By Mitch Eeagan:
Many of the portraits twentieth-century artist Norman Rockwell painted portrayed anglers plucking panfish—the rod in hand usually nothing more than a cane pole.
Why such a simple stick (literally)? It was the rod of the commoner in the early 1900’s; only the elite could manage a split-bamboo casting or fly rod into their budget. To boot, wooden and metal rods wouldn’t make their debuts until the mid-1940s.
During this era, the techniques used to pluck bluegills, crappies and perch from the drink were as simplistic as the gear: 10 feet of sewing thread, a long-shanked hook, a few tiny split-shot sinkers and a cork to suspend a garden worm—fresh from an old coffee can—off the bottom.
But what could not be projected via Rockwell’s brush strokes was the fact that the catching was only grand if the fish were within a 20-foot lob from shore or a tiny rowboat.
Fast forward to what an artist would create today, and, other than the enthusiasm seen on the angler’s face, the scene would look quite different. The cane pole would be replaced with a multitude of rods in different lengths, actions and powers. Precision-made reels would adorn those rods, spooled with technically-advanced line. Sonar and GPS would be seen in the background, while insulated bait containers holding live bait and tackle totes full of artificial baits would be depicted at foot.
That era is now…
But just because the modern angler owns a boatload of newfangled equipment doesn’t mean they’re going to land a limit of panfish. The fact is, it’s more learning where panfish roam throughout the seasons, as well as how to use all that gear to its maximum potential, which turns fishless days into a full livewell.
If you absolutely love catching panfish, then you have something in common with fishing guide Brian “Bro” Brosdahl.
“There’s more to catching panfish than just plopping a float with an angle worm skewered on an Aberdeen hook out into nowheresville,” says Bro. “You first have to find those fish, then figure out what they want and then utilize your gear to present it in a way that the fish will eat it. And the right rods will also help you get those fish out of heavy cover and to the boat.”
To find fish, Bro relies on a Humminbird HELIX 10 SI GPS. But how he uses it, as well the rods he selects, depends on water clarity.
In stained water, where fish aren’t as apt to scatter with a boat’s hull hovering 10 to 15 feet overhead, Bro will utilize the Helix’s standard 2D sonar as well Down Imaging to decode the type of structure and fish. The edges of weed beds, woody areas or rockpiles are by far the best. Once over a fish, he’ll use the Spot Lock feature on his bow-mounted Minn Kota Terrova electric trolling motor to stay in place rather than toss an anchor over the side, which, inevitably, will spook fish.
Bro then has his clients lower their baits directly under the transducer at the rear of his boat so that the offering can be seen on the sonar. “You’ll see the fish come in, and then you can raise or lower the bait right into the strike zone,” he claims. He employs the transom’s transducer rather than the electric trolling motor’s as he feels the unit’s prop continuously turning on and off while in Spot Lock will eventually put fish down.
This is where shorter rods come into play. Bro’s choice in this situation is St. Croix’s 5- to 6-foot ultralight-power Plucking Panfish Series rods, which keeps rod tips and baits close to the gunwale and within the sonar’s cone. His reels are spooled with 4-pound-test Sunline monofilament.
Generally, tiny twister-tail bodies threaded onto 1/32- to 1/16-ounce jig heads are a good choice for vertical presentations. However, he’ll also tie on Northland’s Mud Bug or Hexi Fly and nip on a few waxworms for scent.
Small spoons, like Custom Jigs & Spins 1/16-ounce Slender Spoons, and jigs such as the company’s Rotating Power Minnow (RPM) are great choices as they have the fullness and locomotion to get the biggest Plucking panfish in the school to bite.
Another practice—similar to using those vintage cane poles—is to use the 10- or 11-foot Plucking Panfish Series and pull ’gills and crappies up and out of the mats of milfoil, thick cabbage or out of brushpiles.
“Heavy line used in thick vegetation is not a bite killer,” Bro claims. “And this system calls for it. I’ll use 10-pound-test mono over any other type of line, and then use an 8-pound-test fluorocarbon leader. And the heavier line couple with those long, moderately-fast-action rods will pull bluegills out of the holes before they have the chance to wrap up in the weeds, or, pull out the occasional bass that takes the bait.”
When it comes to plucking panfish, cane poles will do just fine… as long as you don’t mind limiting yourself to only a few choice moments to fish. Use sonar to your advantage, and bring along a few different rods, and you’ll be catching bluegills, crappies and perch all year long.