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Oh panfish. I love panfish. They are fun to catch and good to eat. If you’re new to fishing, you may wonder what is a panfish? It isn’t a specific species. It’s a term that refers to many different species of fish that are small enough to fit in a frying pan but large enough to be legal and fun to catch. Perch, bass, crappie, are all panfish and we talk a lot about how to catch them. Once upon a time the Fox Chain in Northern Illinois was a yellow bass factory. Everyone complained that those pesky yellow bass were infiltrating on their bluegill and crappie fishing, but not me and Popp …

I was headed to Fulton County in Illinois to fish the Herman Brothers strip pit lakes and I was chasing after my favorite fish through the ice...the bluegill. But not just any bluegill, these were stocked hybrids..these were trophies and like fishing for any trophy, it was a catch, photo, and release deal. In this part of the state, you get one month of fishable ice, then it's over. The water was shallow, under 8 ft. and clear, you could see the bottom or watch the action on the underwater camera. The presentation needed to be precise. Small jigs, light line, no noise and being able t …

Panfish are the sport fish of the ice fisherman! Armed with the proper gear, one can get a great fight out of the bluegill, crappie and even a perch. Plus, you've got the best tasting fish of the year. Nothing beats fresh caught panfish through the ice. Let's go over some of the methods to panfish madness that will turn you into an ice fishing machine! BALANCED TACKLE  Balanced tackle is no longer a dream. Gone are the days of $2.00 poles with 10-pound line. Today's ice angler uses mini spinning combos with ultra sensitive tips.  For traditional jigs like Custom Jigs …