Panfish setup advice

So Ive been thinking about getting a few rods for panfishing and was curious what you guys would do. Id mainly be targeting gills, p'seeds, warmouth, etc in creeks and the river by me, mostly shore or wading. My first thought was shorter rods would be more beneficial for that type of fishing. I would occasionally fish mid size lakes by shore and boat. Id fish a combination of live bait, float fishing, and casting/pitching jigs and spoons.

If you were limited to two rod setups what would you guys get? I dont have St Croix or Fenwick money so think cheaper. :yikes

My first thought was ultralights but now Im thinking an ultralight and light would be a better mix. I was thinking of the following, what do you guys think?


Ultralight Shakespeare Excursion 5ft ultralight paired with a Pflueger 6920 reel spooled with either 2 pound Trilene XL mono or one of the superlines.

light Shakespeare Micro Lite 5'6" light paired with a Pflueger 6025 reel spooled with 4pound Trilene XL mono or a superline.

I think that should cover most needs, and each setup would run about $80 total. I aso have an 8ft BnM crappie rod that I could also use if a longer rod were needed.

Both outfits you mentioned would work for your purpose.

I don't know anything about those rods, but I think you're making a good decision buying the Pflueger reels. They are hard to beat for the price. I've bought more expensive reels just to realize later that I preferred the Pfluegers.

I think it sounds good. I also think you will like using the 8' rod when flipping out jigs and slip or fixed corks to panfish. It just seems easier to me in some instances to use the longer rod, but any you mentioned should work. I have the Pfluegers also and love them.

Thanks guys. I Figured the shorter rods would be better fishing the shore under low overhanging trees and when wading in the water. My 8ft rod could also be used depending on where i was fishing.

I know the pflueger reels are good. The 6925 is actually on my 8ft rod right now. I think Im going to get a 6930 for it (slightly longer spool but 50% more line capacity for the 6lb that i use for crappie).

I was a little worried that the 6920 would be too small but im hoping it matches up good with the ultralight. I still need to feel the rods in the store. Im thinking of picking up the lignt power rod first.

When considering a spinning reel ,I would look strongly at spool size. I have used ice reels trying to get that lighter option for short rods. The small dia. spools were a nightmare for me .

Those should work out very good if you are bank fishing around a lot of trees. I doubt you could choose much better for the type of fishing you describe.

Mine are a little longer at 6' and 6.5', but I don't deal with too many overhanging limbs where I currently fish and additional casting distance is sometimes helpful. I do have a Fenwick (the 6.5 footer), but my favorite is an inexpensive Berkley Lightning Rod my wife gave me one Christmas about 15 years ago. My boy has the current Berkley equivalent Cherrywood and really likes it. I also prefer light action to ultra light action for better feel, and (I think) distance and accuracy - but that is strictly a personal preference. 2 and 4 lb. test are generally good and I've almost exclusively gone to 2 over the years. If there is not too much brush in the water and you learn how to back reel to give out line as needed you can still land big fish, but every now and then a big one will surge fast enough to still break off.

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Originally Posted by RiverSlabber

So Ive been thinking about getting a few rods for panfishing and was curious what you guys would do. Id mainly be targeting gills, p'seeds, warmouth, etc in creeks and the river by me, mostly shore or wading. My first thought was shorter rods would be more beneficial for that type of fishing. I would occasionally fish mid size lakes by shore and boat. Id fish a combination of live bait, float fishing, and casting/pitching jigs and spoons.

If you were limited to two rod setups what would you guys get? I dont have St Croix or Fenwick money so think cheaper. :yikes

My first thought was ultralights but now Im thinking an ultralight and light would be a better mix. I was thinking of the following, what do you guys think?


Ultralight Shakespeare Excursion 5ft ultralight paired with a Pflueger 6920 reel spooled with either 2 pound Trilene XL mono or one of the superlines.

light Shakespeare Micro Lite 5'6" light paired with a Pflueger 6025 reel spooled with 4pound Trilene XL mono or a superline.

I think that should cover most needs, and each setup would run about $80 total. I aso have an 8ft BnM crappie rod that I could also use if a longer rod were needed.

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I like this rod,and its cheap.:)http://www.cabelas.com/product/Eagle...ods/739708.uts

Shakespeare Micro Lite 5'6" is a good start along with the Eagle Claw mentioned by Techno (nice price and variety of lengths I have not found locally.) Just remember to pair rod action with the lures you'll be casting. Ultralight is not necessary when using heavier lures; light action is a good compromise.

