2 things I am looking to do this week-end

[Bigyfan]

catch some pan fish for fish tacos, and do so with crank baits....I just love how it feels when a fish, any fish hits a crank... Ok so I am asking if anyone else likes to crank for the little guys, what types of cranks do you use, and where are you going..logically I would hit UL but where are the pan-fish this time of year?
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[albinotrout]

I have caught green sunfish on spinners before.
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[Bigyfan]

those would do nicely, where is a good spot for them?
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[catmaster23]

I've used bomber mini fat a's at pineview and just spanked the panfish with them. I agree catching smaller fish with cranks is a pretty good time.
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[TyeDyeTwins]

When looking for Green Sunfish at Utah Lake try hitting the old Largemouth Bass beds. The sunfish will typically move onto the old beds (a true member of the bass family). Some times we have found them in the rocks and other times in the reeds, but we have ALWAYS caught them on a size 1/8 spinner.
Another great place for panfish in bulk is Mantua. The Bluegills up there can be an easy catch once you have found them. Try looking for trees that run into the water near the weeds (south and east side hint hint). Just try the good old worm under the bobber technique and if you do not get a bite in 2 or 3 minutes try moving else where (or wait a few more minutes and you might just trick a Largemouth into taking your gear). At Mantua though you are going to need a watercraft to get to the major hotspots. If your Bluegill bed has "run dry after a few hours" just look for another spawn bed. While fishing our favorite hole we saw many other boats parked at their spots on the east shore, likely taking bluegill and bass. Occasionally the Bluegill at the inlet can be tricked into taking a worm weightless, but they have been tricked before, and are not so dumb as the others in that lake. Attatched is a picture of your typical Bluegill bed up there at Mantua

Hope this helps out a little.
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[TheWhizzle]

[quote TyeDyeTwins]When looking for Green Sunfish at Utah Lake try hitting the old Largemouth Bass beds. The sunfish will typically move onto the old beds (a true member of the bass family). .[/quote]


The largemouth bass and green sunfish are both members of the sunfish family, and neither are a member of the true bass family.

Stripers and the like are true basses.
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[lavaman]

Your attachment didn't work, or you must have attached the wrong pic. No bluegill beds to be seen.

For those who don't know, a bluegill bed is typically an area in the water between thick moss/weed cover (which is all over in that reservoir). Anytime you find one of those honey-holes, you will generally find the bluegill. When the weather cools, the bluegill will move to shallower areas.

Come ice-season, many of those 'gills have been 'tricked' due to the increased fishing pressure. Combined with their slower metabolism, they develop what many of us refer to as 'lockjaw' (they become picky and finicky).
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[albinotrout]

Now you got me wanting to go up there. Too bad the next few days are taken up with work and then my trip to the south.[cool]
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[Jmaze]

I've had a lot of luck on rapala micro's in the past. But jigs are usually working better and are cheaper. Plain black and silver, or all silver.
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[albinotrout]

Last time I caught any green sunfish was last year and in colorado. Sorry not sure of any with decent size along the wasatch front. I know Bountifil pond has some but have not seen anything that would chase a crank there only dinks. My daughter last year caught one that was only 2" on a fly of all things.
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[TyeDyeTwins]

I got that info straight form a book so it is hard to argue with that!
I returned it to the library so if you really want the name of the book I would have to re-rent 20 books to find it. You never know maybe they were just commenting on how the bass and grennie are related?

The picture attached shows the typical area you will find them in. Look at the treed structures in the background. Obviously we left out the exact hole we were catching them at because we have picked up several Largemouth Bass there, some up to 16.5 inches which is pretty good for Mantua.

Here is a pic of the sized Green Sunfish to be had at Utah Lake.


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