Panfishing

[Matth05]

Fishing’s been tough the last couple weeks. I struggle to find any species of sunfish up shallow, aside from the occasional one on a bed. I’d imagine the 90+ degree days have a lot to do with this.

Last few outings have been decent. Think I might have caught my personal best redbreast this week. Not a monster in comparison to the sizes I’ve seen them achieve in some of the more southern states (9-10 in sometimes). But this fish was a good 7 inches, the largest I’ve seen in Jersey so far. An older fish too I suspect. Scars here and there, big head, and a mouth like a green sunfish.
Wanted to talk a little about gear, not too much though as I don’t want to bore the hell out of anyone . Been a little over a year since I’ve really gotten into panfishing. There’s been one rod that I have without a doubt used the most over this last year, and want to share.
The Daiwa Presso. I have the 6’ UL model, and a majority of time it’s been paired with my old Sedona 1000 that I’ve had for years. They’re a bit hard to come by, and I’ve only been able to find them in small tackle shops around me. I bought mine for $65. I’ve spent more than double that amount of money on bass rods that have a level of quality on par with this rod. If you find this rod, I say buy it. That’s it, end of my little gear rant lol.

Was just putting some new line on and had the thought to share. Had one of the worst wind knots I’ve had in a very long time earlier this week. Catastrophic would probably be a good word to describe it lol. So some new line was much needed.

 

[james99]

View attachment 1545822
Wanted to talk a little about gear, not too much though as I don’t want to bore the hell out of anyone . Been a little over a year since I’ve really gotten into panfishing. There’s been one rod that I have without a doubt used the most over this last year, and want to share.
View attachment 1545829The Daiwa Presso. I have the 6’ UL model, and a majority of time it’s been paired with my old Sedona 1000 that I’ve had for years. They’re a bit hard to come by, and I’ve only been able to find them in small tackle shops around me. I bought mine for $65. I’ve spent more than double that amount of money on bass rods that have a level of quality on par with this rod. If you find this rod, I say buy it. That’s it, end of my little gear rant lol.

Was just putting some new line on and had the thought to share. Had one of the worst wind knots I’ve had in a very long time earlier this week. Catastrophic would probably be a good word to describe it lol. So some new line was much needed.

Nice fish, what species is the one pictured above?

I typically use a Shakespeare micro lite spinning combo filled with 4lb line that I've had forever. It's probably about time to replace it. The rod is under 6', really fun to fish with. I have a zebco 33 micro with 4lb line that I use a lot too.

 

[Matth05]

Nice fish, what species is the one pictured above?

I typically use a Shakespeare micro lite spinning combo filled with 4lb line that I've had forever. It's probably about time to replace it. The rod is under 6', really fun to fish with. I have a zebco 33 micro with 4lb line that I use a lot too.

Pictures in order are the following
1. Redbreast
2. Bluegill
3. Pumkinseed

I actually have a Shakespeare micro lite as well, in the 4’10 size I believe. I want to say I picked it up for 20 bucks at Walmart after hearing it was a bargain. Haven’t put a ton of time into it apart from a couple creek fishing days.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a sucker for Daiwa and Shimano lol.

 

[james99]

I don't think we have pumpkin seeds around here, but I've been trying to put my finger on a fish I caught at Clark hill lake on the ga/sc border. I didn't get a picture because he got away when I switched hands to get my phone out. Had the same pattern and colors, maybe 6-8" long.

The Shakespeare combo is fun. I have a Sedona also, haven't used it much. Maybe a cheaper version or older model. Mine's grey/silver.

 

[Matth05]

I don't think we have pumpkin seeds around here, but I've been trying to put my finger on a fish I caught at Clark hill lake on the ga/sc border. I didn't get a picture because he got away when I switched hands to get my phone out. Had the same pattern and colors, maybe 6-8" long.

The Shakespeare combo is fun. I have a Sedona also, haven't used it much. Maybe a cheaper version or older model. Mine's grey/silver.

