6 Proven Panfish Setups You Need to Use | UNDERWATER Footage

Several Wired2fish staffers share a strong passion for catching a wide variety of panfish species such as crappies and bluegills. Ryan DeChaine grew up fishing panfish, and that passion continues today. He provides a detailed breakdown of his favorite tackle, techniques, and rod setups for catching panfish throughout the season and in wide-ranging situations.

DeChaine leads with a discussion about rod, reel, and line selection, emphasizing assembling a few basic setups that deliver enhanced sensitivity and the best possible bait action.

DeChaine's Top 6 Panfish Setups

00:34 - Rod, reel, and line for panfish.

02:05 - Jigs with plastic, hair, or live bait. A jig with a plastic or live bait pairing is the most versatile lure on this list. DeChaine discusses the benefits of fishing panfish jigs, the wide variety of sizes and profiles available to anglers, and some general rules on when to use each. Perhaps most importantly, jigs provide immediate depth control and the ability to cover water -- a must to finding nomadic panfish.

04:09 - Bobbers (corks). Most panfish anglers started their fishing career with a bait suspended beneath a bobber. DeChaine introduces some of the most popular bobber styles available and how to pair each to the situation. He dives deeper into his personal favorite slip bobber setup, which forgoes the use of weight altogether.

07:37 - Drop shot rig. Experienced drop shot anglers understand the utility of drop-shotting extends well beyond bass fishing. Like jig fishing panfish, a drop shot makes mastering depth control a breeze for fish on or near the bottom (e.g., bedding bluegill). DeChaine overviews the drop shot setup for panfish, and his preferences regarding weight, hook and bait options.

11:10 - Hard baits like jerkbaits, lipless crankbaits, and spybaits. Like drop-shotting panfish, there's tremendous crossover potential of hard baits in crappie fishing. Our team regularly targets crappies and bluegills with a variety of hard baits such as those mentioned above. These lures are typically bigger and more aggressive than traditional baits, so it's common to see catch size increase. Are you having a hard time getting fish to bite? Try triggering strikes with a bigger profile that emits an erratic and unpredictable action -- jerkbait fishing crappies is a prime case in point.

12:40 - Gliding jigs and spoons. We've grouped gliding jigs like the Rapala Jigging Rap and slab and flutter spoons together here. Like conventional jigs and hard baits, gliding jigs and spoons sink quickly for reaching fish at various depths and trigger bites through a combination of profile and different and unique actions. Commonly used in ice fishing, gliding jigs and spoons excel particularly well during the fall months when huge schools of fish take form and congregate in basin areas.
GLIDING JIGS/aka SWIMMING JIGS SAMPLES

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[ReelDealFisherman]

This is a really well made video and covers all my fav techniques in the perfect order. If you can’t catch a panfish after watching this video then you might be out of luck.

[rese]

Bro the way dude caught n grabbed that fish was smooth af 8:17

[gloccwitdabeamm]

Fishing for panfish is honestly SO fun. It brings back memories a lot for me.

[PythonDad]

As much as I love chasing giant catfish, bass, etc. really none of it is as fun as catching panfish.

[thatoneguy]

Started bass fishing hard core 3 years ago and got tired of travleing just to get skunked so i picked up a lighter action rod and started fishing for pan fish. Doing so has inproved my fishing experience ten fold.

[Rigamortis]

I like how diverse panfish can be and are fun to catch and eat

[ReconRat]

Excellent gear/set-up overview! Might want to mention how delicious these abundant fish are as well!

[zjzjbigfishcatches]

Grandma favorite fish panfish, and her old saying if they are the size of your hands they are ready for the frying pan 😊😂❤🐟🌊🎣🐟👍

[lisaclark]

Thank you for a in-depth on baits. I love fishing but never had any formal training. Headed out in the morning so will give some of these a try

[garvindreis]

I am a avid bass fisherman, but i got toddlers who want to fish. And i am completely ignorant to panfish and am hating having trips to the lake have nothing happen even though we can see the fish. Ive tried everything from reducing the size of the hook to throwing everything i can think of into the water. This video is a huge help.

[stannotfound]

Very well put together video, been favoring pan fishing because of BFS but still love to use a UL fishing reel as well

[jojoslove]

Tgank you for this excellent tutorial. Best video I have ever seen on fishing, period. I love to fish but I do not know what in the world I'm doing...until now, I am definitely going to subscribe and save this video.

[lisheltonanderson]

Wire2fish, what are you doing to me this is a beautiful video, got my blood pumping I literally said "I'm going fishing" I look up and I'am at work. Completely forgot just that quick, about to call off while at work. This right here is why we love fishing its complexed but simple. A bad day of fishing beats a good day at work. Keep bringing these fire videos we love'em.

[peggyparrow]

Excellent video for us panfish people !

[gamingdreams]

I’m starting to enjoy this style of fishing over bass fishing. Bass fishing has become a money grab and all you do is cast and wind most of the day.

[lawdognate]

Always have a drop shot tied on. I use it for creek chubs, creek smallies, panfish, largemouth, even channel cats hit it.

[tacohell]

If you can't catch crappie or bluegill after watching this video.. stop fishing and pickup another sport. This is the best video ever! Well done!💯

[kenmaylin]

Look into "no knot fast snaps" for UL lures. They were designed for fly fishing but I've been using them for UL for years and love'em!

[SMC]

Some of my favorite fishing moments are fishing for big bluegill with a light ( size 4 ) fly rod, 4lb leader, using little top water poppers! What a blast! I love catching big bass but I have to say, I think I had more fun top water fishing for sunfish 🎣

[proteusxavier]

What an excellent vid. So many great options here. Only just got into jigging raps and they can really trigger some bites. Best thing about panfish fishing with kids are the bright bait colours. The little ones love 'em!