The shallows of Lake Wissota are heating up with some great panfish action. We’re at the tail end of the crappie action, and the front end of Wissota Gill Fest 2009. During the last hour of my day today, I ran to a very reliable late spring wooded shoreline, and was cranking in gills ‘n’ specks in no time flat.
Now that gills are moving shallow, I tend to fish small crawler chunks under a Thill Stealth bobber. When properly weighted, the Thill Stealth will slip underneath the surface of the water very easily, as the majority of the float already rides below the surface. I select a crawler now because it will appeal both to the early gills, as well as the late crappies that are in the fallen treetops.
Today’s crappies ranged from 9-12″, while the gills were all in the 7-8″ class. I’m looking forward to dabbling with the pannies again as a supplement to next week’s walleye guide trips.
I’ve seen it improve dramatically since I’ve moved here. 
