echo Lake Reservoir Bluegill
"Classic summertime bluegill photo….we all want to get out real bad…..I’ve…"
Do you love big bluegill?
Fall Panfish!
Fall is in full force up here in Northern Minnesota! When the water temps start falling there is only one way to consistently catch good fish, GO DEEP!!! That's right! The bluegills and crappies are starting to school up over there wintering spots. Theses spots are often main lake basins and or mid lake humps that are adjacent to deep water.
When going into the abyss for these deep-water panfish, I up-size my lure offerings. There are a couple of reasons for this. 1. I need to get down to the fish fast. 1/16 and 1/8 oz jigs are as small as I will go. 3/16oz would be the biggest. These jigs are always tipped with 1.75" STBs! Color is all dependent on water clarity. 2. I want the bigger fish of the school! I'm a firm believer in "big lures catch big fish"! An added bonus for using bigger baits, especially darker water, is that the bigger lure profile makes it easier for the fish to find and chomp!
Most of these "abyss panfish" will suspended over the humps and basins. This is is where good electronics plans a big part in success. GSP is also your best friend in this technique. Once you locate a school, drop a waypoint, marking the school. Using your graph, try and stay on top of them. Last step, vertically jig just above the school. Crappies feed in an upward direction so, jigging above them has them in position to strike.
I hope this information helps you out if you are struggling finding and catching fall panfish! Good luck and tightlines! Patrick
Views: 641
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Tony Livingston on
-
There you go...cold water BG like a bigger bait early in the season, and the added weight lets you get down to em' faster... that's why I enjoy tungsten so much.
-
Permalink Reply by Bruce Condello on
-
Great read!! Nice work. This is definitely a "feature" blog!
-
Permalink Reply by Patrick "Bullworm" Olson on
-
Thanks guys! I love the fall season. No bugs and big fish baby!
-
Permalink Reply by Bruce Tomaselli on
-
Thanks for the tips. Those are great fish. I can't wait to pull some up through the ice this year. Last year here in PA, we had very little safe ice.
Bruce
-
Permalink Reply by Leo Nguyen on
-
Excellent article and tips Patrick. Keep feeding us those wonderful photos of catches!
Latest Activity
Still Trying to Process This Reading ..2/4/2026
We often drop one to two feet during thunderstorms and cold fronts but down almost five feet is…
Cypress Reflection-8/30/2012
"I posted a picture in this area back in August of 2012……surface temperatures will…"
"We’re finally beginning to thaw around the Estuary, the images of this winter/storm are characterized as “once in a lifetime”"
"That stinks John….I was hoping to see a few fish caught through the ice……and…"
"The snow here is not melting and I couldn't get on the ice. My only access point had plowed…"
It’s Cold. Everywhere This Winter But….2/1/2026
"Yes it is…..I can’t get used to it after seeing this area with water a thousand…"
"
As soon as the ice locked up back in December, it got too frigid to fish without a…"
"SURE THING, KEN. GETTING ANY FISH THROUGH THE ICE THIS YEAR? HOPE TO GO IST TIME THIS YEAR, ON…"
"This was nice……I call it a simpler time……..thanks for sharing…."
"My Music partner John Grunberg posted this old Fishing Video Check it out so cool!. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkrSBzmMhtQ"
Albemarle Copper Daily Double........
"Throwback to warmer days with nearly a foot of snow on the way to the Albemarle…"
My Dad Caught Three Over 11" This Morning........
"My dad liked throwing the pearl jelly jig and the results speak for themselves…."
© 2026 Created by Bluegill.
Powered by
