Outdoor Zack

I agree. I would go up to a 3" if it was me.....

In that case, probably just a spinning setup with a 3500 box or pack of plastics in my pants pocket

I have a finesse spinning rig and a bait caster for the bank. A technique specific (frog, flipping, Carolina rig, etc.) rod goes too. My bag is a cabelas brand that holds 4 3500 boxes. I have a pocket reserved for several bags of plastics inside

Never seen that before, cool. Thanks for posting

Thanks for your response. But I was just wondering if the baits are really similarly they look in terms of action and durability. I like my KVD's but I just want to get an opinion on something else. Not looking to start a childish "which is the best bait?" conversation. Sorry for any confusion

As this is a Rebel thread, I will post my question: Does anybody have experience with the Rebel bluegill crankbait? I see they are similar in price and features to the KVD 1.0, so I am wondering how Rebel compares. Thanks for any input

Depends on the bait for me, I usually go as light as I can though. That said, I try to make sure I can cast easily. For instance, I throw finesse worms with a 1/8 oz weight usually (sometimes 1/16 oz.) so I can put it where I want to. But senkos don't get any weight as they are heavy enough to cast well and they have good action when rigged weightless if you can cast a lure well (as far as distance and accuracy go) when u rig it weightless, then go for it. If not, then throw it with as little weight as you can, while still being able to fish it the way u want to

In my experience, catching panfish in a pond/small body of water is not hard when you have good conditions, tactics, and equipment. I like to go out on cloudy, cool (about 55-75 degrees) days when there is little wind. But most bluegills will hit no matter what the day is like. As far as equipment goes, I run a 5' 6'' UL spinning outfit with 6 lb. mono as mainline and a 4lb. mono leader (6 lb. doe not twist or tangle nearly as easily). I occasionally tie on a snap swivel, depending on the lure. As far as bait, I try to keep it simple. Here are my top 3- 1. Roostertails- Probably (and arguably) the best freshwater fishing lure of all time. These are really versatile as they can be burned, worked slowly, jigged, hopped, or darted. I suggest you pick up one of the 5 packs of Mepp's spinners or Blue Fox Vibrax spinners, in 1/16 or 1/8 oz., depending on the size of the fish near you. If you want to go minimalist, buy a 1/8 oz. roostertail or similar spinnerbait, in white. Then buy two more, one in black and one in white, in 1/16 oz. 2. Jigs/Tubes- I like these for smaller fish (like sunfish, pumpkinseeds, small perch, shad, etc.) because they are usually small in profile. But they can catch bigger panfish as well, so don't rule them out. I like to use feather figs in 1/16 oz., but you can go smaller, or even up to 1/8 oz. Bass Pro makes some of the best I've found. Otherwise, I use unpainted jigheads with plastic trailers, usually trout magnets, but I also like tubes, small creatures, and small rubber imitations. You can also tip these ith small globs of worms of minnows. 3. Crankbaits- I am a big fan of using small crankbaits for panfish as it's a lot of fun for me. they are really productive and are something that many fish in pressured water don't see everyday. MY favorite is the Rebel Deep Wee r, but Strike kings and Arkies work too. Also look at the rebel insect series. Another viable option is using live/cut bait. For this, I like my old Zebco spin caster, though a Lite action spinning rig would work ok too. It was spooled with 10 lb. mono, but I added a 4 lb. leader. 6 lb. mono would be good too, you never know what is going to bite (I've had big carp, shad, and even catfish break off my lines before when fishing in small ponds). I tie on a #4 hook, add split shots to the line, and clip on a bobber. I like nightcrawlers and bloodworms the most, but minnows are good for bigger fish (crappies, perch, etc.). You can also tie a double-rig by basically tying on a hook like you were making a dropshot rig, but then tying on a second hook in place of the sinker. But check the law before you do this (illegal in some states) When fishing, I usually try to pick out cover/structure that is easy to cast to. I approach it without making excessive noise or commotion, watch for blowups on the water's surface, and work out how I want to pick it apart. Since the fish are usually in schools/groups, I try to concentrate on single targets (or 'zones') at a time. I make a short cast to or past make target, then work it back fast or slow, depending on what the fish like. If you take care, you may be able to pick apart a large school of fish and catch 5-10 (or more) off of a single target. Try to use as much finesse as you can though, especially when throwing back fish, bringing them in, or making large splashes in the water. Though most panfish are pretty ballsy, they're not clueless.. My favorite places to target them are rockpiles and riprap banks made up of large rocks. The panfish can hide in the rocks and debris and will, at least in my experience, gather in these places in large numbers. You can make a cast parallel to the target, just past it, and retrieve it at a medium speed. With a jig, you can try bouncing it off the rocks, but you will get caught and lose lures. Comes with the territory. You can also try to fish around downed trees, shrubbery, and other vegetation/timber in the water that's (semi) submerged. A jig under a bobber may be your best bet in this situation, but you could also just work your lure around the structure, as mentioned previously. