Thread: How to catch "BIGGER" panfish

I spider rig for them. Get off of the banks except during bedding/spawning. I will fish in 15-30 FOW and catch suspended fish. The spit eaters seem to stay closer to the banks and docks. Popeye's tipped with wax worms seems to do the trick.

One local lake in particular, we will fish along the dam in 40 FOW. Wherever the thermocline is, we will fish just above it. The fish will suspend in open water when the temps heat up. People give us odd looks when we are out in the middle of the lake pan fishing. It gets pretty good from mid June on.

What he said. Bigguns like deeper water and simple presentations.

Well, I guess I'm the oddball since I'm still fishing shallow water. Now that all the black crappie are thru doing their thing most all of those fish ae back out on the 15'-20' flats under the bait but I'm still catching some quality white crappie, both males and females in 3'-5' of water. The females in the shallows still have eggs. Size of the bigger fsh I have been catching ranges fom 1.5# to 2#s. I'm longlining 1/32nd jigs with sliders and curlytail grubs.

Well until i started using a small crank bait a short time ago.I would bottom bounce with crickets using a 10ft pole.1/4 ounce weights on the bottom with the hook about 6 or 7 inchs above the weight.I kinda look silly out bouncing the flats but i ve found them that way(all sizes).Then i got a spot were the good ol biguns have bed up for years. Also watching the surface activity is a way i find beds, too.
Now im looking forward to using tiny crank baits after the 1st of next year.Did amazing well on them when the water was still pretty cold.

seems like the bigger fish are deeper on my home lake, and I use the same size lure when fishing shallow or deep. I just change up how I present the lure or get the lure down to 'em if I'm going deep.

I would use a rooster tail in that situation, tipped with Bee moth.
I seem to get the most mileage out of white ones.

I use a lucky swimming minnow and I have caught largemouth bass, sunfish, bluegill, small mouth, crappie, an I once caught a monster catfish. Just cast along the weeds and you will catch tons of fish