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Jigging for Panfish
By Max

We’ve all been out there when it didn’t seem to matter what you gave them or how it was presented. The very moment aggressive to nearly hostile crappies or sunfish see it they grab it. Under such conditions you can jig a lure with every conceivable combination of motions and there will be dinner on the table. These fish are ON, but what about when they’re OFF. Hard water anglers must work through a variety of jigging motions, and lures to find something that triggers strikes.  

Let’s say that you’ve located a bunch of Panfish. Drilled your holes, and settle into your portable shelter. The first contact is important. After all, you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

Begin by dropping your lure to the halfway between the surface and the Panfish, while of course watching the action on the flasher. From the midway point, slowly lower the bait toward them. Keep it smooth and subtle, be patient, remembering that naturally occurring forage doesn’t shoot through the water screaming, “Eat me, eat me!”
Aggressors are the first fish to hit, and frequently, they’re positioned on top of the school. But these aren’t necessarily the ones you’re after; they need to be worked out of the school. It’s quite possible that none of the Panfish you’re over demonstrate immediate interest. The basic lift and fall, and pause regimen fails to motivate them. Prepare to change and do something different.

Most anglers oftentimes leap into exaggerated jigging motions in hopes of provoking a strike. In the underwater world, Panfish associate sharp, vertical movements with danger, warning, and escape. That’s fine if hungry crappies are feasting on baitfish. But inactive fish and ones feeding on microorganisms might flee from the commotion.
 

Most Panfish food is slow moving, with the exception of minnows. Zooplankton and freshwater shrimp, they chug, pulse, and pump through the water. Some advance vertically and others more laterally, but none swim fast enough to out wit a crappie or sunfish, so make your movements with this in mine.
Panfish specific jigging techniques, or tricks are designed to convince less than willing Panfish to strike.

Teasing

You will need some type of electronics for the method.

This tactic is intended for the panfish that chase but never commit. Remember taunting the cat with a piece of yarn? If you pulled it past him quickly, old whiskers face paid little attention, but when you slowed things down, dragged the yarn and paused, dragged, paused sooner or later that feline was compelled to pounce. Panfish behave in a similar way. And it makes sense, considering that they’re both predators.
Start by hovering a panfish treat in front of them. For this technique, tip your lure with maggots, wax worm or a spike. As the fish approaches your lure, as viewed on a flasher, pull the jig up and away in small one-inch stair step or bouncing motions, halting the sequence after covering about a foot or so. More than likely the fish will follow. But right before contact, take it away again. Continue teasing the fish or fishes; teasing makes a school of fish competitive and more aggressive. Proceed drawing them higher into the water column because history teaches that the higher they swim the more likely they are to bite. Oftentimes, you’ll establish a magic depth, and every time panfish achieve that level, they will strike.

The teasing is in the taking away. Eventually, the fish will chase faster than previously and strike. If they continue to trail but never attack, another trick is to pinch the head off of a wax worm, it will leave a milky scent trail in the water that might help provoke a strike, if that doesn’t help it’s time to try something else.

Side to side jigging

Years ago I saw a man using this method and stopped to watch him pull bluegills in one after another out of the ice covered water, so I thought one day about the encounter when I was having a fishless day to try it and with a little practice it started to produce for me, as it will for you.
Hold the rod tip above the center of the hole and violently shake your wrist back and forth in one to two inch increments. This causes the rod tip to wag from side-to-side in roughly eight-inch strides, and below the ice, your lure hovers and quivers erratically. Work in a few pauses. Still no response? Continue wagging while raising the rod tip ever so slightly. Nothing? Move the rod around the hole, try a more subtle movement less side-to-side movement just tap the rod with your finger making the rod move an inch or less. This will cause the lure to vibrate and not jump around as much, try the leaking wax worm trick, or Crappie nibblets. If these things don’t provoke a strike you should be moving to a new location.
Very seldom will I employ all these methods at one hole or location, unless I am on top of a school large fish. After about a half hour or so I am ready to move to another location or try to locate another school.
I have found this method of jigging very effective and use it more then 90% of the time.
It takes a little practice and time to get comfortable with the motion and detecting the bite but it is worth the effort.

Method and Equipment Refinements

When panfish gets ultra finicky they might be “line shy”. If that’s the case, it’s wise to spool up with lighter line. If you’re on the lake tie on a leader and see if that changes their attitude. Always use as light a line, as you feel comfortable with; I never go above 6 pound or smaller then 2. But 90% of the time it’s the 4 pound.
When I locate fish and start to fish my first lure is a small spoon tipped with bait next if no takers is a smaller jig, Marmooska, fat boy, etc. then to a teardrop or ant type jig. If this doesn’t work then I will add a dropper to the teardrop with a size 10 or 12 hook and dress it with a grub/maggot for bait. Even a spoon with a drop hook and short leader will provoke a strike.  If this bait doesn’t provoke a strike then it is time to move to another location but return to this hole and try it again it maybe entirely different when you return.

The use of electronics has been surfacing throughout this article. Never hit the ice without one. Get yourself a used or new one; with the prices of new ones you should be able to afford some type to help you on your outing. Purchase a used flasher on Ebay or out of the newspaper or from a flea market, it will more then pay for its self. Quality electronics need to show depth, structure, bottom content, fish, and even the lure. Most importantly for jigging, revealing the fish’s moods and behavior by how they respond to lures.

A good piece of sonar must meet three basic requirements: 1. It needs to display in real time. Meaning that the images you see are happening at that moment not being translated in the computer and sent to you a few seconds later, you see them with out delay. 2. It must be portable and able to “shoot” through the ice with out cutting holes.  3. Simplicity. It has to be easy to use so you can understand what it is telling you.

Purchase a good auger gas or manual, a spud bar will work as long as the ice is not too thick or you don’t mind working at it. The size of the hole will depend on what type of fishing you are going to do starting out from 4 inch up to 10 inch, don’t forget in Pa. 10 inch is as big as you can legally use. I have an 8-inch gas auger and a manual 8-inch, when the ice gets 6 inches thick and above the gas one is the way to go but a good sharp manual auger will do the trick. And make sure that you have a good set of blades or even a set of new ones with you, a dull blade will end a fishing trip very quickly.

Cold-water panfish aren’t always waiting with mouths open for any clumsily offered morsel. Granted you can catch some of them with a rock tied on the end of rope but it won’t be many and you will not have the fun you can have with a little practice and patience. Having jigging techniques for the tougher times can make or break an outing. Invest into some good equipment; you don’t need a tent or a shack. I’ve used many a 5-gallon pail as a tackle box, lunch bucket and seat. But a good rod, reel and line can make a big difference along with a few quality jigs. Don’t be afraid to ask questions of other anglers see what types of lures are working for them. Stop at the local bait shop they will give you a lot of good information on the local fishing and what is working in the area.

Biggest thing is to enjoy the experience. And learn from the outing. If you don’t catch fish then you just did all this for nothing along with freezing your butt off. No not really you have found out what not to do the next time. Your out here to catch fish if you take them or not so you have to work at it just like anything else in this world if you want to succeed you need to put the effort into it. I’m not happy unless I’m catching fish not just going through the motions. I take a few and eat some on the ice, Oh yes I checked with the fish Commission and you can clean and eat fish as you catch them. There is nothing like it on a cold morning a hot cup of coffee and hot fillet for breakfast.
 

Max