Just wondering what depths you are finding the panfish in.
Can’t seem to find them in any depth.
Bobberup
Posts: 8
January 25, 2024 at 10:08 am
#2249896
IDO » Forums » Fishing Forums » Ice Fishing Forum » Panfish depths
Panfish can almost always be found in Various depths from a Few feet. all the way out to 30+ Ft. Right now I’d be looking just off the weedline or out in the open Basin. There are some here who prefer to always fish Shallow weeds and other who prefer to chase them out in the deeper water basins. Our last outing we found the most and active fish in the 17-19ft range. The biggest problem with the open basin fish is they tend to move around often. Need to drill a ton of holes and keep moving till you locate them. Most often basin fish suspend a fair amount off the bottom and are easy to spot on a locater. I’d drill lots of holes and then just use the locator to check them. If you don’t spot fish – Keep moving till you do. This works best with 2 people working together. One drills and the other checks. Once you locate fish drill a few holes in the area and fish them. Often you catch a few out of one hole and they shut down. Often a mover to a different hole a few feet away with be all that’s needed.
I like to find them in the weeds near the edges like 13-17. Now I did some find some good ones at 17-20 also on the edges.
I fished a lake w 17 ft max depth a couple of days after the extreme temps broke. I could not fish in places I regularly find them, including deep water. Who knows?
I don’t ice fish much, but when I do it’s typically panfish, especially metro lakes. Find the weedline, and keep poking holes along weedlines until you find sunfish. Pickup the occasional crappie, walleye, bass and pike as well. Sometimes that weedline is at 8′, sometimes in 17′, deeper the weedline the better.
Also found sunfish roaming shallow weed matted flats. Hunker down and let em make their moves and pick off a couple each time hopefully. Done really well w perch that way. Can be sight fishing them at times.
Every lake is different, clarity is the biggest factor in where you should start. Clear water = find the green weeds.
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