I'm just wondering if anybody out there has any tips and tricks for catching panfish they could share. I've been having a difficult time catching bluegill and crappie and need a little advice. like what should i be looking for as far as good habitat goes? preferred baits, lures, hook size, rigs? what time of day is best? in what season will i be more likely to catch big fish? I know it varies from state to state but i'd like to get as much info and advice as possible from as many anglers as i can.
Any Panfish Tips and Tricks?
- Thread starter Bundar
- Start date
I live in maryland, and i know how to feel.
spring is the best time to fish crappies IMO
i use these (natural colors seems to work best)
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/s..._53516_100019000_100000000_100019000_100-19-0
they come to shallows to spawn and as they water heats up they retreat to cooler deeper waters, where they are harder to catch find.
these baits also work good for bigger bluegill, sunfish.
where in maryland do you live?
spring is the best time to fish crappies IMO
i use these (natural colors seems to work best)
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/s..._53516_100019000_100000000_100019000_100-19-0
they come to shallows to spawn and as they water heats up they retreat to cooler deeper waters, where they are harder to catch find.
these baits also work good for bigger bluegill, sunfish.
where in maryland do you live?
im in baltiumore county how about u? its like there isnt an abundance of large panfish in MD...at least none that i've seen...i live close to a resevoir that was built in the 50's, i've fished there since the 90's and the only bluegill and sunfish i pull up are generally in the 5 inch range....dont these lil guys ever grow up haha
When fishing for panfish I like to use small jigs, most of the time 1/32, sometimes 1/64. Just got a new lure called the trout magnet, should call it the fish magnet case it seems to catch everything for me, have caught numerous types of panfish, bass, trout. Have seen it sold at Dicks Sporting Goods, I got mine off their website.
http://troutmagnet.com/store/
http://troutmagnet.com/store/
Well its a whole different world down here but I would highly recommend most any of the Bass Assassin/Panfish Assassin lure line. They come in 1.5 inch and my favorite colors are woodpecker, Texas avocado, perch and tomato seed. Rig two of them on 1/16 ounce jigheads about 12 inches from each other. Works for anything from bluegill to bass, but crappie love them. Yamamoto baits just came out with a similiar jig that might be worth checking out as well.
Small " husky jerk bait" by rapala
I like the perch colored one actually they call it Texas shad, it's the smallest one they make maybe about a inch and a half. It will catch crappie, perch, and big sunnies all day!!
I like the perch colored one actually they call it Texas shad, it's the smallest one they make maybe about a inch and a half. It will catch crappie, perch, and big sunnies all day!!
The easiest way to catch panfish is definitely to use a very small float (the smallest one that you can find that will stay above the water, the smaller it is the less the fish will feel it and will be less likely to get spooked), a small hook with half a trout worm on it and a split shot weight or two on the line if needed. This will catch them all day and will work for many different species. The best habitat to find panfish is usually weed edges in somewhat shallow water (around here at least). Good luck!
You can catch nice size sunnies on small poppers using a fly rod. Or you could use the more traditional maggots on a tiny jig head below a bobber. Both of those methods work for me. I like using colored jig heads, not the gray lead looking kind.