Introduction
Finding
a bait you have confidence and comfort in using can be tough.
This article will introduce you to my comfort bait for pan
fishing. As spring rolls in so do pan fish such as Bluegill,
Crappie and Rock Bass. These fish will move out of their
wintering holes and into shallower water. When this
happens you have a fantastic opportunity to score big on
these fish. Now what to use!
My Crappie Bait Of Choice
Jeff
Smith at Leland Lures came out with the "Trout Magnet" a
few years ago and it quickly became my comfort bait for Bluegill
and Shell Cracker as they began to bed. Last year Jeff
introduced the Crappie Magnet. It didn't take long for this
bait to prove itself big time on Percy Priest Lake here in
Nashville.
The Crappie Magnet is very
easy to use. It consists of a small bobber, a
small
lead head with a small plastic Crappie Magnet attached. The
plastic bait has a split tail that gives a little tantalizing
movement that Crappie can't hardly resist. On my last Crappie
outing last week the day started out slow. We tried other
lead head/plastic combinations and techniques with very little
success. I just thought it was going to be a slow day. I
tied on the Crappie Magnet and eased over to another tree
and began fishing it extremely tight to the cover keeping
my boat positioned correctly into the wind. Sure enough
the bobber went down and kept going down. When the Crappie
hit the Magnet they usually inhale it deep and you can pull
them right up out of the brush.
As
far as rods are concerned I like to use a long 8 foot rod
to be able to just lift the lure straight up and down
keeping the bait from hanging up in the trees. Some situations
like when you have clearer water and no wind you will need
to keep your boat off the shallow structure making longer
casts. When I'm doing this I like to use a 6 foot to 6 foot
6 inch medium light rods. As the Crappies begin to head out
of the shallow water you can still use the Crappie Magnet
to probe deeper structure.
My Bluegill-Shell Cracker-Rock
Bass Bait Of Choice
You guessed it! The Crappie
Magnet and the Trout Magnet both are fantastic on Bluegill,
Rock Bass and Shell Cracker. I have caught these feisty pan
fish all year around using these baits. It doesn't matter
if the fish are on bed in one foot of water or suspended
out in twenty feet of water these baits are awesome. Another
great benefit of this system is that the EZ Float is light
enough that you can cast it into the shallow water with a
quite presentation but yet aerodynamic enough to give you
all the distance you will need. Remember, these baits will
work all year long until the winter season sets in again.
Let's
talk about my favorite pan fish the Rock Bass. (aka: Warmouth,
Goggle Eye, Black Perch) The Rock Bass will absolutely eat
this up all year long, but in the Spring all you have to
do is get in one of our Middle Tennessee streams and let
the Trout Magnet system drift barely bumping the bottom.
When the fish are in the rocks bedding or in the root balls and
root systems, cast as close as you can just above the structure
and let it drift by. Wham! The Rock Bass can't resist. When
the Rock Bass are actively feeding you will find that
drifting the Trout Magnet through the run will not only produce
Rock Bass but Smallmouth as well. It's not unusual to get
20 to 30 fish out of one run in the Spring.
Conclusion
There
are many products to choose from to Pan Fish with. But take it
from a Guide that specializes in Pan Fish and Stream Smallmouth.
If you are looking for a proven pan fish system that is easy
to use not only for you but for your kids as well that will
produce time and time again, you need to try the Crappie
Magnet and Trout Magnet Systems. I don't go Pan Fishing without
them.
Mike Dial
Tennessee Bass Guides
www.tennesseebassguides.com
