EQUIPMENT & TECHNIQUE
Reading the Water
During spawning, an angler can often see the clear, circular areas of nests located in less than three feet of water. By casting a lure across the nest area and retrieving slowly, you have a fish. Catching pan fish in the spring as water begins to warm and appetites increase is not all that difficult. Catching them off these beds is even easier.
After spawning, the adults congregate beneath old deadheads and trees that have fallen into the water. In the evening they often rise from the deep water to feed at the surface, but they bite best in the early morning and late afternoon and appear less active at midday.