Yellow perch are a popular panfish for ice fishing.

This term is used widely by anglers and fisheries managers to collectively describe a variety of small fish of several species. There is no individual species called a panfish. The term is used almost univers­ally in freshwater, seldom in saltwater; although common to anglers, it may be unfamiliar or even confusing to nonanglers.

The term “panfish” often refers to fish that, when fried whole, can fit into a pan, but it is also often understood to mean species that are not technically classified as gamefish (see) and that are usually abundant and as valued for their tasty flesh as for the enjoyment of catching them.

As explained elsewhere, the classification of species as gamefish, and the public view of their sporting value or virtue, are variable issues. Therefore, in some quarters, panfish are viewed as gamefish, whereas in others they are not. “Gamefish” or not, small species that are susceptible to angling are valued highly for the recreation they afford, and for the delicious table fare they become.

Although panfish are commonly linked by these factors, the species that fit under this umbrella are not all linked biologically. Many “panfish” are members of the sunfish (see) family, the perch family, the bass (see: black bass) family, the catfish (see) family, and the sucker (see suckers) family. These include, but are not limited to, such sunfish as the green, longear, orange spotted, spotted, and redear varieties; plus bluegill, Sacramento perch, rock bass, warmouth bass, black crappie, white crappie, yellow bass, white bass, yellow perch, and white perch. In some areas, people include suckers, bullhead, pickerel, and even carp in this category. The primary, and most widely distributed, panfish are discussed separately here.

Whether panfish fit into a pan or are classified as gamefish is immaterial to most people who fish for them. Although black bass, trout, and walleye garner higher accolades for sport, and thus greater media attention, it is an indisputable fact that more time is devoted to angling for the collective group of panfish than for any other freshwater species. They are not only a strong component of spring and summer open-water fishing, but in many places they are also the prime quarry for ice anglers.

Furthermore, panfish are especially significant for peaking children’s interest in angling, and for providing family fishing opportunities.

The fun in catching panfish is a significant factor in their popularity, as most are very scrappy when hooked on light tackle. Sunfish, rock bass, perch, crappie, and other panfish dart and dive, run and turn, and offer a fine short-term fight on light fishing equipment, even if they are only 6 or 7 inches long and a half pound in size. Compared on an ounce-for-ounce basis, panfish are among the most determined and vigorous fish caught by anglers.

As mentioned, the popularity of panfish— crappie, perch, white bass, and bullhead in particular—rests equally in their appeal as table fare. They are among the most favored freshwater food fish, in part because of their size, and they are delicious when prepared in a variety of ways. A feast of fresh panfish is one of the finest—and usually simplest—meals that a fish lover can have.

Feasts, in fact, are usually possible because panfish are relatively abundant in most places where they are found. Fisheries managers generally encourage harvesting panfish and apply a fairly liberal creel limit (see) to facilitate this. Although panfish provide a good forage base for larger gamefish, they can quickly overpopulate a lake or pond. Most panfish are generally prolific spawners, and harvesting them is helpful in keeping fish populations in balance. When populations get out of balance, a body of water can be populated by stunted sunfish, crappie, or other species, and removing significant numbers is necessary to help with this problem. Fortunately, delectable flesh makes this a task that many anglers are willing to take on.

There would be a lot more eating and catching, however, if more anglers would take more time to learn about panfish and to pursue them more carefully. The following information is condensed, somewhat generalized, and focused on the bluegill, crappie, yellow bass, white bass, and white perch, although much of what is contained here applies to species with more limited or similar ranges. Yellow perch (see: perch, yellow), bullhead (see), and pickerel (see: pickerel, chain) are covered under their respective headings.

Most people think panfish are caught strictly on live baits, and much of the time this is true. At times, however, lures or flies will take more panfish than will live baits. So don’t become a one-bait or one-tactic panfish angler. The more versatile your approach, the more panfish you’ll get on your line.

Panfishing isn’t difficult, but it can be frustrating, and catching the larger specimens with some consistency often involves more than being on the right body of water. If you are a beginner, consider seeking out an experienced angler for the species you’re after; offer to furnish the lunch and soft drinks in appreciation for the coaching. Lacking that, hire a good guide for a day; guides who take clients panfishing are hard to find in many northern states but are more common in Southern waters, especially on big lakes and impoundments.

