With what I'm expecting to be an early ice out I'm planning on a trip before the opener. I'm doing a figure 8 loop out of Sawbill with camps at Wine, Trail, Alice?, Boulder, Polly, and Ella lakes. Since panfish can be caught all year I thought about bringing along a fly rod and some poppers and trying for them in the evening. I guess I'm wondering if this sounds like a good idea or am I wasting my time?

dschult2: "With what I'm expecting to be an early ice out I'm planning on a trip before the opener. I'm doing a figure 8 loop out of Sawbill with camps at Wine, Trail, Alice?, Boulder, Polly, and Ella lakes. Since panfish can be caught all year I thought about bringing along a fly rod and some poppers and trying for them in the evening. I guess I'm wondering if this sounds like a good idea or am I wasting my time?
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20 years ago I successfully learned to fly fish by throwing poppers to panfish. I know of some productive panfish lakes in the bwca, though I’m unfamiliar with any near the route you describe. Please report back, I am curious about this topic too.

Panfishing with a dry fly or popper seems like a summer activity. I don't know if panfish are looking for surface bait that early in the season.

They are not likely to hit poppers until the water temp reaches 55 or so. Subsurface flies will work right after ice out.

Very much thinking this too. I think truly your best bet would be some wooly buggers, egg sucking leaches and some mini lunch money Shad’s. Small subsurface patterns are going to be farm more successful in the spring.