Fishing Forum

I never realized how much the time of day affected the feeding habbits of Panfish until just recently. Around mid-day, i've noticed that worms set deep will warrant the most fish. As the day progresses towards mid-afternoon, they prefer crickets more as apposed to worms, and they begin feeding in the middle to semi-shallow water depths. Come late evening, I couldn't get them to bite any combo of depth or live bait, and they were popping all over on top of the water. I even tried taking the weight and bobber off of the cricket so they would slowly submerge into the water, still no luck. Over the past few times i've tried numerous techniques and still nothing. I picked up a few of these tiny little poppers I found at the tackle store and figured i'd give them a try. They work really well. Toss those little buggers in the water and give them a little twitch and that's all it takes. It just surprised me to talk to so many people that have been Panfishing for so many years and haven't tried artificial baits such as poppers to adjust to the fish's temperment. Sometimes the standard just won't cut it. None the less, those 99 cent poppers are a must have for anyone that doesn't want the time of day or mood of fish to dictate when they catch fish. Small bass love'em too, and they are perfect for ultra-lite tackle.
[signature]

Good observation. There are many times that dry flies or other tiny topwater baits will do the trick. For those of you that aren't able to get the tiny baits out where you want them with your gear, simply attach a bobber with a weight on one end to help get the distance.
[signature]

Hey DDR,

That's a killer tip with the weighted bobber. I didn't even think about that and i've been having problems figuring out a way to get my popper were I want it and it not sink to the bottom at the same time. "U Da Man"
[signature]

next time you visite the bait shop pick up a couple bubbles of different sizes and colors.

tie on the bubble directly to your line
tie on a 3-5 foot leader
tie on your popper.

fish with this near the lilly pads and you can get ready for lmb action as well as fishing over top
your favorite gill bed.

I have seen pike hit them poppers at dusk.

nothin like teaching a new dowg an old trick....[]
[signature]

I like it. I've avoided light little topbaits because of the distance issues (And the fact I'm to cheap to justify multiple rods that I don't desparately need). Thanks for the tip []
[signature]