Bluegill

Bluegills are a schooling fish; where you find one, there are others nearby. They are aggressive and will eat most anything you offer them when hungry, but they can be mighty picky on occasion. So it pays to take along both live baits and artificial lures when you’re specifically seeking these fish. When bluegills are on a feeding spree you can often see them churning the water, voraciously attacking a larvae hatch, mosquitoes, or the eggs of nesting bass or crappie.

Where to fish

The cliché that “fish are where you find them” is old but so true with bluegills. And, except for springtime, when bluegills are bedding against shallow-water shores, you just have to shop around from one cover type to another until you meet up with a school.

Spring is when the fishing is easiest. Be out early in the day, when the water usually is calmest. Move quietly around the shoreline and look for two things: gravel, rock, or sandy bottom areas; and shallow water off points or around weeds and lily pads. All of these are typical spawning spots.

As you move, keep your eyes ahead to watch for the sudden darting movement of bluegills spooked by other fish, fish-eating birds, or your approach. Have a cold drink, wait until things quiet down, then quietly approach and fish the spot.

After spring gives way to summer, finding bluegills can be tougher because they hie to deeper hangouts. Now is the time to pay attention to cover, including logs, bushes, and brush, and to places like grassy flats, channels, lily-pad clusters, and away-from-shore humps.

When midsummer weeds become denser, try this old trick: Take along a sickle and run your boat into the weed mass. Usually the weeds are no more than a foot deep. Cut a bushel-basket-size hole on each side of the boat, then leave for about an hour. While you’re gone, the minute zooplankton and algae you have shaken loose may have attracted nearby bluegills. When you return, approach quietly and fish your handmade hotspots.

During fall and early winter, food is scarcer, forcing bluegills to roam in search of food supplies. Keeping this in mind, anglers should investigate both shallow and deep dropoff areas, remaining alert for any school movement. Try a bait at different depths until the float nods its head to signal not only a strike, but also the location of a school of fish.

Once you locate seasonal hangouts, you’re set for the year. Keep notes on these spots, and be aware of feeding times. You’ll discover that habit patterns are dependable from one year to the next. However, these times and places will differ from one lake to another. Much of this is due to variances in cover types, lake temperatures, and hangouts in deep and shallow lakes.

Tactics

A cricket comes as near to being infallible for bluegills as any live bait. Never take along just a few dozen. Feeding crickets to bluegills is like feeding popcorn to a hungry youngster. It disappears in a hurry, so be sure to bring plenty. Many old-timers never venture out without a couple hundred. Keep the crickets cool and feed them oatmeal between trips, and they won’t go to waste.

A commercial cricket box makes them easy to grab in a hurry. You can make a cricket container out of a large oats box. Near the top edge, cut a quarter-size hole and staple it over with a half- dollar-size flexible rubber cover. When you want a cricket, just raise the flap, shake out a cricket, and the flap will automatically close the hole.

Use a No. 8 long-shanked Aberdeen hook with crickets; this is easy to grasp and remove when the fish is deeply hooked. Impale the cricket through the tougher shoulder area and let it wiggle loosely on the bend. Bluegills will swipe a bunch without getting hooked, but the catch is worth it.

One way to reduce fish pilferage and increase your catching average is to learn to read a sensitive float (see) or bobber. Use one shaped like a slim pencil, and paint the very tip bright red. Watch this for the slightest movement. If it tilts to the left, it means a bluegill has sucked in the cricket from the right side. If it rises the slightest bit, a bluegill has slurped the cricket from above. Set the hook at any of these indications and you’ll not only catch more but also bigger bluegill.

The best artificial lure is a green, sponge-rubber spider with white legs on a No. 10 hook. This can be used on a fly rod, below a float on a casting rig, or dunked at the end of a line on a cane or graphite pole.

As it absorbs water and sinks naturally, the rubber legs make a minute movement that seems to trigger a bluegill’s feeding instincts. Cast near cover, let it sink very slowly, and if the line stops sinking, set the hook—a bluegill has inhaled the spider. At times, a tiny bit of red worm on the hook barb adds a touch of magic.

