Yes, that's the one!

[abcnerdd]

I love shore fishing that lake below that waterfall dam like structure. With experiences fishing that lake, I would say if you're on boat on the other side of the dam, the sunnies would be around 6inches, but if you're fishing below the dam, the sunnies would be super small, you're be lucky catching a 5incher.

If you know the right lure to use, you're catch some huge slabs out there The crappies, sunnies, walleyes and bass all love one single type of jig. Pikes there loves a red/white spoon.

[MN BassFisher]

Interesting...I used to drive by it to go to work a few years ago, so I stopped off there a couple of times on the way home from work. I fished below the dam, each time there was several people there, but I didn't catch much. Bullhead, small Northern, and Sunfish. The only time I was there this year, it was too busy, but a juvenile Northern jumped out from the water and landed at my feet. It was the smallest I've ever seen, 3 inches.

[abcnerdd]

What were you using? Have you ever try a small white spinnerbait? Those small bass love them and the pikes would follow it but won't strike.

[MN BassFisher]

Hmm...no I haven't tried that out there. I threw a worm under a bobber, and a couple small jigs. Haven't spent much time out there, but this winter I'm hoping to get and customize a kayak for fishing and hit some local lakes. Might have to try that out next summer.

[Slabasaurus]

Peltier is the only lake my fishin buddy and I have been skunked at together this year. Although that same day, just downstream from the dam... under the bridge, a guy caught a pretty big carp. Saw some bass jumping but didn't get anything to bite. (that may be george watch at that point... not sure where which one starts and which one ends).

If ya get that kayak all set for next year (I too hope to have some kind of boat for next season) head north of the dam, past the point. Each time I am there someone's pullin their boat in with a sack full of crappie.

The Pier isn't bad either... I've pulled some 7-8" pumpkinseeds out of there.

[MN BassFisher]

If ya get that kayak all set for next year (I too hope to have some kind of boat for next season) head north of the dam, past the point. Each time I am there someone's pullin their boat in with a sack full of crappie.

The Pier isn't bad either... I've pulled some 7-8" pumpkinseeds out of there.

Yeah, when I get it set up and the water warms a little bit, next year, one of the first places I'm going to go is the Rice Chain of Lakes there. I live pretty close to it and have always wanted to travel it (I've only fished from shore at a few spots).

[abcnerdd]

I'll give you guys some jigs on how to catch the slabs, but you guys search for the colors

Try flu flu when the slabs are in spawn season, early April to beginning of May. Do you know where that fishing pier is located? Try fishing there 30minutes to a hour before sunrise, tipping it with a minnow. After that, use tubes. One type of color will work best, catching crappies, sunnies, bass and wallies; a few snag on a carp here and there too, lol.

Well, good luck.

[half-dutch]

5' UL rod and UL reel with a good drag, 4# copolymer line, 32nd and 48th oz jig heads, down to 64th early in the season with 1.5" tubes, spike tails, 2" baby shad plastics (I especially like the Bobby Garland spike tailed Baby Shad) or 2" twisters.

For crappies either casting or just plain tight line vertical jigging (if you are careful and quiet enough to get over them, which can be done and can be fantastically productive). Fish these slow with occasional pauses to allow the bait to settle. A lot of bite comes either on the settle or as you pick it up to resume a retrieve, and don't ignore the bottom not even for crappies. Height of rod during retrieve helps regulate depth of retrieve; so these can be fished over the tops of submergent weeds with a little practice, or to specific weed patches like isolated cabbage stands.

For sunnies down size a bit under a peanut sized float, too big a float and you miss catchable bite; that will also yield the occasional crappie that can be decent size. Glow plastics, especially the Little Atom Teaser, are about as close to surefire as you get for sunnies. GULP waxies are a second choice. For sunnies be sure the hook size is small enough or they will nibble right around it and steal even plastic baits. Too small and you get gut hooking though. I rig the Teasers vertically, and they are softer than some others; so tearing is common, but on a good bite, that doesn't seem to have all that much effect.

There will be very few true strikes on this size offering; so watch the line, and have a dependably sensitive rod. Crappie bite, especially, is often nothing more than unexpected slack or gentle sideways movement, even with true slabs, but over line test fish can also take these with little more than a tick. They may not even take a bobber the size of one's thumbnail down, and still be respectable size. In fact, the larger crappies may actually bit softer than the smaller ones.

My jigheads are all black preferably with a white or yellow eye dot. To minimize line twist, fish uncollared or reverse barb heads, but there will still be some, especially on a vertical jigging presentation, and the little offerings do not give enough tension to always get a firm wrap on the reel spool; so watch for loose line wrap, and correct it quickly or you will loose line to wind knots. Be sure to carry extra jig heads, because you will occasionally loose one. These are small enough to allow quite a selection to fit into an ice jig box small enough to fit into a shirt pocket.

You will almost certainly have to experiment to find the right color plastic tail, but glow white or pearl is a good place to start, at least this year. I find that preference varies from outing to outing a bit, and quite a bit more from year to year; so carry a variety of color patterns and styles of offerings, which really isn't all that big a deal, since you can put quite a variety in a Plano box small enough to fit in a cargo pocket or several boxes a shoulder bag. An old laptop computer bag works very well and is quite convenient.

A good drag reel is a necessity, since you never know what will take the tiny offerings. Carp are common during early season crappie fishing, but anything up to and including adult muskies, bass of nearly any size, and the occasional walleye or pike are a possibility, all of which can easily go over line rating, and the very light line is necessary for proper jig action and casting distance. Carrying a long enough handled, light-weight net will assist in landing over-sized bonus fish without breakoffs.

I no longer use live bait and very seldom any kind of bobber for open water crappies, which is pretty much all I target. Sometimes the bite is very slow, but there is seldom any true skunk, once you get to know your water, and there are crappies all over. When it is good, the plastics allow you to get right back to it as quickly as possible and keep it going, almost always without having to stop and re-bait.

For catch and release fishermen there are possibilities of 30+ crappie hours fishing like this, but you have to work out the techniques and do some color sorting of the offerings to get there and, of course, it doesn't normally work out that well, although good crappie fishermen will have that several times during open water. Also crappies can be very time of day oriented, almost like they turn on on off by some sort of clock at times.

They are perfect after-work quarry, since they seem to be especially active during Prime Time, some times and places better during early to mid afternoon, others toward dark, and in some places very early in the day. Best crappies will often show up in low light periods, and all of them will avoid racket; so quiet fishing and undisturbed areas are best most times of the year no matter what technique one employs.

[OnAFly]

A 5wt fly rod, #12 white woolybuggers, small poppers, high floating terrestrials with a #14 beadheaded nymph dropper. Don't us tungsten beadheads for the dropper or you can sink your terrestrial, which is used more for a strike indicator than a fly, but will catch the occasional bass.

Trust me, panfish on a fly is about as fun as it gets.

[slipperybob]

If I'm open water fishing, the cranks, spoons, and inline spinners will come out first. The 6'6" rods or longer will be used.

If I'm structure fishing, the slipbobbers and beetle spins will come out first. The 6' or shorter rods will be used.