Drifting for Summer’s Suspended Panfish 5-30-09

Try Drifting for Suspended Summer Panfish

Recently, I ran into Joe Puccio, one of the owners of Bait Rigs Tackle and the designer of the Cobra Panfish jig. This jig with the kahle hook design has been a winner in the panfish world for many years. Joe is an expert on panfishing the Madison lakes with 40 plus years experience. I talked to Joe at length about the Madison fishery and got the info from him on the pattern and technique he uses for catching suspended fish after spawning and during the summer months.
Soon after the weather warms in the “Chain” lakes and all panfish are done spawning, many bluegills, crappies, and perch suspend over the lake’s main basins and feed on the zooplankton and other small insects, worms, and bugs that hatch from the lake’s bottom. Lakes with a soft and mud bottom have a better bug and worm hatch and thus more fish will suspend on these lakes.
  Puccio likes to have a buddy fish with him, so that he can take advantage of the Wisconsin law that allows each angler to fish with 3 rods. So, ideally Joe likes to fish with 6 rods to cover the water column from top to bottom. The first two rods are fished deep with bottom bouncers and a 24″ lead to a small Panfish Willowspoon (a light flutter spoon) baited with a leaf worm. These rods work the deeper water for perch which usually relate to the bottom of the lake. The next 4 rods are going to be “high” rods fishing and covering the water column from above the bottom bouncer rods to the water’s surface. On 2 of the rods, Joe likes to use panfish spinner rigs with a small blade (# 0) and a piece of crawler. He uses larger split shot to get the rigs down deeper on these two rods. Adding and taking off split shot either makes the spinners sink or ride higher in the water. The last two rods are rigged with 1/32 ounce Bait Rigs Slo-Poke jigs baited with minnows, crawlers, or leeches. The Slo-Poke is a swimming jig that trolls or drifts well with a horizontal presentation.
The bottom bouncer rods are close to the bottom, the Slo-Poke rods are next in the water column, and the spinner rigs are the highest up rods in this drifting pattern. Long rods work best and Puccio suggests rods at least 7 feet long with a light or medium-light action. Don’t use ultra-light rods because you have to make a sweeping hook set and ultra-light rods don’t have the strength. The line to use is Berkley Trilene XL in green color for the stained water and 4 or 6 pound test monofilament.
Try to use your electronics (Lowrance) to locate both fish and forage as you drift. This is not an exact science, according to Puccio, and he experiments with adding and subtracting split shots to get the rigs to the proper depth. Sometimes, Joe will use as many as 5 or 6 shots to reach different depths. Using a different number of split shots on each rod with the exception of the bottom bouncer rods, allows your bait (either worms or panfish leeches) to reach different depths where the panfish may suspend. When you catch a few fish on the same rod, try to repeat the process for more success. This is similar to trolling for walleyes on a lake’s main basin.
Another important factor to remember is that the fish are scattered and the wind can blow the zooplankton around the lake. If the weather is windy, use a drift sock to slow down your boat and control your drift. If the day is calm, use your bow-mount trolling motor to work you across the water. You are “raking” the lake for fish according to Puccio. Start your drift shallow and work to the deep water in the lake’s middle. On Lake Monona, try working from the mouth of the Yahara River to Turville Bay on the south end of the lake. On Lake Waubesa, work from from north of Hog Island to the south end of the lake. Here, you’ll be drifting over 20 feet of water. On Lake Kegonsa, the drift pattern is the same, but shallower. The water is darker, so the fish will be in shallow water. Work the weed edges and the rock bar in the lake’s middle area. Try to find the deepest weed edge adjacent to deep water.
Try drifting for suspended panfish on any lake you fish. By covering the entire water column, you will find the panfish that suspend during the warmer, summer months.