When using the spider with a spinning or spincasting outfit, try attaching a small spinner to it. If it is too light to cast, add a couple of split shot in front of the spinner to give needed weight. Keep the retrieve very slow; the blade should barely turn over. If you get followers but no takers, try adding a dab of marshmallow on the hook.

Bluegill are caught on other items, of course. Pieces of worms and small grubs impaled on small hooks and fished under a float are commonly used when crickets aren’t available. You need to use a small hook and fully thread the bait onto it to keep the bluegill (and other sunfish) from nibbling it away. Small spinners sometimes catch bluegill, although seldom in quantity to compare with natural baits. Small flies (wet flies, nymphs, and dry flies on No. 12 and 14 hooks) and tiny cork-bodied popping bugs catch shallow-water bluegill, especially during the nesting season, and getting these fish to take on the surface is great fun.

Crappie

Big yellow perch, sunfish, and crappie add up to a memorable day of panfishing.

There actually are two species of crappie, the black and white varieties (see: crappie, black; crappie, white), but there’s so little difference between the two that they can be treated as one when it comes to finding and catching them.

Also a sunfish family member, the crappie is considered by many to be the most desirable for table fare because of its tender, succulent flesh. Commonly called specks, crappie in the South are considered better tasting than those up North; however, northern waters are likely to hold yellow perch, which are as good to the palate as any crappie.

Where to fish

The cliché that “fish are where you find them” is old but so true with bluegills. And, except for springtime, when bluegills are bedding against shallow-water shores, you just have to shop around from one cover type to another until you meet up with a school.

Spring is when the fishing is easiest. Be out early in the day, when the water usually is calmest. Move quietly around the shoreline and look for two things: gravel, rock, or sandy bottom areas; and shallow water off points or around weeds and lily pads. All of these are typical spawning spots.

As you move, keep your eyes ahead to watch for the sudden darting movement of bluegills spooked by other fish, fish-eating birds, or your approach. Have a cold drink, wait until things quiet down, then quietly approach and fish the spot.

After spring gives way to summer, finding bluegills can be tougher because they hie to deeper hangouts. Now is the time to pay attention to cover, including logs, bushes, and brush, and to places like grassy flats, channels, lily-pad clusters, and away-from-shore humps.

When midsummer weeds become denser, try this old trick: Take along a sickle and run your boat into the weed mass. Usually the weeds are no more than a foot deep. Cut a bushel-basket-size hole on each side of the boat, then leave for about an hour. While you’re gone, the minute zooplankton and algae you have shaken loose may have attracted nearby bluegills. When you return, approach quietly and fish your handmade hotspots.

During fall and early winter, food is scarcer, forcing bluegills to roam in search of food supplies. Keeping this in mind, anglers should investigate both shallow and deep dropoff areas, remaining alert for any school movement. Try a bait at different depths until the float nods its head to signal not only a strike, but also the location of a school of fish.

Once you locate seasonal hangouts, you’re set for the year. Keep notes on these spots, and be aware of feeding times. You’ll discover that habit patterns are dependable from one year to the next. However, these times and places will differ from one lake to another. Much of this is due to variances in cover types, lake temperatures, and hangouts in deep and shallow lakes.

Tactics

A cricket comes as near to being infallible for bluegills as any live bait. Never take along just a few dozen. Feeding crickets to bluegills is like feeding popcorn to a hungry youngster. It disappears in a hurry, so be sure to bring plenty. Many old-timers never venture out without a couple hundred. Keep the crickets cool and feed them oatmeal between trips, and they won’t go to waste.

A commercial cricket box makes them easy to grab in a hurry. You can make a cricket container out of a large oats box. Near the top edge, cut a quarter-size hole and staple it over with a half- dollar-size flexible rubber cover. When you want a cricket, just raise the flap, shake out a cricket, and the flap will automatically close the hole.

Use a No. 8 long-shanked Aberdeen hook with crickets; this is easy to grasp and remove when the fish is deeply hooked. Impale the cricket through the tougher shoulder area and let it wiggle loosely on the bend. Bluegills will swipe a bunch without getting hooked, but the catch is worth it.

