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Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Fishing Forum :: Panfishing
 
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Richwon4
03/09/2011 04:37PM
 
I'm not sure where you are from or where you have been, but we have plenty of panfish close to home, few walleye, northerns, and smallies.
 
mooseplums
03/09/2011 06:30PM
 
there are plenty of panfish opportunities in the Bwca and Quetico.
I have caught big crappies in LLC, Agnes, and big bluegills in Crooked.

Jrod, instead of being a guest poster, why not become a member of the site? You're not in the witness protection program are you?
 
Rob Johnson
03/09/2011 06:24PM
 
If'n you don't count bass, northern, and trout as "pan" fish (does the fact that we fry them up in a pan make them pan fish?) then the only traditional pan fish = blue gill, perch, & crappy = that I have caught has been perch. Caught a bunch of lunker perch in the Man Chain (but that was 2o years ago) and then caught more small perch than we cared to clean on a small lake called Canoe Lake (the one just off of Clam Lake which is off of Hanson).
 
Rich11
03/09/2011 06:54PM
 
thats the only thing I caught on are last trip to insula. And there were all babies lol
 
LazyLefty
03/09/2011 09:26PM
 
We caught crappie and orange spot on our loop from burntside-cummings.
 
canoller
03/09/2011 10:35PM
 
nice sunnies in birch
 
mc2mens
03/09/2011 10:48PM
 
Lots of sunnies in Back Bay on Basswood.
 
mcsweem
03/09/2011 08:03PM
 
slab crappies on iron, big bluegills on knife
 
bassnut
03/10/2011 04:03AM
 
Lot's of Crappie in the lower end of Gabbro after the spawn.
 
Jrod
03/09/2011 04:25PM
 
Dont laugh, but other than rock bass, I have never caught a panfish in the BWCA. Maybe its the time of season. Always late may when I go up. I was thinking about bringing my fly rod and trying that but Im not sure if its worth the hassle. Any good panfishing ideas for the boundary waters? Or flys for late may?
 
Jrod
03/09/2011 04:55PM
 
quote Richwon4: "I'm not sure where you are from or where you have been, but we have plenty of panfish close to home, few walleye, northerns, and smallies. "
huh?


 
dpreiner21
02/11/2016 10:36PM
 
quote huntfun2: "Do the panfish rob your bait a lot if you're using nitecrawlers? Is that why most people use leeches instead? I like using crawlers for walleyes, but that can be a problem in lakes with a lot of panfish.


"


Use small pieces and thread it over a small hook if you are targeting them. Gills are pretty spotty up there on the big lakes.
 
bassnet
02/11/2016 09:13PM
 
That pic of all of those 'gills is great!! love to catch and eat those lil' guys. thanks for the pic!
 
mr.barley
02/11/2016 11:34PM
 
quote Arlo Pankook: "If you start catching a lot of 12" Smallies feel free to call them "Pan"fish and fry them up." +1
 
FISHMAN3
02/12/2016 07:11AM
 
quote dpreiner21: "quote huntfun2: "Do the panfish rob your bait a lot if you're using nitecrawlers? Is that why most people use leeches instead? I like using crawlers for walleyes, but that can be a problem in lakes with a lot of panfish.



"



Use small pieces and thread it over a small hook if you are targeting them. Gills are pretty spotty up there on the big lakes."



Hit a pocket of gills. 2yaers ago on lake 2 was great fun and good eating used crawlers
 
blutofish1
03/11/2011 08:44AM
 
Yep.
 
Arlo Pankook
03/11/2011 08:32AM
 
Good advice here, try some Gulp Minnow Heads too.
 
Amok
03/11/2011 12:01PM
 
Bass, bluegills and sunnies = panfish. I thought perch were related to Walleyes?


