Panfishing.

[Agronomist_at_IA]

So last winter I got into panfishing quite a bit more since ponds are close and pannies are decent sized. The walleye thing is just to small a window in morning and night.

I got into making and using some pretty sweet light panfish setups, and they seem to really make the fight/catch that much more enjoyable.

Tried the old school schooly/HT rods with UL blanks & 2lb line....I actually found my self loving them.


For site fishing I set up some clam site rods with some nice aluminum schooly type reels. Worked well and had nice drags/clicks.


These became my go to crappie/paper mouth rods. When they line up on the vex and the tip doesn't drop or go up.....a slow slow reel in and if the tip drops you got the paper mouth.



Actually got some stuff coming to build a 3rd schooly setup, and another code blue type setup.

Anyone else get into panfishing hardcore?

[Iceassin]

Yes Agro...I am a hard-core pannie guy. Gave up on the Walleye fishing for the most part...not enough waters around here that support them. I do run a few tip-ups for Pike on occasion but that's about it.
As for my set ups, I have a few:

1) I have 2 of the Genz 24" Spring Bobber series that I use when inside a shanty. Wasn't impressed with the indicators that came with them ( a little stiff for my liking) so replaced them with ones I made out of 30# leader wire...very sensitive and durable. Using the spinning reels that came with them...they are ok.

2) I also have a couple of 48" HT Ice Blues with their in-line reels, again, with the same leader material used above. I use these in waters 10' or less as getting the line down in the water is a little on the slow side but work excellent for the finicky bites.

3) I am in the process of getting 2 of the 36" Schooley Ice Blues that I will be using for hole hopping / run-n-gun. I just ordered a couple of Ice Strong Titanium ultra light indicators that I am going to try on these. If I don't like them...back to my home made ones. I also attach all of them at a 90*angle ...much easier to see them than straight out from rod tip

Here are few important points that I go by in all of my set-ups...a)as I mentioned, the reels I use are no big deal for me, as long as they are smooth enough and hold up for winter use, I'm good. b) I use only 3mm or 4mm tungsten jigs on 3#  fluorocarbon (2# is just a little too thin, for me) I also use a small, high-quality barrel swivel attached to a 2 to 3' leader. And if using a 3mm jig, I may attach a small split shot above the swivel (depending on depth of water and how quickly I need to get back down the hole)...this has been the best combo I have found for consistent results. c)...but the most important parts of my set-ups is the rod tip and indicators. I prefer my rods to be a "little" on the stiff side...light to med. light. With a very sensitive indicator it is important for me to have that little extra "umpf" in my rods for quicker hook sets...just a flick of the wrist. As most of us know, bites in the winter are usually slow and very light...especially true of the "slabs" I look for...more sucking of the jig than a  bite...hence the need for sensitive indicators and quick hook sets.

Couple of other things...I primer/hi-vis paint my indicators and strictly stick to spikes...usually 1 (occasionally 2) but keeping them fresh on the hook. I've even culled the number and color of jigs in my arsenal. I use  3 color patterns...orange/chartreuse, solid gold and my #1 go-to..."wonderbread" (very good results with this one).

So there you are Agro...from another hard-core pannie guy. After over 50 years of "experimenting", I have found what works best for me in catching big gills on the most consistent basis. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Tight lines my friend...



   

[Agronomist_at_IA]

That's cool.

Those colors are good for me has well. I'm suprise you don't have Red and black in the mix.

[Iceassin]

That's cool.

Those colors are good for me has well. I'm suprise you don't have Red and black in the mix.

I can never remember red being a good color for me... and black...maybe on a couple of occasions. My philosophy now is to spend the money on the few colors that do work best for me and not on the ones that will probably end up in the jig box rarely to be used again...if ever.

[Gills-only]

Red is on my pole, 90% of the time! Gills are the only fish I am after, plastic that is , hook color don’t really matter to me, I just change my plastic when I want to change color.