Panfish Power!

Panfish Power!

Author: Midwest Outdoors
Published: December 23, 2022

Here’s an interesting read for anyone who enjoys ice fishing!

“When it comes to ice fishing, more effort has undoubtedly been put into panfishing than gamefishing. Looking back on thousands of hours I have spent ice fishing and jig making, two things are certain: a fish is a fish as long as it is the same species, and each species reacts, eats and attacks prey differently.

I spent a lot of time staring at a spring bobber, wondering what was going on down below. I spent more time watching a flasher, wondering what was going on down below. But perhaps the time I spent watching bluegills react to my baits with an underwater camera was the biggest eye opener of all—until Livescope came around, that is. The difference with Livescope is that you can view and search a much larger area than with the use of any other electronics. And you realize that there are a whole lot of fish down there…I mean a whole lot of fish!

Bluegills are an ice fisherman’s best friend. They are readily available, school up, hide in relatively shallow water near weeds and can be easy to catch. They feed like piranhas when there is competition from other bluegills. Small fish are peckers; they peck, pull and jerk your rod tip. But those bigger, loner pie plates are slow movers. I call ‘em sniffers. These toads will move within inches of your dancing jig, until in one motion, they inhale and suck in your bait. If your bait is too heavy, your rod is too stiff or you are not paying attention, you will never notice. In shallow-water, light-jig situations, I prefer an UL (ultra-light action) pole like a St. Croix Legend Spring Rod; a light spring bobber tip is the only way to detect strikes.

Ice jigs for bluegills need to be tiny. I like a size 12 or 10 Custom Jigs & Spins Demon in shallow water. It is lightweight and easy for a bluegill to inhale, and the flutter-on-the-fall action really entices the fish. Add a juicy wax worm or a few red spikes and you are good to go!”

The full article can be found here.

Photo Credit: Original Author


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