I'm guessing you are referring to sunnies/bluegills. The simplest way to catch'em is with a bobber and a worm. Don't waste an entire worm on them, either. It only takes an inch or two (even less, lol). When you find'em, they'll keep you busy for hours :) I can't count how many hours I kept myself occupied fishing off my grandpa's dock every summer, almost every weekend, just catching panfish!
 
IceColdGold
02/11/2016 01:40PM
 
I was surprised that there were pan fish that far north, but I have caught both bluegill and crappie.


I have not brought my fly rod yet.
 
Jrod
03/11/2011 07:41PM
 
quote Amok: "Bass, bluegills and sunnies = panfish. I thought perch were related to Walleyes?

I'm guessing you are referring to sunnies/bluegills. The simplest way to catch'em is with a bobber and a worm. Don't waste an entire worm on them, either. It only takes an inch or two (even less, lol). When you find'em, they'll keep you busy for hours :) I can't count how many hours I kept myself occupied fishing off my grandpa's dock every summer, almost every weekend, just catching panfish!"

Oh yes, i have kept myself occupied doing the same in local wisconsin lakes. But im talking BWCA.


 
arctic
03/11/2011 07:52PM
 
One of the biggest crappies I've ever seen was caught out of Agnes Lake, south of LLC. It looked like a dinner plate.
 
Arlo Pankook
03/11/2011 08:17PM
 
If you start catching a lot of 12" Smallies feel free to call them "Pan"fish and fry them up.
 
huntnfish08
03/23/2011 02:36AM
 
Some very good panfishing in the dub if you can find it. Dark bottom bays are where its at. Tiny beetle spins or icefishing jigs. The biggest 'gill I ever caught was at Newton Falls. In an eddy right in the middle of the rapids. The 'gill went 12" and hit a #5 crawfish shallow shadrap. Ate him as it was the first day in. Should be on the wall. But if you find the gilz then a fishfry of 8-9"ers is very doable in a short time.


These bluegills fed us on a "great walleye lake" where we couldn't buy a walleye!








Adam
 
Grant
03/23/2011 07:41AM
 
I feel that you don't fish enough if you haven't caught a small "pan" fish in the bw
 
emptynest56
03/10/2011 04:50PM
 
Decent bluegills in Cummings. Caught some crappies 12-15 inches in Agnes. It seems small to medium leeches on a plain hook attract crappies in BW. Bluegills seem to like waxworms just like in non BW lakes and I like little mister twister tails with 1/16oz jig retrieved slowly. There are other bluegill hotspots, but they will remain anonymous;). Try the MN DNR website's lake finder and look up BW lakes surveys to find a lake that has them.
 
BearDown
03/10/2011 06:15PM
 
Never have ever really gotten into big bluegills, it sounds like a blast tho. Will be going into knife in late may. Is that too early? If its not, where would one try for them. We will be in the south arm.
 
Jrod
03/10/2011 06:38PM
 
quote BearDown: "Never have ever really gotten into big bluegills, it sounds like a blast tho. Will be going into knife in late may. Is that too early? If its not, where would one try for them. We will be in the south arm."
Hey no way. Theres a good chance I will be traveling through knife lake in late may.


 
gsfisher13
03/10/2011 07:21PM
 
They do exist, we caught this one on Gull, I know most people wouldn't take a picture of a bluegill, we thought it was fun and he was tasty.
 
Basspro69
03/10/2011 10:02PM
 
quote BearDown: "Never have ever really gotten into big bluegills, it sounds like a blast tho. Will be going into knife in late may. Is that too early? If its not, where would one try for them. We will be in the south arm." Look for mud or dark bottom bays early in the year,If those bays are on the northeast side of the lake all the better. Sometimes they will be a foot off the shoreline. A small flu flu jig and waxworm, or small leech on a light wire hook will get em .
 
huntfun2
02/08/2016 11:52AM
 
Do the panfish rob your bait a lot if you're using nitecrawlers? Is that why most people use leeches instead? I like using crawlers for walleyes, but that can be a problem in lakes with a lot of panfish.