When you guys are trying to find a good wingdam to catch panfish on What tells you that dam would be a good spot to try? Is it depth,current,rock ,sand,inside bend,outside bend?Do you fish the front side or the back side of the dam more? What would be your first set up at this spot.This would be for a summer pattern,I sure could use your help on these questions. 
I spend a lot of time on pool 5 wingdams snooping out pannies. Much of what has me looking to them depends on the time of the year since pannies are not always hot on the dams. I like to fish dams where backwaters are nearby. Mid-summer to early fall when the water is real warm is better for me. As the days shorten and fall approaches I move closer to rip-rapped shoreline.
Not all dams are created equal either….some are in deeper water and some have more sand around them. Myself I like the deeper dams and will find fish all along the back side and atop of the structures when they are there in earnest.
If you can find a dam or two with the deeper water and some sunken wood you will have a treasure trove, especially if the wood goes clear to the bottom.
Daymarkers set out in the channel offer some really good panfishing with smallie and walleye/sauger as bonus fish. Cats hang out in the slack water holes behind these structures too. Like the wingies, the deeper these are set in the water the better.
Personally I like the depth control of float fishing while on wingdams when there is some wood, but a free lined jig will get plenty of fish too. Jigs/plastics are my go-to but I’ll always have a tub of waxies along just in case. Minnows too are good baits.
I prefer to set the anchor right on the top of the dam and let line out so the boat is slightly behind the dam yet close enough to cast beyond it upstream.
Everyone seems to have an approach that works for them so the more people add here the more options you’ll find. Wingdam pannies are a riot.
That is some very good information ct. Thank You very much 
.Anyone else willing to share there approach on this subject will surely be appreciated.
Rick , 
Most wingdam fishing for pannies is current related for me anyway. Water high and fast current usually means nix for the pannies ( not that there won`t still be some ). Mid summer and low water with higher water temps want pannies…. wingdams. Some of my favorite walleye wingdams on pool 7 midsummer and low water years those dams get taken over by pannies.
Last summer was the pits for wingdam pannies. With the river water levels acting more like a yo-yo than stable. I’d agree that current plays a big role in how well one can fish wingies.
Once the water temps support numbers of panfish on wingdams and should some high water come along that is still fishable but a little fast, seek out those spot on spot eddy areas closer to the shore end of the structure.
When I need to move to sppots such as those I just mentioned I’ll tiee on a 1/16 head with a #8 hook cast in it so sunfish sized plastics can still be fished. That smaller hook works well to get those small mouthed fish hooked while having just a bit of extra weight to do battle with any current that might be a headache. I fish these jigs on a tight line , no float.
Great post, thanks for the insight Tom. There is quite a bit of hard-earned knowledge in the words you write here, thanks for sharing!!!
Joel
ct provided a ton of great info. This is a post from years back fishing Gills on wing dams.
Actually, if you are fishing the river where wingdams are needed you are probably passing up some great prospects along the shoreline. Watch for those little indents in the shoreline that trap wood and check the area for depth. I look for spots like these with 10 feet or more of water right at the wood. If the water doesn’t have any slack to it the wood would wash out. These locations can be killer spots in their own right on a daily basis, some days they’ll be great while others you can’t find a fish in them. No less, be sure to check them out. I’ve motored away from some terribly insignificant looking shoreline structure with some awful nice river slabs aimed at the cutting board.
They haven’t been mentioned yet, but perch are another fish that really adore the rocky habitat. The later in the summer it gets the better it is for perch. If you have a good locator in the boat, look for large rocks that have washed off the dam structure itself and are found in the slack water behind the wingie. Try getting your jig right on top of the rock to tease perch. Two years ago I popped a 17″ perch on a deep rock like that and Mr. Nelson who offered the kind words here ahead of me saw a river perch from my boat a few years ago that was about 16″. If you like big sunfish, getting one of the mungo perch is like winning the lottery in my book. But an 11″ sunfish in the current is something else too and those wingdams can hold them in numbers.
Thanks, everyone for all the good advice. 
Rick
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