With all the pursuing of walleye that I do I often overlook the great opportunities I have to chase super size panfish. Growing up in Minnesota there was no shortage of chasing panfish whether it was sunfish or crappies. I remember soaking minnows next to reeds in may and as June went by switching over to wax worms to catch the bluegills that had moved into spawn. With the unique opportunity to fish flooded timber that South Dakota offers, I have been adapting some techniques to find spawning panfish in this unique structure. On some recent outings we have been targeting spawning crappies in flooded timber from 4-10 fow. The deeper water fish are handing around and in flooded branches. Jigs have been vanishing at an alarming rate 
. Fish however have been coming on board at a fast pace. 
. We have been pitching in the shallow wood with small flu flus from jigs and spins as well as small 1 inch tubes. Bfishn tackle jigs in 3/32 with a small white curly tail have produces as well. In deeper water using polarized glasses to drop the jigs down in the timber in and amongst the branches has been key. Brighter colors such as pink, chartreuse, and white have worked well. Since we moved into the timber we have not been using any live bait as these fish are on the chow and inhaling what we have been putting down. We have been keeping a few for some fries with friends, but also putting many of these big slabs back. The other night we caught close to 60 crappies and kept a dozen. I cannot stress enough how important it is to practice selective harvest with big pan fish. At certain times of the year they can be especially vulnerable. I did manage to get out and chase eyes one evening and found them still hitting cranks up to the weeds. Hope you all have a chance to get out and wet a line. Have fun and be safe – Quintin.
June 18, 2012 at 4:04 am
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