One way to reduce fish pilferage and increase your catching average is to learn to read a sensitive float (see) or bobber. Use one shaped like a slim pencil, and paint the very tip bright red. Watch this for the slightest movement. If it tilts to the left, it means a bluegill has sucked in the cricket from the right side. If it rises the slightest bit, a bluegill has slurped the cricket from above. Set the hook at any of these indications and you’ll not only catch more but also bigger bluegill.

The best artificial lure is a green, sponge-rubber spider with white legs on a No. 10 hook. This can be used on a fly rod, below a float on a casting rig, or dunked at the end of a line on a cane or graphite pole.

As it absorbs water and sinks naturally, the rubber legs make a minute movement that seems to trigger a bluegill’s feeding instincts. Cast near cover, let it sink very slowly, and if the line stops sinking, set the hook—a bluegill has inhaled the spider. At times, a tiny bit of red worm on the hook barb adds a touch of magic.

When using the spider with a spinning or spincasting outfit, try attaching a small spinner to it. If it is too light to cast, add a couple of split shot in front of the spinner to give needed weight. Keep the retrieve very slow; the blade should barely turn over. If you get followers but no takers, try adding a dab of marshmallow on the hook.

Bluegill are caught on other items, of course. Pieces of worms and small grubs impaled on small hooks and fished under a float are commonly used when crickets aren’t available. You need to use a small hook and fully thread the bait onto it to keep the bluegill (and other sunfish) from nibbling it away. Small spinners sometimes catch bluegill, although seldom in quantity to compare with natural baits. Small flies (wet flies, nymphs, and dry flies on No. 12 and 14 hooks) and tiny cork-bodied popping bugs catch shallow-water bluegill, especially during the nesting season, and getting these fish to take on the surface is great fun.

White Bass

The white bass is the largest and most sporting of all the panfish. In fact, some are so big that one specimen can more than fill a skillet. Few fish in freshwater hit harder, pound for pound, or fight longer, than an energetic white bass. Maybe that’s because it’s a member of the saltwater striped bass family. Many a fishless day has been saved by a school of white bass showing up when all other species are void. At many impoundments today, an abundant population of white bass is a saving grace when other popular species fall off.

Where to fish

The cliché that “fish are where you find them” is old but so true with bluegills. And, except for springtime, when bluegills are bedding against shallow-water shores, you just have to shop around from one cover type to another until you meet up with a school.

Spring is when the fishing is easiest. Be out early in the day, when the water usually is calmest. Move quietly around the shoreline and look for two things: gravel, rock, or sandy bottom areas; and shallow water off points or around weeds and lily pads. All of these are typical spawning spots.

As you move, keep your eyes ahead to watch for the sudden darting movement of bluegills spooked by other fish, fish-eating birds, or your approach. Have a cold drink, wait until things quiet down, then quietly approach and fish the spot.

After spring gives way to summer, finding bluegills can be tougher because they hie to deeper hangouts. Now is the time to pay attention to cover, including logs, bushes, and brush, and to places like grassy flats, channels, lily-pad clusters, and away-from-shore humps.

When midsummer weeds become denser, try this old trick: Take along a sickle and run your boat into the weed mass. Usually the weeds are no more than a foot deep. Cut a bushel-basket-size hole on each side of the boat, then leave for about an hour. While you’re gone, the minute zooplankton and algae you have shaken loose may have attracted nearby bluegills. When you return, approach quietly and fish your handmade hotspots.

During fall and early winter, food is scarcer, forcing bluegills to roam in search of food supplies. Keeping this in mind, anglers should investigate both shallow and deep dropoff areas, remaining alert for any school movement. Try a bait at different depths until the float nods its head to signal not only a strike, but also the location of a school of fish.

Once you locate seasonal hangouts, you’re set for the year. Keep notes on these spots, and be aware of feeding times. You’ll discover that habit patterns are dependable from one year to the next. However, these times and places will differ from one lake to another. Much of this is due to variances in cover types, lake temperatures, and hangouts in deep and shallow lakes.

Catching tactics

White bass are easier to catch on artificial lures than on live baits for one salient reason: They spook easily, and an angler must normally get closer to use live baits than artificials. A good caster can power an artificial lure a long distance and catch a number of white bass before the school gets jittery.

