Mississippi River Pool 7 Sunfish & Crappie Report

If you have the itch to find some great Panfish action, I’d suggest you start hitting the water now.

The water temps are shaping up nicely, and we’re seeing the first waves of Bluegills hitting the shallows, setting up the 2008 spawn. You may have to do a little work to find the fish, sometimes checking spots twice in one day.

Our goal for the day, was to get out and chase some Predatory fish like Bass and Pike. While at the same time, keeping our eyes open looking for opportunities to hit some pre-spawn Bluegills.

Looking back at the first half of the day, we should have chased Panfish first and then went looking for some Bass, as most of my Panfish spots were exposed to the southerly wind. Being as it was, that southerly wind whipped up a lot more than the forecasters had predicted and it blew all of the Bluegills I’d been seeing deeper. They were certainly there, but catching them in those windy conditions made for a tough going.

So Bret and I made the adjustment and headed north to some backwater spots that have held good numbers of Bluegills in the past.

After a long bump up the river, we got to the area I was hoping would be loaded with fish.

We weren’t disappointed in the quantity, there were surely a TON of fish in the area, but they were so skittish, even casting a simple Mini-Mite spooked the fish.

We drifted through the bay, keeping the trolling motor down to keep us from drifting too fast. The trolling motor would catch the weeds thus slowing us down. Whenever we needed to make a small move, I’d use the push-pole to quietly slip up through the area.

Even using those tactics didn’t help us much. The fish were so jumpy catching any made it nearly impossible. So we made another adjustment and started casting towards sunken timber hoping to entice some Panfish to the boat.

Thankfully Bret was able to lure this dandy Crappie to eat his Mini-Mite. Oddly enough, we were only able to catch this single Crappie with no other bites.

About 2pm, we decided to head south, looking for any bay that would offer us seclusion from the southerly wind. By that time, it was blowing pretty good and the only place I could think of that would offer us refuge was the bay we started in early in the day.

Upon getting there we found a bass boat in there sitting on the spot I’d wanted to try. They were fishing Bass, and in no time, they’d moved on. So we quietly drifted into the corner and immediately saw what were looking for. We saw the telltale ripples and swirls from Bluegills sitting too close to the surface. I slipped the anchor into the water and started fishing.

In no time, we were boating 7"+ Bluegills. There was no need for any live bait. Which was good for us, because we didn’t have any.

After snagging my float and plastic on a snag, I rigged what’s probably my lightest setup for shallow Panfish. It’s a CJ & S Shrimpo with a Thill Gold Medal Series – Mini-Shy Bite Floats placed 12" above the plastic. These aren’t your conventional floats. This one has 2 rubber sleeves that hold the line against the shaft of the float. This particular float makes it incredibly easy to make quick adjustments.

It’s also light enough that the head of a Shrimpo will make it stand up and any bite can be easily detected.

At the end of the day, we’d managed 10 nice Bluegills and 5 very healthy looking Crappies.

If you’re looking for some great action, now’s the time. Get out there, do some scouting and be prepared to make adjustments. There’s nothing funner than chasing scrappy Bluegills on light line and tackle.

Lastly, I’d like to thank Bret Clark for spending the day with me. It seems we always have a good time fishing together, and I hope to do it again soon!