Olegiller is right on about spool diameter! I recently returned a nice Daiwa spinning reel because it was more suited to ice fishing, not casting, and bought two Gander Mountain spinning reels yesterday for 30 bucks apiece that do just fine; I like Gander Mountain reels because they are well made and have a lifetime warranty. I still use two for bass fishing and they're over seven years old.

Consider spooling with light braid for long casts, almost no line twist, sensitivity to strikes and zero stretch (crucial when using light action rods. I usually tie on a 2' leader of 4-6 lb test fluorocarbon or Trilene XL line for best lure action. The lures I cast are mostly on 1/32 - 1/8 oz. jig heads rigged with soft plastic baits and they easily cast 25-30'

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Originally Posted by RiverSlabber

So Ive been thinking about getting a few rods for panfishing and was curious what you guys would do. Id mainly be targeting gills, p'seeds, warmouth, etc in creeks and the river by me, mostly shore or wading. I dont have St Croix or Fenwick money so think cheaper. :yikes

what do you guys think?
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I would suggest B-n-M (Sam Heaton) 7' ultra lite; Ugly Stick 6.6' ultra lite or Mr. Crappie 6.5' lite. I have all those rods equipped with Shakespeare open face reels spooled with 6lb line. They work for me.

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Originally Posted by Olegiller1

When considering a spinning reel ,I would look strongly at spool size. I have used ice reels trying to get that lighter option for short rods. The small dia. spools were a nightmare for me .

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Is the 6920 more of an ice reel meant more for vertical fishing. Looking at Pfluegers website it seems the 6925 is almost the same size/ line capacity. I think theb25 has more bearings.

Maybe the 6925 is a better match for both the light and ultralight?

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Originally Posted by RiverSlabber

Is the 6920 more of an ice reel meant more for vertical fishing. Looking at Pfluegers website it seems the 6925 is almost the same size/ line capacity. I think theb25 has more bearings.

Maybe the 6925 is a better match for both the light and ultralight?

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I just bought a Pflueger Purist 1330x I believe. Incredible reel for around $50-55. It is around 2000 to 2500 size of other reel makers. As others have said, the larger diameter reduces line coil immensely, which can be a problem with micro and ultra light reels. Also, I prefer a 6'-6.5" rod instead of 5 or 5.5'. Personal preference I guess, but you can cast longer and have more control especially when navigating a kayak, jon boat, float tube etc. I matched the Pflueger purist with a BnM 6' fast action light tip rod for $39. It is phenomenal! ...so, in the neighborhood of the price you mentioned. Check it out.

Well, ordered the Shakespeare Micro Lite rod (the 5'6" light power one) Friday morning, should be here by Tuesday next week. Took my son with me to Dick's this morning and picked up the Pflueger 6925 reel to go with it (they have a $10 mail in rebate going on till the end of the year if anyone is interested). He had more fun going up and down the escalator than anything else. He also liked looking at the fishing rods, I think one for his birthday next spring is in order.

Now I just need to to wait for the rod to get here. It's first trip out will either be to a creek 'gill hunting or with my dad out to a small lake for some crappie fishing.

Not sure when I'll get the ultralight, can't buy too much fishing gear at once or the wife starts to get suspicious. :Rofl

7ft Shakespeare Micro Ultralight rod with a Mitchell Avocet Ul reel spooled with 4lb Spiderwire Super EZ mono This the best all around combo for a reasonable price that I've fished. Light enough for small gills but strong enough for slab crappie and that sometimes bass or catfish that decided to grab your jig

I like the Okuma Ceillo (sp?) whole set up under 70 bucks .

I got the Shakespeare 5'6" light power and put my Pflueger 6925 reel on it. Worked pretty good on the 1/32oz jig I was casting around on my first try with the new setup. Got some good distance for such a light jig. Unfortunately I didn't catch any gills, only a few small bass. Saw a bunch of gills nipping at my jig, should have changed out to a smaller hook but I was fishing over lunch at work and by the time I found the gills it was almost time to leave.

Just had to make the same decision. I went with a Daiwa Laguna 2500-5bi and a 8 ft. Daiwa Spinmatic ultralight rod. I started with braided line and soon found out it's not to my liking, swapped over to Stren 4 lb mono and all is right with my world again. The reel was on sale at Sportsmans Warehouse for $30 and the rod was $40 there also, so $70 was a good deal for me.

I had a 5 ft. ultralight Ugly Stick that had a 40 yr old Ted Williams size 10 spinning reel which lost a bail screw and had to be replaced, got a Abu Garcia Cardinal SX10 for $30 at Walmart and loaded it with 4 lb. Berkley 100% Fluorocarbon which suits me better than the braid and maybe the plain mono too.

Anyhow good luck on the fishing and hope I could help.