Top Tips for Catching Panfish

Catching panfish can be a lot of fun, but you need to know what you’re doing. Here are a few of the best tips and tricks out there for catching panfish.

Panfish are a family of freshwater fish that includes bluegill, crappie, sunfish, and more. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes and usually like to hide among weeds and stones in shallow water. So how do you catch them? The following tips should help make your next fishing trip a successful one:

The Location
The best fishing spot for catching panfish is in the shallows near the banks. The shoreline is where you’ll often find piles of rocks, stumps, or brush, which make for perfect hiding spots for panfish. One way to find them is to probe around with your rod when you’re standing around these areas. Thoroughly explore the area with your bait. Closely examine any depressions or holes that might be holding these fish, because they often like to stay put in shaded hiding spots where they feel safe from predators.
Bluegills, for instance, can be easily found in shallow water with a sandy or muddy bottom near a weed-bed or submerged brush pile. These fish come out at night to feed on insects and small fish. Some bluegills can be found in deeper waters during early morning hours, when they feed on bait fish stirred up from the bottom by predators such as bass and catfish – which is when you can more easily catch them.

The Bait
Some people prefer to use live bait, such as worms, to catch panfish. Others believe that this method is outdated and not very effective. You can use artificial lures, such as small plastic worms or crickets. It is important to note that panfish are not at all picky eaters, which means that it doesn’t really matter whether you use bread, worms, or insects to catch them. They will gladly eat all of these, or even a small live minnow or corn kernels.

The Equipment
One thing you should always keep in mind when fishing for panfish is that their eyesight isn’t the best, so they cannot see bait that’s too far away from them or in murky water. Try using a brightly colored lure and lightly bouncing it around in the water to get the fish to notice it. Additionally, it is recommended that you use a relatively small hook.

The Time
In the evening, when it’s darker, panfish see even worse than usual and it’s easier to catch them. As we mentioned above, during the early morning hours you can find them in deeper areas of the water. Panfish are more likely to spend their time in the shallows during the cold months. In the summer you’ll be able to catch them in deeper waters.

The Techniques
Catching panfish is easiest to do with a simple fishing rod, but you can also catch them with a medium-size net.

Good luck and enjoy your fishing!