I’m seeing mixed answers in reference to the range of pumpkinseeds. Some sources are saying only as far down as South Carolina, others saying they can reach down into Georgia. Could’ve very well been if it was on the GA/SC border.

Only fish I can think of that might be mistaken for pumpkinseeds are Redears? Similar patterns and both have that “red ear” mark. Perhaps there’s something else thought that’s similar that I’m not aware of.

 

[Matth05]

The Shakespeare combo is fun. I have a Sedona also, haven't used it much. Maybe a cheaper version or older model. Mine's grey/silver.

This Sedona is the 2017 model. The most recent models are very nice. Have handled them in the store a couple times. Smooth as butter and feel much more refined. No need for anything super crazy when it comes to an ultra light reel IMO. Both Daiwa and Shimano have good options in that 50-100 dollar range.

I have the 2022 model Sahara as well, which is essentially the same frame as Sedona with some minor upgrades if I’m not mistaken. Fantastic reel. They’re always going on sale on Amazon.

 

[Matth05]

A micro drop shot is quickly become one of my favorite things to use. Most of the time I’m using a powerbait floating trout worm. I’ll use the full 3 inch worm if I know big bluegill are a possibility, but a lot of the time I’ll tear it up into a smaller sized worm like down below. Today it managed to produce a ton of redbreasts, even some smaller sized ones, which usually aren’t willing to take a soft plastic on a jig.
This is the rig that I’m hoping will catch me some of the smaller cichlid species during our trip to Puerto Rico, which is quickly approaching. Figured if it’s able to produce small sunfish in that 3-4 inch range, it’ll just as easily get bit by cichlids that are that same size. These small mosquito hooks are very noninvasive too. When you’re targeting smaller, more delicate fish that’s a definite plus in my book.

Hooked into something MASSIVE, but wasn’t able to land it on the ultralight. The small mosquito hook popped out of whatever it was about 2-3 minutes into fighting the fish. Did not feel like a large bass at all. I’ve never caught or hooked into a carp before but this fish was essentially fighting like a wet pool noodle, only with the occasional very strong head shake. That’s the only large fish I can think of wiling to take a small 1 inch trout worm? Maybe some kind of catfish is also a possibility?

 

[james99]

Some pics from yesterday.

 

[Matth05]

Some catches from the past few outings.
We’re in full Fall transition here in NJ. Daytime temps are right around 70, dips down into the 50s at night though. I’ve actually been doing quite a bit of bass fishing the past few weeks, sprinkling in some panfishing days here and there.

Ultralight fishing has without a doubt become my favorite form of fishing these last 2 years, but sometimes I just have to scratch that bass fishing itch . Especially during the fall transition.

The smallies and largemouth are shallow and hitting top water like you wouldn’t believe. Been catching a ton of juveniles, but I have yet to hook into a decent bass so far. Have actually missed a couple of really nice river smallies on topwater the last week. Not what you want to happen, but sometimes you just get a string of bad luck lol. Hoping to get just a few solid bass before the temps really start to drop. Could always fall back on just going after sunfish again if anything .

 

[Fallen_Leaves16]

Nice fish! I haven't tried targeting largemouths this summer/fall; apparently there was some sort of toxic waste dump that polluted the only stretch of river near me that has smallies a while ago, and most days it was too hot to wander about the margins of ponds for bass anyways.

You make panfish fishing look fun; I should give it another go one of these days.

Have you tried a BFS combo yet? They're super fun- moreso than a standard spinning ultralight setup IMO. I got a cheap Ace Hawk rod off of AliExpress, and the cheapest KastKing BFS baitcaster available; set me back ~$140, which isn't terrible, I think.
Essentially just an ultralight baitcaster combo; supposedly it was originally a modern-ish Japanese invention for targeting trout in streams.
Bit of a learning curve- I'm too used to casting recklessly with a Daiwa Zillion SV TW, and kept backlashing; but it was extremely fun when I did manage to catch something- hooking into a big bluegill or crappie can give you a run for your money, lol.