Definitely get out there for some panfish. These past two years have been some of the most fun, fishing wise. I think I was doing so much bass fishing in years prior that I forgot how enjoyable it is to just grab an ultralight and catch whatever will bite.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.
Haven’t tried any BFS gear but will eventually. I nearly bought a BFS rod and reel last year but never pulled the trigger on it. Had my eyes on the BFS Curado, and was looking at a couple different options for a rod. The whole ultralight baitcaster thing seems like it’d be very fun.