How many here prefer pursuing panfish over the bigger sexier gamefish?

[taxid]

I guess I'm weird. Bass and musky do nothing for me. Watched a guy troll around and around a lake for muskies with no hits for hours while I was having fun catching crappies. And I had a guy once tell me he wished he had a pond like mine on his property but he couldn't afford it. When I told him he spent a lot more on his bass boat his jaw dropped. 

To me there is nothing more fun that fighting big bluegills on a fly rod and catching large crappies or yellow perch.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not knocking anyone for what they prefer. Just wondered if anyone else is really into panfish.

[zwiggles]

To each their own, the tug is the drug right?

I like catching non game fish too, but the fight just doesn’t compare. A blue gill just isn’t gonna pull like a river smallmouth.

That being said panfish on a fly rod on top water is an absolute gas.

[hunts2long]

The lake I live on just isn't a very good panfish lake, I wish it were. Lots of walleyes, SMB and pike. When I lived in Western NYS there was some very good panfish locations. Use to go after them all the time with the fly rod. But, you are right nothing like a big blue gill...h2l

[rgfixit]

How do i raise my hand?
I'd rather bobber jig for gills or perch than just about anything.

Rg

[seamonkey84]

I absolutely love big sunfish on a light fly rod, I usually bring the light gear out with me when I’m “bass” fishing with my buddy. I don’t care much for the bass, but big panfish, trout, then big pickerel or pike get me excited lol.

[lowaccord66]

I did both tonight...started casting for pike, then jigged crappie, then caught pike. 

[fishinator]

I fish for a little bit of everything,  but chasing big redears is my favorite.

[Unclegillhunter]

As you might guess from my handle I like gill fishing. Nothing sexier to me than a 10" gill on an ultralite. If not fishing gills will go for catfish.
Keep it safe! JDL

[Mac Attack]

As most know, my summer place is on Lake Erie.
So, we fish primarily for walleye.
But I absolutely love going out for perch on Erie.
Donna loves it too - I call her the Perch Queen.

Now, here's the dilemma.

We get more than enough eyes for the freezer.
WAY more than enough.
And it's also far easier cleaning a limit of eyes vs a limit of 5o perch.
And I really don't enjoy cleaning fish.

So I would just as soon practice C&R on the perch.
We do with a lot of the eyes.

But the perch are coming from 60-80 FOW and the swim bladder pops out on a lot of them.
So they won't go back down.
And I absolutely will not "fizz" a perch.
I don't care what others say, I don't agree this works for the best of the perch.

So consequently we don't go out much for perch simply because I don't want to clean them.

[taxid]

Thanks for the responses. And just for the record I release a lot of my panfish. I loath cleaning more than about 15 panfish at a time. I keep some and throw back the rest especially the really big male gills.

Understood about the perch bladders Mac. And fizzing is not what it's cracked up to be according to some biologists.

Sadly I've seen people bring smallmouth out of deepwater on the north side of Erie and release them. Have to wonder how many actually survived.

[hounds]

I enjoy fishing for Gills and Redears.  I won't clean over 20, and I do not keep large males.  I live in NW Indiana and I was hooked on fishing Lake Michigan at one point, but the cost of that type of fishing in a boat, and 9/11 reducing the good spots fishing from the US Steel break wall stopped it all for me.  I have a little puddle jumper and get it out no problem in smaller lakes and chase gills and once in awhile eyes.

[taxid]

I enjoy fishing for Gills and Redears.  I won't clean over 20, and I do not keep large males.  I live in NW Indiana and I was hooked on fishing Lake Michigan at one point, but the cost of that type of fishing in a boat, and 9/11 reducing the good spots fishing from the US Steel break wall stopped it all for me.  I have a little puddle jumper and get it out no problem in smaller lakes and chase gills and once in awhile eyes.

Sounds familiar.  I'm taking it a step farther. Really getting into leaving the outboard at home and using electric motors only.

[rivereddy]

I've fished for, (and caught), just about everything from bluegills to blue marlin, but, put me in my
canoe with my sweetie and a tube of crickets, and we're good to go... I'd bet I'm not the only one to
have to admit to this, but when I look at all of the my fishing tackle, I have to pause and wonder
where it all call from.  I've got enough lures for the "Glamour" species than I could stock a small
mom & pop bait shop and the vast majority have not been wet in years.

Most of my fishing is for panfish.  I am a midstate Hoosier which means crappie, gills, and redears
are my primary quarry.  There are yellow perch around, but they are nowhere near as common down
here as they are a bit further north. True, I fish for bass, stripers,  walleye and try to get to the Lake
Michigan piers for salmon, steelhead and whitefish, but 95% of the  time, I use less than 5% of my
fishing tackle - for panfish.



Fish On,

rivereddy

[lowaccord66]

At the end of the day my best fishing experiences have all leaned on flexibility. I just need to feel the pull at the other end of the line.  Think of it this way too, everything is a matter of scale.  Bluegills, crappie and other panfish fight just fine for their size.  Use the right equipment and its as much fun as fighting a 40" pike or musky...to me at least.

Great topic Cecil.

[taxid]

I think we are all in the same boat! Pun intended!

I just wish the wind would die down and the temps go back up to normal so it's enjoyable out there!