Panfishing tips..

[SlamminEyes]

ok well heres just a couple that i know.. you guys add on yoru knowledge too!! lets help the noobs (no offense) catch a few gooduns ..

Bluegills - Wax worms, Red worms, Bits of crawlers, and small white twisters - or Small orange double tailed twisters.. and basically any thing else that moves in the water haha them bluegill will eat just abotu anythign you throw in the water if you catch em at the right time but yea just throw a worm on a smaller hook like a 6 or 8 and crank it in the water fairly slow them stop and jig for a second that drives em nuts!!! Wether in the pond or the lake these setups work great for me!!

Crappie - Now, these little buggers are a whole different story..
i use a few different things on these guys starting with Jigs.
Jigs are ideal for crappie because you can hook alot of different combos on them that crappies to fit to munchin' on for instance a white lead headed jig with a white twister tail does exceptionally well.. and just alot of different colors and setups.. i perfer red n white tubes.. and sparkly twister tails as well.. next is the good ole crappie rig just set yourself up with one and hook a couple minnys on it and toss 'er out there.. usually works pretty good. and even try different colored hooks gold hooks and red hooks are what i use number 6's to be exact.. the crappie luv em.. also even throw the old jig and minny combo thats a killer crappie catcher and of course crappie jigs are great..

and to those of you who consider perch to be a panfish here ya go..


Perch-the good ol bobber worm n a hook works great.. but!! try these: Crappie rig with one hook set way lower then the other throw a couple worms on it and toss 'er out there.. haha also feather jigs with a small minnow works pretty good (believe or not)
or a green headed jig with a black twister a very small twister tho i kill the jumbos with that combo..


Feel free to add anything to these wether it be ideas,tips whatever lets get this post going!!! and goodluck and i hope you find my tips helpfull leave some feed back if you tried these out!! thanks - Randy
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[Santaaa]

just a bobber rig. Then move it slowly and I mean slowy winding the line in and fish closer to shore and fallen trees.

wiggle your bobber too and let it sit for a bit and play with it again and tighten your line.

Blue gill bite like mad when you move the bait use night crawlers. Also use a small hook a really small hook that way the one that keeps stealing your bait does not drive you nuts.
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[SlamminEyes]

this is very true.. that technique works for alot of fish actually the slow crank stop.. repeat fish go nuts for that!! but thanks for the response!!!
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[Tarpon4me]

Panfish are primarily found in structure. Notice I said "in" structure. I've caught many smaller bream along open water banks and above rocks, but the larger fish always seem to be caught under low lying tree branches, in submerged limbs and stumps, or in lilly pads or saw grass. If you see bank structure that you just know you're going to get snagged in, drop a bait in there. I can promise that there is a big panfish there somewhere.

Along the eastern states of SC and Georgia, one of our most prized panfish is the Morgan. (also called a Warmouth) It looks like a huge bream with a bass's mouth. They get very big, in the 4 pound range, (average around 1 pound), and are known for their tastey, sweet, and flakey meat. Unlike most other species of panfish, Morgans do not school and finding more than one in a particular area doesn't happen often. I've never seen a Morgan caught along an open bank. In the Pee Dee and waccamaw rivers here in SC, if you don't drop your bait in the structure, chances are you'll never see a warmouth on the other end of your hook. Cypress knee's are the favorite place for large morgans to hang out. I've caught my largest fish inside a cypress stump; LOL, that's right, not beside it, inside it.

Red breast are also another South Eastern favorite to target. They don't have the massive size of the morgan and crappie, but they do share the trait as a great table fare. These fish are also targeted along structure, but can be caught early morning and late evening during the summer months on small poppers. Redbreasts, like most other species of panfish, primarily feed top water early and late in the day. Poppers are deadly during this time of feeding, and generally yield larger fish.

During the hot part of the day, i'll take the bobber off the rig and toss my bait on the bottom next to a piece of structure. Panfish, like many other species of fish, move to deeper and cooler water as the hot part of the day rolls around. Usually, by either switching to a bottom rig or deepening your bobber, you can still catch fish during the heat of the day.

Especially along a river, fish the banks that are accessable by your bait. Let me explain. If the water is high, and you're limited to fishing the edge of the structure on the deep side, and the water runs back into the woods beyond your reach, you're wasting your time. The fish will be in the shallows on the swamp side feeding in safety away from would-be predators. Fish the banks where the water doesn't run up into a swamp or out of reach. The fish will hold along the bank in the shallow structure.

Having the proper tackle is criticle when it comes to landing big panfish in harse conditions. On an open lake, sure, a cane pole with a little mono is more than enough to get the job done. But, along the aggresive rivers in my local area, it's best to amp up the gear to keep from tieing on so many hooks when you get snagged. Especially when the water is high, you're litterly IN the structure, and getting snagged is all part of the game. I use ultra lite spinning tackle, but with 10 pound super braid spooled on the reel. dragging a fish out of a tough snag is easy when you're rigged up braided line. It also makes a much smaller fish seem larger, so the fight is more enjoyable. []

There are many more tactics that can be used, as they change with each body of water and situation. Most of the time when i'm targeting panfish, i'm gathering bait to go catfishing. [] There's no where to purchase live bait around the bodies of water I fish, so I have to rely solely on my ability to catch my bait. I can usually round up a couple dozen bream regardless of the time of day or conditions. But, it's taken alot of years of frustration and baitless catfishing trips to figure out my local bodies of water.

With any tactics, they are subject to alteration at any time. I keep a detailed fishing log for both my freshwater and saltwater fishing trips. I keep information like air and water temp, barometric pressure, water level, tide (if applicable), weather conditions, etc.... Anything that plays a possible role in the fishing condition I take note of. I also take note of what I did that day and if I was successful or not. Making a fishing log is an indespensible tool if you're serious about targeting fish year around. Being able to look back on previous years conditions to find out tactics that worked can save you alot of guess work. So instead of hunting a winning combanation, you spend your time catching fish.

Keep in mind, there are going to be days that is doesn't matter what you do, the fish will not bite. The first thing you learn when you start fishing is there is no magic lure, there is no secret spot, it's all luck of the draw. If you hit the water and think you're going to tear 'em up every time, you've already lost the battle. [cool]
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[SlamminEyes]

Thanks for the breakdown tarp [cool]
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[smallmouth89]

Was out tubing in a local reservoir yesterday for crappie. The hotspot is at the far end of the reservoir so i towed my tube down with my kayak thinking i would be able to hover over the schools most efficiently in the tube.

Well the wind was so strong it was too much work in the tube so I kicked back to the kayak and had a supper break after which I deflated the tube and lashed it down in the tankwell of the kayak. In the kayak it was easy to paddle upwind and then drift across the holding areas. As evening wore on the fish really started hitting the jigs. Up until that point I thought I was going to be skunked. I had a lot of fish on but only landed a few .
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[davetclown]

mid summer you can start fishing deaper for the bigger gills.

as the waters worm up, gills have a preffered temp they like to hover around like most ever species of fish and follow the tempreat waters.

this will hold depending on variables of your lake around 7-25 feet.
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