WET FLIES AND NYMPHS FOR PANFISH

Cast your wet fly out and then let it sink well down towards the bottom. If the bottom is sand or gravel, let it go clear to the bottom. If there are too many weeds, you’ll have to count until the wet fly is about a foot above the weeds or obstructions, then start your retrieve. The best method is to use the hand twist retrieve with the rod held close to the water. This is for nymphs, streamers, bucktails or spinner flies. The sizes for panfish run all the way from No. 8 to No. 18, depending on conditions.

DRY FLIES AND BUGS FOR PANFISH
The same organized method of casts should be used with dry flies or small bass bugs–bluegills or crappie bugs, we might call them. In this case, remember to use the technique we learned for bass. Take your time and fish the small bugs slowly. Let them lie still on the surface after casting, then twitch, like a live bug. Do this several times, then retrieve with a rod-tip jerk or the hand twist method. In both dry fly and wet fly casting be careful of your pick-ups. It is true that panfish are not as scary as trout or bass, but the larger panfish will not take your flies when they can see you. It pays to be careful. You never lose anything by it—and in the long run, you’ll catch more fish.

Above 80° Water
When the lake water gets too warm, above 80° usually, the panfish, like bass, go back to medium depths, 7 ft. to 15 ft., and then to deep water, 15 ft. to 25 ft. In these depths, you go back to the methods I suggested for medium depth and deep water fishing. This means either wet flies or live bait in the medium depth water; live bait in the deep water.

PERCH
Perch range widely over a lake, but can be caught with live bait along with the other panfish. They take a spinner-fly or a spinner-and-worm particularly well. They are splendid eating and put up a good fight for their size.

ROCK BASS AND CRAPPIES
Rock bass and crappies are larger panfish and very fine game fish. Tactics for them are the same as for blue gills and sunfish. Rock bars and rocky shore lines are particularly good for rock bass and crappies.

BULLIIPADS AND CATFISH
Bullheads and catfish are bottom fish. They practically never leave the bottom at any season and prefer mud or stumpy bottom. As table fish many think them among the finest of fresh water fish. For their size—and catfish often are big—they put up a good fight. Bullheads and catfish take almost any kind of bait, live or not. In addition to regular bait, they take almost any kind of meat or fish flesh. Don’t spurn these fish. They can give you some enjoyable fishing.

Stream Patiftsh
Panfish in streams will respond to the same tactics as in lakes. They prefer the sides of streams out of the main current. They like the eddies, backwaters, rock pockets, holes between boulders, brush piles in the water and log jams. In fishing for panfish in streams, again the best policy is to stalk your fish. It always pays.
Of course, you should use light tackle in angling for pan-fish. I’ll tell you my suggestions for that in the next chapter; but before leaving the bluegills and sunfish and perch, let me again recommend them enthusiastically to all vacation anglers in mid-summer or near our large cities where trout and bass are out of the picture.