“Not-So-Macho” Fishing
By Travis Peterson
Panfishing! We’ve all done it. While many anglers faithfully target larger species such as walleye, bass, pike and muskie, across North America, panfish are very popular prey. I’ll admit that watching a bobber, waiting for it to twitch, and hopefully descend below the surface, keeps me on the edge of my boat seat with anticipation.  Like myself, many of the anglers who target larger fish varieties got their start in the sport as youngsters, chasing panfish. Often, the same anglers appear to have forgotten their roots. I’m not sure if it’s a “not-so-macho” complex or what. Maybe they just feel that they are better equipped now than back-in-the-day and have bigger fish to fry, so to speak.

Other anglers chase everything that swims and target various species during peak time periods. Still others are opportunists and drop everything else when an opportunity presents itself. A few years ago, I was at a B.A.S.S. Weekend Series tournament in Alexandria, Minnesota. While waiting for the rules meeting to begin the night prior to the event, I was visiting with another Minnesota competitor and friend, Scott Bonnema. When I asked Scott how his prefishing went, he answered with a big grin, “Just okay on bass, but this afternoon I really caught crappie.” Scott is an opportunist. 

While his true passion is bass fishing, he likes to catch fish – period! That day, while searching for bass in the shallows, he observed numbers of crappie. Obviously, Scott had some light tackle on board and took advantage of the situation. How oxymoronic was it – to listen to Scott, with his big Ranger bass boat parked nearby, getting’ all giddy over some panfish?

I’ve also learned to keep some panfish gear in the boat at all times.  Like Scott, I spend much of my time on the water chasing bass. My kids often fish with me. Usually, they’ll start out casting for bass. When they see bluegill or crappie darting around however, they are quick to grab the panfish rods. Largemouth and panfish generally prefer the same habitat so it’s a good one-two punch. This will often keep them entertained while I continue to chunk and wind for bass. Of course, if the panfish action gets too wild, I might even target them for a while. Angling for panfish can be as complicated as one wants. I like to stay away from complicated. Fire-Fly Jigs beneath slip-bobbers are killers for small-mouthed, insect eating bluegill and sunfish. Crappie like ‘em too. When I am strictly targeting crappie (there I go – getting all species specific again), I might switch to a plain hook and minnow.   While bobber fishing is a blast, I like to cast to crappie with small tube jigs as well. Northland Tackle’s new Slurpies Small Fry Tubes are the ticket. They mimic a tiny minnow, and are actually small enough for bluegill to get a hold of too. I’m able to cast them a fair distance on light line. Often when fish are spotted in the shallows, a short flip gets the bait in the strike-zone.

The visual aspect of panfishing is really intriguing to kids – young ones and 38-year old ones! A pair of polarized sunglasses makes the experience even greater. I buy the cheap ones for my kids and they work fine. It can be like fishing in an aquarium. I think one can learn a lot about fish in general by observing panfish behavior. A fish is a fish after all. 

Maybe this will be the summer to return to those beginnings, to relive those experiences that lit the fishing fire. Pack a lunch, take some kids, keep it simple, and catch a bunch of panfish. Don’t smile though   That would be “not-so-macho”! Unless of course, you find yourself fishing on a remote lake or in a secluded bay with nobody watching – then smile. 

Heck, giggle a little.