Run N Gun style vs Wait them out?

[chow]

Just wondering which "style" of fishing you guys adhere to when going after crappies/sunfish. Do you prefer to move often not sepending more than 10-15 min per hole if no bites then moving on to try another spot, or if you guys are in a spot that has produced before do you sit and "wait" them out.

I guess for me I am more of a run n gun style attitude. I have a very hard time sitting still for more than 15-20 min if not getting any bites. Just wanted to get some input from others on panfish stategy.

Thanks,
chow

[Scott Steil]

I prefer to run & gun all the time. That just how I like to fish. Usually my fish house is my sled for the gear and I am off. If I have my choice and weather allows this is how I fish.

There are times that you will find something that will tell you that a certain hole is the spot to be. Good weeds, lots of fish that are visible, etc. When I find a hole like this I will keep searching but I will make sure to put my time in on this hole when that last few minutes of daylight are fading.

Overall though, I like to drill a lot of holes and keep moving.

[IceHawk]

For panfish I think you will up your odds if you use a run and gun style of fishing. By cutting a bunch of holes and hole hopping you will always pick off the most aggressive fish first. I guess our groups style is to run in teams of two people one person cuts holes the other follows up behind with the vexilar looking for fish if any are spotted he fishes them to see if they are active.If the fish bite we will cut a hole mess of holes in the area and fish them, if not the roles are reversed untill we find active fish. I am a strong believer in looking for suspended fish as I think they tend to be more aggressive. I also trust my vexilar when you spot fish 9-10 times there is a technique that will get them to bite. I know me and SCOTT S fish alot of the same waters and he can vouch for this, there are alot of lakes that have a certain style to them-time they bite,locations,colors of hooks etc. The key is to unlock this mystery on each lake find out what works and make a mentall note in your head for future reference.

[protrapper]

I think that all depends on the type off bite going on a lake. If I am fishing crappies on a lake and I know where they are, and when there active feeding time is, I will set up on that high percentage spot an hour before get completley ready so I am not fumbling around. Now for gills on some lakes there mixed in with the slabs and they bite just before sundown, so I will wait them out. But on certain lakes I have encountered only day bites where I had too run and gun. Usally on a new lake you will have to run and gun, to find where the fish are, instead of going to the community spot.

[Guest]

Run and gun unless you're on fish. I don't like to sit in one spot for too long not catching anything. If it's very cold it might be a different story.

Good Fishin, Matt.

[Scott Steil]

Good point Icehawk about unlocking the mystery of a lake. Having a general approach is a good idea, but every lake is so different...the key to success is knowing how to adjust on the fly.

[united jigsticker]

Crappies are typically a fish of suspended nature.

A typical and most common approach for me is to blast holes in the highest percentage areas until I find a school, and then punch a bunch of holes in a small area around that same school.

Most of the time, run and gun is the most effective way to put some slabs in the bucket.

However, keep in mind that on certain bodys of water fish may only suspend at certain times of day, and waiting them out, if you know there typical feeding times, can also be worthwhile.

Also, in shallow lakes, such as Red, where there is alot of area, fish will often times be laying right on the bottom and not be easily detectable with your electronics.

In normal situations I don't even drop a line unless I see fish on the Vex. But on lakes where these lay low Crappies are, I typically will hole hop, and fish for 1-2 minutes each to see if a hungary fish will come off the bottom, or even from the side a few feet away.

This is where a larger, more aggresive and flashy presentation will do you better. If the fish come in and don't like the large offering, you can change your presentation and fine tune it, but at least you've got some fish down there to play with.

[This message has been edited by united jigsticker (edited 02-09-2003).]

[steve schmidt]

Run and Gun is the way to go. In addition to moving around you get to know the lake better.

I used to use the locator like United Jigsticker, but found most often you can detect fish on the bottom but not always. I fish a hole for maybe a couple minutes. If you put your lure down and the bottom starts looking like jelly they are laying right on the bottom.

[Guest]

Steve is right on the money, more than not you will pull gills off the bottom, especialy when the bottom your fishing is "sticky" the fish will be picking bugs out of the bottom and hard to pick up on your vex. I always spend a minute or two in each hole before I move.

[Guest]

run n gun is the only way to go get to the spot early drill 50-75 holes and start jumping from hole to hole my group that I fish with we can get 100-150 crappies per person in a day of fishing all you need to do is know your lake and what the fish want if your fishing 30ft and you mark fish from 15-20 fish them if you only rip 5 fish out and the rest stop biteing move you will all ways find good numbers of fish in other holes if you see 2-3 fish on the bottom leave them ten to one there small

[Reefdawg75]

Speaking of Run and gun. What kind of drilling patterns do you guys use? I will get a sample of a spot and do 4 - 10 holes (10 yard spacing) in a grid formation to get a sense of how the fish are relating to the spot. Other times when I am on a new lake I will drill straight lines perpendicular with shore to find fish on the drop. Are there other drilling patterns that work for you guys? After reading the vex and marking fish where do drill next?
Thank,
Reefdawg

[IceHawk]

I usally fish with a group of 4 guys when targeting panfish. We always look at a map and decide the area we are going to fish then each guy sets out and drills about 20 holes each, giving you around 80 to start looking for fish. There is really no pattern for us we target the weeds,edges and major holes that we think hold fish. When we locate them we will cut a bunch of holes in the area, if they quit we move in different directions with augers to locate them again.

[ice-man/vexilar-king]

Reefdawg75
I wish this sight would let me import a picture into my post, it would make it so simple to explain. I fish the Run-N-Gun with some of the guys off this sight. We target depth and daytime movement. After you get a feel for a school of fish you learn when and were to drill your holes. If they’re roaming a basin run that depth. If they’re going shallow in the evening straight line it for the bank. Go real shallow if you’re going to put them to bed at night. My over all favorite is to run a contour with a footprints in the sand sort of pattern. If you learn that you’re finding greater concentrations of fish in one depth or the other go back and drill 20-30 more holes in that area all at one time. This is important so that you don’t just keep driving them away; get it done in one shot.
C&R~~~~>’)))))><

[jwilli7122]

Personally I have my best success staying put. I spend a lot of time finding my spot, but once I find it, most of the time I stay put. I am a better fisherman when I am in the portable and out of the wind, especially when it is below 15 degrees out.
If it is midwinter and I am fishing suspended crappies over deep water, I vex through the ice until I mark fish. Not just one fish, but a bunch of fish. If I find them, I set up and fish them. I work on catching them. I stay put unless I stop marking fish, which is rare.
In march/april when it's 40 degrees out and the fish are shallow, its a little different. I find a good general area on the map, then i drill maybe 5 holes spread out in that area, and hole hop. but usually one hole will be better than the rest, and once I figure out which it is, ill pretty much stay there.
Everyone talks about being mobile, drilling and moving drilling and moving... but the more time you spend drilling and moving, the less time your jig spends in front of the fish. I'm only as mobile as I have to be to find fish.

[deadeye]

I think that run&gun is the way to go until you find fish. Once I am on fish I will stay until I can't get them to bite anymore or they move. For the hole drilling pattern I usually drill a hole and the do circles around it until I find fish. Once I find one that has fish I do the same circle pattern all the way around it.><>
deadeye