Mid-summer panfish revealed by Humminbird Down Imaging

[Jason Halfen #511]

Many anglers begin their fishing seasons in pursuit of panfish. Warming spring waters draw large numbers of panfish into the shallows to feed in, and months later, to spawn among, the emerging weedbeds and other shallow cover. Spring is a time of bounty for anglers pursuing panfish, and many baskets of panfish leave lakes in the spring, destined to be guests of honor at early-season fish dinners. Things begin to change quickly, however, after the primary bluegill spawn winds down. Suddenly, the shallow waters that weeks earlier teemed with abundant, aggressive panfish now play host to the "potato chip club", scores and scores of young panfish in the 4-6" class and smaller. Finding quality mid-summer panfish requires anglers to move out of the shallows and hunt these fish in cooler, deeper waters. In this article, I'll show you how I use Humminbird's Down Imaging feature to identify the areas that hold these fish, as well as the fish themselves.

Mid-summer panfish revealed by Humminbird Down Imaging