Fishing for panfish like crappies and bluegills is undergoing a resurgence and refinement of tactics. Wired2fish’s Kyle Peterson takes on the challenge of finding and catching magnum bluegills. Peterson uses a 2-pronged approach of using power tactics to locate panfish and finesse tactics (drop shot rig) to catch more fish..
FEATURED TACKLE (retail links)
TOPWATER SETUP
- TOPWATER – Yo-Zuri 3DB Series Popper, color – Real Golden Shiner: Buy at Bass Pro Shops | Buy at FishUSA | Buy at Tackle Warehouse
- ROD – ARK Reinforcer Series Spinning Rod, 6’10” Medium Light – Extra Fast: Buy at Tackle Warehouse
- REEL – Daiwa Legalis LT Spinning Reel, 2000D: Check out at Daiwa | Buy at Tackle Warehouse
- LINE (braided mainline) – Yo-Zuri Superbraid Dark Green Line, 10-pound: Buy at Bass Pro Shops | Buy at FishUSA | Buy at Tackle Warehouse
- LINE (fluorocarbon leader) – Yo-Zuri T-7 Premium Fluorocarbon Line, 6-pound: Buy at Bass Pro Shops | Buy at FishUSA | Buy at Tackle Warehouse
DROP SHOT SETUP
- ARK – ARK Invoker Tour Series Spinning Rod, 6’10” Medium Light – Extra Fast: Buy at Tackle Warehouse
- REEL – Daiwa Tatula Elite Spinning Reel, 2500: Check out at Daiwa | Buy at Tackle Warehouse
- HOOK – VMC Sureset Drop Shot Hook, size 4: Buy at FishUSA | Buy at Tackle Warehouse
- WEIGHT – VMC Ike Tungsten Drop Shot Weights Cylinder, 3/16-ounce: Buy at Tackle Warehouse
- LINE (braided mainline) – Seaguar Smackdown Braided Line Flash Green, 10-pound: Buy at Bass Pro Shops | Buy at FishUSA | Buy at Tackle Warehouse
- LINE (fluorocarbon leader) – Seaguar Gold Label Fluorocarbon Leader, 6-pound: Buy at Bass Pro Shops | Buy at FishUSA | Buy at Tackle Warehouse
TOOLS
- SCISSORS – Rapala Elite Scissors 7″: Buy at Tackle Warehouse
- PLIERS – Rapala Mag Spring Pliers, 6”: Buy at Tackle Warehouse
POWER AND FINESSE 2-PRONGED STRATEGY
Peterson starts his day rigging a small popper and a drop shot rig. His goal is to explore the shoreline visually, using his popping bait to locate fish-holding areas. Few baits open the strike window and draw fish from cover like a topwater, as evidenced by his crappie, bluegill, and bass catches. He then pivots to a drop shot and leech combo to fish each spot more thoroughly.
TECHNIQUES AND TACTICS
While the popper is effective for catching a few fish, its real strength is revealing the presence of the target species. While the drop shot rig is known chiefly as a finesse presentation for bass and walleyes, it also excels for crappies and bluegills. A drop shot is the king of efficiency. It’s easy to cast, sinks rapidly to the bottom, presents live bait naturally, and keeps the bait in open sight off the bottom.
BOAT SETUP
- BOAT – Lund 1875 Pro-V Bass XS Bass Boat: Check out at Lund Boats
- MOTOR – Mercury Pro XS Outboard, 200hp: Check out at Mercury Marine
- SHALLOW WATER ANCHOR – Power-Pole Blade 2.0 Shallow Water Anchor: Buy at Bass Pro Shops
- TROLLING MOTOR – Garmin Force Trolling Motor: Buy at Bass Pro Shops | Buy at Tackle Warehouse
- FISH FINDER – Garmin ECHOMAP™ Ultra 126sv: Buy at Tackle Warehouse | Buy at Bass Pro Shops
- FORWARD-FACING SONAR – Panoptix LiveScope™ Plus System w/ GLS10 & LVS34 Transducer: Buy at Tackle Warehouse | Buy at Bass Pro Shops
Like any trophy fishery, quality bluegill fishing results from a conservation mindset. Peterson follows Minnesota’s Quality Sunfish Initiative to sustain the population and prevent stunting. While catching smaller bluegills may be easy, big bull bluegills are smart. Try Peterson’s effective 1-2 punch the next time you’re fishing a lake with quality panfish. You’re likely to locate productive spots faster and catch bluegills and crappies with more consistency.
