Favorite Lures?

[Ron Kruger]

I was wondering what you all consider your favorite panfish lures?

For spinning, I like Strike King's Bitsy Minnow, Mepps ultra-lite spinner and a 1/16th ounce road runner with a curlytail

For fly fishing, I like a black fur ant.

[Keith Ritter]

I am big on the Bitsy Minnow, I've been fishing with them for four or five years and I catch a lot  of Bluegills with them. They work especially well post and pre spawn to cover a lot of water while the fish are spread out. The white and the fire-tiger are my favorite colors but the others have worked well too. 

[Ron Kruger]

All my other favorite baits do require some finesse to fish most effectively, but with the Bitsy Minnow, all you need to do is cast it out and crank it back slowly. Anyone can be an expert with this bait first time out. The square lip and tiny trebles don't get hung in brush either. I do best with them, however, if I impart momentary pauses in the retrieve.

I do believe it is the best bluegill lure I've used, even better than the black ant on a fly rod.

[Mike]

My favorite is a simple chenille and rubber band spider. Visibility is the key. 

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Favored lure? Beetle Spin
Another good producer has been the smallest Johnson Silver Minnow.
Last season I had a surprising run with the now defunct Rebel Tadfry.

For flies, the trusty rubber spider, gurgle pops, and Los Alamos Ants did good on the surface.
Skater flies like the Crackle Back and Ringwood Never Sink were surprising winners.
Subsurface, the Briminator and Cypert Minnows did well.
Soft hackles and tenkara kebari also did well.

[Andy is OptiMystic]

The beetle spin made my short list posted earlier as did a tiny crank, though a very different one than the tadfry. Beetle spin is one of those that is amazing unless it isn't. If I am in water with a decent panfish population and I can fish a small beetle spin 10 minutes without a bite; I might as well put it away for the day.

[jim cosgrove]

cant beat a beetle spin.i buy the spinner arms in bulk and different sizes.put different jigs and baits on them.we troll them with a big shot 2 feet in front of them in open water and catch tons of gills in the spring.lots of crappies and white bass.you can fish deep shallow any where in between.whatever colors you want.and they are pretty weedless.

[Allen Morgan]

Carl had a good list of baits.

To that, I'll add, Arkie minnowbaits, my own size 0 in-line spinnerbaits, and the venerable Rebel 7700 series crawfish crankbait in just about any color pattern.

As far as flies go:  Gurgle-Pops, GFA Foam Hoppers, Muddler Minnows, Flicted Damsels, various colors of Soft Hackles, Mosquito soft hackles, Peacock Drowned Ant soft hackles, Olive Wooly Buggers, Scuds in various colors, etc.  Honestly, Bluegills eat the same thing Trout do, so I can't really see ANY fly not working.

I've started to get real heavy into tying jigs, as Carl mentioned.  I did a special 1/80th oz jig for him, chartreuse tail with white ostrich herl body.  I have some myself, as well as given a few to another buddy of mine here locally.  Everyone has caught fish on them.  I've since done some more color variations, and plan on doing some more when I get some new materials :)

[carl hendrix]

and -- to be honest- I have to many actually to consider to be my favorite ..  depends on what those gills or what ever I fish for really want ---  then that one at the time is my favorite!

[Ronald A Wilson]

i like a 1/32 oz jighead usually orange and tipped with gulp alive ,minnows,redworm ,or small piece of crawler. Im a simple guy with simple baits .they really catch the gills

[Troy Seal]

Depends on season and if I'm fishing moving water or not but some of my favorites are bitsy pond minnows, panfish assassins, 1" slider grubs and gulp minnows, but if I had to choose two it would be my hand tied buttonhead jigs tipped with a berkley power wiggler under a plastilte #0/1 float that is no longer made but I bought 50 dollars worth to do me a while, and the 1/24th oz. beetle spin I make with a #8 hook and a #0 hildebrand colorada blade.

[Allen Morgan]

Troy, those jigs sound like winners.  Do you have a picture of them?

[John McKean]

Check out the "D-Bug" that we kill bluegill, crappie, and perch with on surefirejigs.com