10_2025_REELLIFE_digital - Flipbook - Page 9
will hold on to brush piles
and structure a little longer
before moving shallow.
Summer: After spawning,
Bluegill will typically remain
in the shallows around
their spawning grounds, if
there's good cover. While
the Crappie tend to move
a little deeper, and when I
say deeper, I'm referring to
15'-17'. This is prime time
for early morning and late
evening action near the
weed edges.
Fall: Cooling water pushes
baitfish and panfish
towards deeper structure.
When crappie form large
schools over deep basins,
fan casting and bobbers
come in handy. Perch will
be found chasing baitfish
on steep breaks and
roaming the flats.
Winter: Panfish will
typically group tightly in
the winter, and you can
get into large schools
when found. I will target
the last remaining deep
weed edges for Bluegill
and Pumpkinseed, and hit
them on the deep, muddy
flats for the hungry Perch.
The most difficult, and
rewarding, is fishing the
suspended Crappie, finding
the 2'-3' just below the ice,
cruising deep basins.
Locating Panfish
The most successful
anglers spend more time
finding fish than fishing
empty water. Key tools
and techniques to locate
panfish include:
Electronics: Sonar or
Forward-Facing Sonar can
reveal schools and depth
preferences in seconds. In
open water, Crappie are
typically suspended while
the Perch and Bluegill hug
cover or bottom. Electronics
will show you these
behaviors of these fish in
real-time.
Visual Cues: In shallow
or clean water, polarized
glasses can help spot so
much. Beds, weed edges,
stumps, brush piles, deep
ledges, and fish.
Structure: Focus on those
weed edges, fallen timber,
brush piles, docks, and
submerged humps.
Mobility: Don't linger in
that "Empty" water; if
the fish aren't there, you
have to move. Use those
Electronics as you move
spots, marking schools
of fish or looking for that
structure we've talked
about. From the boat to the
ice, this is what it takes to
find 'em!
Tackle and Gear Selection
Panfish gear doesn't
have to be complicated,
but it should match the
presentation.