Among live baits, of course, the threadfin shad is tops because it’s the favorite food of white bass. Most seasoned anglers use a baitcasting, spinning, or spincasting outfit with just enough sinker to cast the minnow. Two split shots placed about 2 inches apart above the minnow will tangle less than one sinker. No float is used because this would impede the cast. A free-running minnow looks more natural to a white bass and rarely has time to move before a white bass nabs it.

Artificial lures must meet certain requirements to be effective. They must be compact, close to the size and look of shad, and cast well into a breeze. The most popular is a weighted tailspinner, with a lead body, a treble hook on the belly, and a spinner on the tail. Also effective is a minnow-type surface lure that will dart and sashay when twitched, and a shiny slab spoon with a treble hook.

Each of these lures will cast well into a wind, and will enable long casts that don’t alarm the school. Stay parallel with a working school and cast ahead of it to avoid spooking the leaders. To take bigger bass, try this trick: Cast over and beyond the working school, then let the lure sink for a 10-count before retrieving. This lets it get down below the school where the bigger, smarter white bass cruise along to slurp up the wounded shad drifting down from the slaughter going on above.

In early spring, when white bass are scarce, look for gravelly or rocky shores. Put on the tailspinner, cast into shallows, and let the lure sink until slack line tells you it is on bottom. Lower your rod tip, reel in slack line, and, with a sharp upward sweep of the rod tip, jump the lure off bottom. Keep it coming, fast, until something almost jerks the rod from your hands. At this moment, you will know how hard a white bass can sock a lure!

Remember these spots and return next year about the same time. White bass cruise here following urges for the spawning season. Even though they may not be hungry, the super-fast lure causes impulse strikes.

Yellow Bass

Yellow bass are somewhat similar to white bass in behavior; although smaller on average, they’ll amaze you with the impact of their strikes and vigorous fight. Yellow bass are more bottom dwelling than are white bass and rarely give away their presence. When they do, they are typically feeding on a bottom hatch, especially during the early, warm days of summer.

Here’s a sign to watch for. As you fish, keep examining surface waters close to you and look for large patches of tiny bubbles. These are caused by a school of yellow bass grubbing on the bottom. Ease a small spoon vertically down from the tip of your rod until it touches bottom. Jig it in a small circle. The action will be fast and superb.

White Perch

No relation to the yellow perch, this fish is a member of the true bass family, white and yellow. Why they hung the name “perch” on it is anyone’s guess, but the misnomer is here to stay. Like many panfish, however, the white perch is a schooling species and a fine sportfish; it is similar in many respects to the white bass, which it somewhat resembles.

Where to fish

The cliché that “fish are where you find them” is old but so true with bluegills. And, except for springtime, when bluegills are bedding against shallow-water shores, you just have to shop around from one cover type to another until you meet up with a school.

Spring is when the fishing is easiest. Be out early in the day, when the water usually is calmest. Move quietly around the shoreline and look for two things: gravel, rock, or sandy bottom areas; and shallow water off points or around weeds and lily pads. All of these are typical spawning spots.

As you move, keep your eyes ahead to watch for the sudden darting movement of bluegills spooked by other fish, fish-eating birds, or your approach. Have a cold drink, wait until things quiet down, then quietly approach and fish the spot.

After spring gives way to summer, finding bluegills can be tougher because they hie to deeper hangouts. Now is the time to pay attention to cover, including logs, bushes, and brush, and to places like grassy flats, channels, lily-pad clusters, and away-from-shore humps.

When midsummer weeds become denser, try this old trick: Take along a sickle and run your boat into the weed mass. Usually the weeds are no more than a foot deep. Cut a bushel-basket-size hole on each side of the boat, then leave for about an hour. While you’re gone, the minute zooplankton and algae you have shaken loose may have attracted nearby bluegills. When you return, approach quietly and fish your handmade hotspots.

During fall and early winter, food is scarcer, forcing bluegills to roam in search of food supplies. Keeping this in mind, anglers should investigate both shallow and deep dropoff areas, remaining alert for any school movement. Try a bait at different depths until the float nods its head to signal not only a strike, but also the location of a school of fish.

