Scouting for spring panfish with Humminbird Side Imaging
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Springtime in the northland reliably brings some of the best panfishing opportunities of the year, as these fish move from their deep winter haunts to feed in the warming waters of the shallows. While many anglers associate this early spring movement with spawning, our target species (crappie and bluegill) won't start spawning until the water reaches the mid- to upper-60 degree range. With spring water temperatures in the low-to-mid 50s, these shallow movements that we are now witnessing occur for one purpose only: to feed! Shallow panfish are aggressive, provide great sport on light tackle, and are terrific ways to erase any lingering winter cabin fever that you may be experiencing.
Dr. Jason Halfen
Professional Walleye Angler
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During the past winter, I decided that I would break away from my traditional haunts in search of new places to target spring panfish. Stepping outside of your comfort zone can be daunting. An angler has to be willing to invest the time and energy required to identify new places to fish, and must be prepared for days that see few fish coming to hand. The return on this investment can be substantial, however, as it will result in a larger database of productive times and locations for future trips, as well as making you a more complete and versatile angler. A great tool for identifying likely locations to target spring panfish on unfamiliar waters is Humminbird's Side Imaging technology. In this article, I'll walk you through the process of using Side Imaging fishing systems for finding productive locations, as well as the fish that inhabit them.
First, consider the factors that attract spring panfish. Primary among these is water temperature; we want to find the warmest water available, and that often means fishing in shallow, sheltered bays off the main lake, protected from winds that could mix in colder water from the depths or stir up cold sediment. A second important factor will be food. A shallow, warm bay will be devoid of panfish unless there is something there for them to eat: small minnows, insect larvae, and the like will attract and hold spring panfish. Finally, we must consider cover. Small minnows are often closely associated with wood (trees or cribs), while insect larvae are often found in weedy areas with soft (muck) bottoms. If an angler can find locations with warm water, food sources, and cover, then panfish are almost certain to be there as well.
Here is a screen capture from my Humminbird 1197 that shows a shallow, weedy bay which yielded some beautiful bluegills for me on a recent afternoon. This bay was warmer than the main lake by 2-3 degrees. It has abundant weed cover as well as scattered stumps (4 of them are in the lower half of the left hand Side Image) to hold insect larvae. This area also has another feature that makes it attractive: areas of slightly deeper water where panfish can retreat when they are not actively feeding. You can see one of these areas on the lower half of the image, in the same area as the stumps (note that the blue water column stripe down the middle of the screen capture gets wider in this area, correlating with the deeper water).
I often find spring crappies associated with woody cover, either fallen trees or man-made fish cribs. On a tip from a local expert, I spent some time inspecting this crappie hot spot. He perceived that it was a stump field in an otherwise cover-free area. However, Humminbird Side Imaging immediately demonstrates that the stumps are, in fact, fish cribs. These cribs sit in 7-8 feet of water, just off a subtle shoreline point (the shoreline is visible in the right Side Image). There are 6 well-defined fish cribs to the left of the boat's path, and several more to the right. While boats were scattered along this shoreline, we found our crappies closely associated with this cluster of cribs.
Not all spring panfish move shallow at the same time. For example, here is a Humminbird Down Image, as well as its corresponding Side Image, of a submerged tree that guards the mouth of a shallow bay (visible on the left Side Image). Note the fish that are present in the deep water near the tree, extending from its uppermost branches down towards the bottom. We couldn't make these fish bite, but my presumption is that they are crappies that are staging in the deep water near the bay, waiting to transition into the shallows to feed. If we had found these fish during midday (rather than at the end of the trip), they may have been shallow, and more agreeable!
Humminbird Fishing Systems provide anglers with powerful tools for locating structure and fish. These tools will dramatically shorten your learning curve, whether you're looking for new species of fish, or new places to find and catch the fish you already enjoy the most. This spring, put Humminbird's Side Imaging and Down Imaging technology to work for you, and enjoy the bounty that spring panfishing can provide. Remember that shallow panfish are vulnerable to overharvest, so keep a few for a tasty springtime bluegill meal, and put the rest back for others to enjoy!
