Panfish Report for Jan 17th 2011

Switching gears today, I hit a local lake in search of some panfish. I needed a break from the walleyes as the bite has been off for quite some time now. This was my first time up here this year, and also my first time targeting panfish this year. The walleyes are just so hard to leave alone sometimes. The lake was in good condition, as the slush had froze and plowed roads made for easy travel. This lake gets A TON of pressure this time of year and finding fish can be challenging at times.

The first spot we hit right away in the morning yielded three crappies. The lx-5 was constantly lit up but the crappie’s metabolism wasn’t. These fish were very lethargic and slow moving. You could bring them up five, six and even seven feet, but to no avail. Around 10, I decided to move locations to a spot two miles away to try to find more active fish as this group has to be sleep-swimming or something. As I got the Otter set up at the next location, I was quickly joined by two other groups who had no problem making noise lol. After not marking anything in twenty minutes or so I was on the move again. Staying in or near the main channel I found my next area.

Right away as i was letting down my bobber rod, a crappie met me half way and slammed the minnow-jig setup. It was a good start to what would be a more mid-day bite for us. Up until noon these fish were somewhat active and willing to bite but after that we really had to work for them. Before noon, a small pink demon with a minnow hooked through the back produced, along with a ratso tipped with a few waxies. After the noon hour, a diamond jig in the smallest size tipped with one waxie was the ticket. But as always there was a trick to it. This had to be dead still, no movement what so ever. Oh boy do i wish i had some tip downs! lol. I would probably still be out there catching them! I had to set my rod on the minnow bucket with the tip right over the hole and just watch for my line to move and when it did i picked up the rod and set the hook. Boy i thought walleyes were bad sometimes,these things were ridiculous.

A little later in the day I had to get a move on and get to work so i couldn’t stay for the evening bite as I’m sure these fish would pick up again. It was cool to put together a plan that had produced quite a few crappies and gills throughout the day, especially around the high noon hour when fishing can be brutal. It was nice to dust off the panfish equipment and get a bend in the light rods. A few tip downs may need to be added to my arsenal in the near future! The CJS Diamond jig was a key player in the success I had today as it comes in minuscule sizes and great colors that attract fish in the toughest times of the day. Also it gets back down in the water column quickly so you don’t miss a beat when that school of crappies and gills come roaming in. Now back to walleyes tomorrow!