WHEN THE BASS AREN’T HITTING
Mike Yurk
415 Valley View Road
Hudson, WI 54016
bassinmajor@yahoo.com
We fished the east side of the lake and were working our way down the southern bank. For all our efforts we had only six bass. We found half of them in shallow water and half in deep water so there was no established pattern to where we could find the bass. They seem scattered and fairly unresponsive. It looked like it was going to be a tough day of fishing.
It was a hot summer day and my sixteen old grandson Max Hein of La Crosse and I were fishing a small Polk County Lake. We were fishing light 1/16th ounce jigs with four inch worms. For the last couple of weeks it was the hot bait but apparently not now.
I flipped my worm into a pocket of water to the side of dock. I felt a solid bump and set the hook. The fish put up stiff resistance on the light spinning rod but when it came splashing up on the surface of the water I saw it was a bluegill. Although it wasn’t the bass I was looking for it was a big bluegill, bigger than my outstretched hand. I twisted the hook out of the fish, dropping it back in the water.
Anytime you find brush and overhanging trees you will find good fishing for panfish.
I cast back out and immediately felt another strike. The fish was on solid and it put up a strong fight although I was certain it wasn’t a bass. It turned out to be another bluegill, again bigger than my hand. Certainly if we were looking for a meal of fish both of those bluegill would have gone in the livewell. Two bluegills in two casts was the best pattern we found so far.
SWITCHING TO PANFISH
Turning to Max I asked “How about we forget the bass and try for panfish for awhile?” “It’s ok with me, Grandpa,” Max said. With that we put away our spinning rods with the plastic worms and I pulled out two ultralight spinning reels with four pound test monofilament and 1/32d ounce tube jigs.
Brightly colored tube jigs are a favorite bait for crappies and bluegills.
Two casts later Max’s spinning rod was bouncing as a fish took off. The ultralight was bent in half as a fish was splashing on the surface. It was another hand size bluegill. A few casts later I saw a silver flash in the water as Max was bringing his fish in and when he grabbed the line to pull the fish into the boat I saw it was a crappie.
We continued to move slowly with the trolling motor along the southern shore of the lake. This stretch of bank has lots over hanging trees, sunken brush, toppled trees sitting in the water and sunken logs. It is perfect for panfish. We flipped our baits close to the brush, let them sink for a moment or two and if we didn’t have a strike we slowly brought the baits back by lifting the rod tips and slowly bringing in the line. We felt the fish pop the baits, set the hook and the battle was on. It is hard to find a better fighting fish than bluegill on ultralight equipment. We steadily caught panfish for the next couple of hours.
We had an assortment of fish which included bluegills, crappies, pumpkinseed, yellow perch and a couple smaller bass. By the time afternoon came to an end we caught and released over sixty fish. It was great fishing despite the fact the bass we initially targeted weren’t hitting.
During hot summer days when the bass aren’t hitting you have a limited number of options. One is you can stay at home and forget fishing. Two you can slug it out in the heat hoping to catch a few bass. Thirdly, better yet, switch to panfish and spend an afternoon catching lots of fish.
Finding and catching panfish, even on the hottest days, is relatively easy. I look for deeper water close to shaded banks with brush or sunken trees or anything in the water. Essentially if you find any kind of natural cover in the water you will find panfish. Recently I was at another lake and passed over a sunken log. The water was clear enough I could see to the bottom. Normally this would be a good bass spot but when I looked down in the water I saw a huge school of bluegill holding tight to the log.
Pumpkinseed like the one the author's grandson Max Hein is holding is a great alternative when the bass aren't hitting.
Fishing equipment for panfish is fairly simple. One of my favorite panfish baits is small tube jigs. The jig itself can be 1/64th to 1/16th ounce with an inch long plastic tube. Color usually doesn’t matter but I generally use bright colors. Anything with chartreuse or white seems to work well as bright green or orange.
Another great panfish bait is small ice fishing jigs, tipped with wax worms a couple feet under a small pencil thin balsa float. A couple days after Max and I fished that small lake in Poke County I returned to the same lake again, this time with his two sisters Amelia age thirteen and Abigail age ten. We used ice jigs with wax worms and we spent the afternoon catching panfish non stop.
Another panfish option is fly fishing. My wife Becky and I sometimes carry light fly rods in the rod locker and if the bass aren’t hitting we go fly fishing for panfish turning a slow day of fishing to a great day of fishing. Our favorite flies are small sponge bugs or trout nymphs.
As well, catching panfish is a wonderful way to put a meal of tasty fillets on the table. Nothing says summer as much as plate of deep fried bluegill fillets with fresh corn on the cob on a warm summer evening.
So be prepared for those times when the bass aren’t hitting. Carry a couple of panfish rods in your boat and get ready for some of the best action of the summer and an afternoon of great fishing for panfish.
Editors Note: Mike Yurk’s column is sponsored by Warner’s Dock in New Richmond, Wisconsin. Warner’s Dock is the premier marine dealer in northwestern Wisconsin. They have a complete supply of new and used boats, motors, and trailers as well as other marine supplies plus a complete maintenance staff for all your boating needs. They can be contacted through their website at www.warnersdock.com or by telephone at 1-888-222-3625.