Once you locate seasonal hangouts, you’re set for the year. Keep notes on these spots, and be aware of feeding times. You’ll discover that habit patterns are dependable from one year to the next. However, these times and places will differ from one lake to another. Much of this is due to variances in cover types, lake temperatures, and hangouts in deep and shallow lakes.

Catching tactics

White bass are easier to catch on artificial lures than on live baits for one salient reason: They spook easily, and an angler must normally get closer to use live baits than artificials. A good caster can power an artificial lure a long distance and catch a number of white bass before the school gets jittery.

Among live baits, of course, the threadfin shad is tops because it’s the favorite food of white bass. Most seasoned anglers use a baitcasting, spinning, or spincasting outfit with just enough sinker to cast the minnow. Two split shots placed about 2 inches apart above the minnow will tangle less than one sinker. No float is used because this would impede the cast. A free-running minnow looks more natural to a white bass and rarely has time to move before a white bass nabs it.

Artificial lures must meet certain requirements to be effective. They must be compact, close to the size and look of shad, and cast well into a breeze. The most popular is a weighted tailspinner, with a lead body, a treble hook on the belly, and a spinner on the tail. Also effective is a minnow-type surface lure that will dart and sashay when twitched, and a shiny slab spoon with a treble hook.

Each of these lures will cast well into a wind, and will enable long casts that don’t alarm the school. Stay parallel with a working school and cast ahead of it to avoid spooking the leaders. To take bigger bass, try this trick: Cast over and beyond the working school, then let the lure sink for a 10-count before retrieving. This lets it get down below the school where the bigger, smarter white bass cruise along to slurp up the wounded shad drifting down from the slaughter going on above.

In early spring, when white bass are scarce, look for gravelly or rocky shores. Put on the tailspinner, cast into shallows, and let the lure sink until slack line tells you it is on bottom. Lower your rod tip, reel in slack line, and, with a sharp upward sweep of the rod tip, jump the lure off bottom. Keep it coming, fast, until something almost jerks the rod from your hands. At this moment, you will know how hard a white bass can sock a lure!

Remember these spots and return next year about the same time. White bass cruise here following urges for the spawning season. Even though they may not be hungry, the super-fast lure causes impulse strikes.

Simple Care and Cooking

The following brief advice will help you get the most out of a fresh batch of panfish. A comprehensive review of caring for fish, cleaning, and cookery issues is contained elsewhere (see: fish preparation—care; fish preparation—cleaning/dressing).

Proper keeping

The sooner you eat panfish after catching them, the better the flavor. Here is a condensed review of ways to keep them as fresh as possible.

If the water is cold, panfish can be kept on a stringer. In hot weather, keep them in a big plastic bag laid on ice. Because these fish are small, laying them directly on ice can turn their flesh soft, which will deteriorate the flavor.

If your catch is big enough for freezing a batch of fillets, you need to avoid freezer burn, which turns flesh white and robs it of both juices and natural flavor. The best thing is to freeze the fillets in water for long-term storage. For short-term freezing, place the fillets flat on a sheet of plastic wrap, fold the four flaps over, and squeeze out all possible air. Enfold this packet in a sheet of aluminum foil or freezer wrap. Lay the packets side by side, not atop each other, and freeze as fast as possible.

Tasty cooking

What constitutes a “fine kettle of fish” to some is a mess to others, but it’s hard to go wrong with the small fillets or whole bodies of panfish unless you overcook them.

To deep-fry, wipe off excess moisture, dip small whole panfish or fillets in buttermilk, dredge in flour seasoned to your taste, and deep-fry until they are done as crispy as you like them. Drain on folded paper toweling and cover with foil to hold the heat until the entire batch is ready.

To broil, place whole panfish on a broiling pan, baste with Italian salad dressing, broil five minutes on one side, turn, baste, and broil three more minutes. The oil in the dressing melts and drains into the pan. The seasoning remains, and the result is surprisingly tasty.

To bake, try this simple and delightful Swedish recipe. Place each serving in foil; add a quarter stick of butter, a squeeze of lemon juice, a shake of salt and pepper, and a few small potatoes and carrots, then garnish with a sprig of fresh dill. Fold the foil lengthwise and pucker up the ends. Broil in an oven or over charcoal for about 30 minutes, or until done to suit.

See: Sunfish; and individual species.