basic crappie/bluegill setup

I’ve always in the past fished panfish with my generic all-purpose spinning setups. I’m looking at now picking up a panfish specific rod reel. I usually like st. croix rods but am open to listen to any suggestions. I would most likely be casting around bullrushes and other shoreline cover. I’m also wondering if I should cast and swim back plastics or use a bobber. I know many tactics work, I’m just looking to keep it simple and go with the “bread and butter” so to speak. Also wondering what a good all around jig weight would be. Thanks.

This will be all personal input on your request and I know others will have their thoughts on this.

I’d start with the St.Croix Triumph series TRS66LF rod designed for 1/16 to 5/16 lures and 4-8 pound line OR the St. Croix Panfish series PFS69ULF designed for 2-6 pound line and 1/32-3/16 lures, OR both. I have both and use them equally as often. The Panfish rod sees a static float or is cast and retrieved without the float, the Triumph sees a slip float or is cast without the float. Between the two rods I have a very broad range of lure/jig weights to use and generally they fill all of my panfish rod needs.

Reels on these two rods are either a 1000 series Sahara [Triumph rod] or a 1000 series Symetry on the Panfish Series. Both are spooled with straight clear 4 pound Trilene XL. These reels balance these rods out wonderfully. I’ll not here that I am NOT a fan of rear drag reels. Spool depth from the lip to the arbor is not a huge factor for me but the distance from the spool’s lip to the rear of the spool is huge in my deciding on a reel. The two reels mentioned are good examples of what I look for and offer excellent long cast capability.

For static floats I use the Thill Mini-Stealth in a size bb2 [1/32] or a bb4 [1/24-1/16]. Set they remain where I want them yet can be easily and instantly slipped up or down on the line for adjustment. I favor the St.Croix Panfish rod for fishing the static floats. The picture will help see how the static float is hung on the line. For slip floats I use the Thill Mini-Stealth Supreme series of floats that have the sliding plastic sleeve on the float’s stem, again in the size 2 or 4 depending on jig weight. The sliding plastic sleeve allows one to rig the float static mode by sliding the sleeve down tight on the line or as a slip float by closing the sleeve down only enough to keep it on the line. Rigged as static these floats are the most sensitive floats I have used and are the only ones to show an upward hit immediately at the hit. Personally I use floats from immediate ice-out until immediate post spawn as panfish can be notoriously depth specific during this time frame. I may hang a static float if I am fishing sunken structure.I tend to favor the static float over the slip float but will go to a slip if wind or current forces me to use a heavier jig. The static float allows the most natural swimming retrieve with most plastics but the slip style offers an undulating, up and down swimming motion that often triggers hits so one must feel his way thru the hits and determine which float is better suited for that particular bite.

I generally carry jigs in weights from 1/64 to 3/32 but favor either the 1/32 or 1/24 and both of these sizes are carried having size 8 thru size 4 hooks so I can use a wide range of plastic profiles on them. Size 6 is my go to size.

I hope this helps. Click on the picture and it will expand.

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Currently my favorite panfish rods are the High End Shakespear Crappie Hunter 9′ model. Available at fine stores like L&M Supply for around $35 including a reel. I got lucky after buying 1 I was able to put some fish in the boat right away. I decided to splurge and buy another when I found a couple on clearance for $22. Love the long length.
Now I use higher end stuff for Walleyes and Muskie but these are my favorite panfish rods – by far. I would like to try a higher end long rod but these are disposable if they fall apart. So far they are holding up great. Nothing but the finest plastic inserts in the rod guides.

I primarily use a weighted bobber and small VMC jigs with a variety of plastics.

Try a long rod you may like it.

Steve

Call me cheap, but as long as I keep catching fish on these, I’m happy. Here are some examples that won’t break the bank but catch lots of fish.
Shakespeare Micro Spinning Rod – 5 1/2′ or any light action 6′ rod
Daiwa Silvercast-100A Series reel ($30/free s/h) or decent spinning reel
Kastking 8# test/ 2 lb diameter braid $3 free s/h $3.12/ 150 yds.
any of the hundreds of soft plastic lures rigged on unpainted 1/24 or 1/16 oz ball head jigs from Ebay. Jig hook size range on board should be #2 #4, #6.

Float fishing is always an option as is using beetle spins with 1/16 oz jigs and plastics. Been catching 40+ fish/ day on this one public lake close to home which included mostly crappy 10″ or larger, decent size sunfish and today, also a 2 lb bass. There is not such thing IMO as a crappie setup or lures specific to crappie.

See lure photo example on Jim Hurley’s recent post:“IS IT TIME FOR FASTER AND BIGGER FOR CRAPPIES?”

Bigger is always an option depending on lure size range being struck; faster – not for me but sometimes steady retrieve for beetle spin lures, shad tail or curl tail grubs. Otherwise slow with rod tip twitches and variations in forward motion speed.

Just my opinion that has served me well in the last 35 years.

I used an Ugly Stick for years and this one was a 5’9″ model that was ML and another one that was 6’6″ UL model. I finesse my cranks and other hard baits with the 5’9″ ML while I reserved the 6’6″ UL mainly for inline spinners, jigs, and bobber set ups. I also have a 5′ UL that was chopped and converted into an ice fishing pole. Still also have a 4′ UL that’s sort of reserved for ice fishing hole hopping.

Then I got my first St. Croix Premier 6′ L power and almost never touch my 5’9″ ML Ugly Stick. The St. Croix was lighter in weight and did a lot better job at finessing many lures.

There is also a K&E Whip’R rod that’s designed for pan fishing. The tip is a bit too soft for slip bobber fishing for me. Imagine it as an lighter version of an Ugly Stick but without the toughness and durability.

Phlueger is the best for the money, IMO. Other great suggestions here too. Lots of reels are fine but you bump into a bass or Walter and you loose the fish because you are using light line and poor equipment-get the nice photo and some fish for the pan with quality stuff-smart to ask here first too.

” Lots of reels are fine but you bump into a bass or Walter and you loose the fish because you are using light line and poor equipment”

So very true. Unless you plan on back reeling a spinning reel handle while fighting a 2 lb bass, a smooth drag is necessary. Same for a rod that has too much or too little flex. Either fish are lost fighting them or an incorrect rod action prevents a good lure action you want to impart.

Tom’s suggestions for line size and lure weight are right on. The key is lure action: type of action inherent in a lure’s design and speed/ type lure presentations. When it comes to float fishing, I would use a fluorocarbon leader attached to a braid main line. A f/c line in the same diameter as braid weighs slightly more and is stiffer thereby allowing light lures to say at a certain depth even when slowly moving the float. It doesn’t matter as much when using 1/8 oz. jig heads.