Hey everyone,

Im headed up in mid july with 2 buddies for 7 days. We are doing the loop out of mudro through the horse river up to crooked then back down through papoose, fairy, boot, fourtown etc.

Are there any areas or specific lakes you can recommend to spend some time focusing on panfish? Good lake for slab sunnies or crappie? Maybe perch?

I realize most wont want to share specific locations but getting my friends on some fish is important as one of them in a complete noobie to fishing and i want to get him hooked!

Any tips on what, other than live bait, might work well or specific structure types they relate to up there would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance and tight lines to all!

Please don’t take this the wrong way...

You are going to one of the best smallmouth/walleye/pike fisheries in the world. You can catch panfish anywhere. If it were me I would not waste a second targeting panfish.

If I wanted to get a noobie hooked I would have them throw topwaters at boulders and downed trees for smallies and soak leeches under a slip bobber on dropoffs during the last two hours of daylight for walleyes.

tarnkt: "Please don’t take this the wrong way...


You are going to one of the best smallmouth/walleye/pike fisheries in the world. You can catch panfish anywhere. If it were me I would not waste a second targeting panfish.


If I wanted to get a noobie hooked I would have them throw topwaters at boulders and downed trees for smallies and soak leeches under a slip bobber on dropoffs during the last two hours of daylight for walleyes."

Agreed. You can try for them, but if you want I'd get them hooked on smallies, pike, etc.

anthonyqh: "Hey everyone,

Im headed up in mid july with 2 buddies for 7 days. We are doing the loop out of mudro through the horse river up to crooked then back down through papoose, fairy, boot, fourtown etc.

Are there any areas or specific lakes you can recommend to spend some time focusing on panfish? Good lake for slab sunnies or crappie? Maybe perch?

I realize most wont want to share specific locations but getting my friends on some fish is important as one of them in a complete noobie to fishing and i want to get him hooked!

Any tips on what, other than live bait, might work well or specific structure types they relate to up there would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance and tight lines to all! "

Gun Lake. In the "barrel"

There are many lakes in this area that have good bluegill populations. Here are a few our group caught on Boot in 2010. Email me if you would like more specific places to fish. There are the 10 inch barely get your hand around kind on your trip route.

Why am I wasting my time on pike, bass, walleye, & trout when i can go after 10" gills??

Captn Tony: "Why am I wasting my time on pike, bass, walleye, & trout when i can go after 10" gills??"

Because sometimes fishing for the bigger guys can be slow, especially at midday. Catching panfish on light tackle or my flyrod is a lot of dun when you get into good size ones. Catching fish on every cast is a blast.

Most of our time will be spent on walleye, pike and smb but a slow day for those can lead to no fish for dinner. I have 7 days to teach my friend about fishing and i want to make sure he has as many good experiences as possible.

anthonyqh: "

Captn Tony: "Why am I wasting my time on pike, bass, walleye, & trout when i can go after 10" gills??"

Because sometimes fishing for the bigger guys can be slow, especially at midday. Catching panfish on light tackle or my flyrod is a lot of dun when you get into good size ones. Catching fish on every cast is a blast.


Most of our time will be spent on walleye, pike and smb but a slow day for those can lead to no fish for dinner. I have 7 days to teach my friend about fishing and i want to make sure he has as many good experiences as possible."

We found them fishing for walleye, catching them on Lindy rigs tipped with 3" Gulp minnows. We inspected the area, and found a huge snapped off pine tree on the bank. Switched to vertical jigging and found the top of the tree in 12-15' of water. Best bluegill fishing I have had and biggest I have seen.
If other fishing slows, look for trees in the water or evidence of branches under the water. Time of day shouldn't matter as much.

Feel free to email me and I can give you specific locations for your targeted fish along your route. Good luck!

Four town has some huge bluegill

A few years ago I was sitting just off the portage from Sandpit to Mudro one afternoon waiting for a group in front of me and there were bluegill everywhere right next to the portage. I dangled a finger in the water and got one to bite.

JD

A few weeks ago we caught quite a few large Sunfish and bluegill over on boot Lake Northwest of f o u r t o w n.

Rock bass count as panfish, right? We caught rock bass mixed in with eater walleyes on Crooked two weeks ago. About one rock bass for every dozen walleyes jigging leeches through light current areas. I commented to my brother that we were catching eater walleyes as fast as we catch bluegills back home. You can chase panfish if you want, but pounding like others said, you will be in a very good fishery for larger game.

Fish some of the current areas and pools between runs on the Horse river for SMB. If that doesn’t get your buddy into fishing, I don’t know what else will.

My experience.... If you hook a panfish in Friday bay it never makes it to the boat....and what eats it will take 30 minutes to reel in...if it doesn’t break your line.