Twin Cities metro area guide Adam Griffith breaks down his one-two punch for chasing panfish during the winter.
When targeting panfish, Griffith recommends having two different setups for targeting fish: one for deep and one for shallow.
When he’s targeting deep panfish that are tight on the bottom, Griffith likes to use a longer power noodle rod with a soft tip and a good backbone that is setup with a typical spinning reel. This allows him to get his bait down to the fish quickly which is important in keeping the school of fish beneath him.
When the fish are suspended really high in the water or he moves in shallower, he’ll switch over to a Schooley (in-line) reel to have better control of the bait. He’ll also make this switch depending on the type of lure he’s using.
Spoons show line twist much less than a horizontal jig simply due to their orientation. Spinning reels can cause a lot of line twist, especially when using light test mono or fluoro. However, it’s still possible to get away with using spoons without much of an issue. When the bite gets finicky and he needs to downsize to a tungsten jig and plastics, that’s when Griffith will switch to his in-line reel rod because there is little to no line twist to rotate the hook around.
As far as line goes, Griffith is pretty general in what he uses. When on a really finicky fish and and fishing bluegills which tend to stare at baits more, it might be beneficial to downsize to something like a 1 or 2 lb test. But with crappies, if you get them interested, they’re going to eat so it’s possible to get away with a more general 4 lb test.
When targeting panfish, be sure to keep these tips in mind when picking the right reel for the situation. Thee tips will help reduce line twist, control the bait better, keep the school pinned, and catch more fish.
