pan fish locations

[mrpike1973]

I am struggling finding panfish. i have followed the masses to get a start. should i be in shallow where weeds are for sunnies and not out in the abyss where others are i'm assuming there trying for suspended crappies. would just like a better start point. i did call the dnr for my area for best lakes to try and that's where i have started thanks for the help.

[MN BassFisher]

I don't know specifics about Darwin but it appears away from the cities and surrounded by a lot of lakes. That's a great starting point. Do you have a flasher? That will be a great tool for learning where Panfish are, at what part of the water column and how they are reacting to your presentation. I would start punching holes on weedlines in 7-10fow, see if you can find some green and healthy weeds and the sunfish should be somewhere nearby. Drop a tungsten jig with a eurolarvae or waxworm and enjoy!

[JayDeHay]

There's a scouting procedure I read about recently that guides like to use. It's akin to trolling in a boat.

They find a location they like for the species they're targeting (like a drop-off, inside bend, etc), then they drill holes every 15-20ft in several directions (shallow to deep, inland to out, etc). If you start at one end and work your way along, by the time you're done drilling holes, the first holes have had time to calm down. Then you go back to the start with your flasher/fish finder and start dropping the puck.

Take note of what you see on the display, and work you're way along. If you see fish, note their depth and est. qty. When you've finished gathering your data, you can get an idea for where the fish are likely to be and the kind of area/structure they like.

An underwater camera helps a lot with this scouting as well. If you're crunched for time, go ahead and drop a jig in each hole as you're flashing. Give it 5 minutes, then move on.