When the weather is hot, the panfishing can be hot too, if you know where to locate fish in your nearby lake. Hot summer days with a mild breeze are great days to get outside and enjoy some panfishing. This can easily be done with a boat or small craft like a kayak or canoe. These hot days of summer place panfish in certain locations throughout lakes that you can pattern from one area to another, keeping you busy on these hot Iowa summer days. Panfishing in the summer can be done with a variety of techniques and baits. It is a time of year when you do have to experiment to know exactly what the fish want and where they are located. Here are a few “can’t miss” strategies as you begin to look for summer panfish.
Locations: Panfish live in all lakes here in Iowa, of course some lakes may thrive with bluegills while others may have a great population of crappies. These two panfish, typically the most sought after here in Iowa, live together throughout the year. Oftentimes when you find one species the other isn’t too far away. For the most part, these creatures are eating the same food as one another and cruising the lakes for their next meal. The food source this time of year can be a variety of creatures. Panfish will feed on microorganisms, first year fry, baitfish, bugs and crawdads. Basically, if it moves in the water and they can fit it in their mouth, they will eat it. With that in mind, as anglers we need to think where do these creatures spend their day, when you find the food, you will find the panfish. In most lakes there are three specific things to look for to find your next meal of panfish. The first being brushpiles, these are magnets for the bait that panfish eat. Brushpiles give the small creatures a place to hide, and in turn make an excellent place for panfish to come and grab their next meal. There are times where you can anchor down around a brushpile and cast to it for hours picking up fish after fish. Another great location are weed lines. Summer in Iowa always creates a lot of weed cover, ponds, small lakes, and big lakes typically will have submerged weeds and weeds on top of the water too. I always try to find some of the deeper weeds in the lake. They may be close to an old creek channel or at the mouth of a cove. I have seen in many cases that the bigger panifish will be closest to the deepest water. Lastly, and the most difficult area to find panfish is the open basin of the lake. Fish will roam during these hot months swimming over the deepest parts of the lakes looking for a meal. In most cases there is no rhyme or reason for their location, they are simply swimming, however staying close to channel swings and or flooded timber should increase your chances. Do not fish too deep in the basins, if a thermocline is present the panfish will not be active below it. These three distinct locations have always been a great place to start looking for summertime panfish, some are better than others on specific lakes, give them a try on your favorite panfish waters this summer.
Techniques: Catching panfish does not take a lot of fancy gear. Keeping things simple is a great way to chase after these fish. One cannot write about summer panfish without mention of a slip bobber. This technique has caught more panfish over the years than anything else combined. A bobber, when used to its fullest potential, can be deadly on panfish. Over the years I have found a bobber to not only zone in on a specific depth of water, but to use it as a trolling device. Once you cast it out, you can reel it in at any speed to control that deepest depth the bait will run. Some days a slow steady retrieve will have the panfish going crazy. Anchoring down and “trolling” your bobber slowly all around the structure or basin that you are is very effective this time of year. Casting and retrieving your favorite jig or small spinner is great too. Trolling the deep basin is a tried and true way to catch fish in the summer. If possible use the trolling motor instead of the gas motor to sneak up on the fish. On windy days, use the wind to your advantage by setting up a controlled drift. Use the wind to move you, and your trolling motor sparingly to adjust speed and direction. As with any fishing day, change up your colors and sizes of plastics, as it can make a big difference. Live minnows are hard to beat when searching out crappies, make sure you have some way to keep them alive during these hot months, they won’t last long without a plan. Small worms are a bluegill’s favorite meal, always have some ready to tempt them.
Fish Care: When catching fish in the summer months it is important to keep the care of the fish in mind. If you are going to catch and release for the day, have your camera ready for a few pictures. When the water temperature warms above seventy degrees, fish cannot be out of the water very long and survive another day. If you are going to keep some fish for eating it is important to care for them as well. It is best to keep the fish alive up to the point of cleaning it this time of year. If you cannot do that, then it is vital you get the fish in a cooler with ice. Chilling the fish while they are alive will preserve the meat and make those filets taste better than ever.
Panfish are a fun fish to chase, even when the weather may tell you to stay at home in the air conditioning. They are great to go after when kids or older adults are involved in the fishing trip. By concentrating on certain structures and cover in the lake you should be able to quickly find some hungry fish. The many techniques to try to catch these fish will have anglers interested and hopefully bringing in their fair share of fish for the day.
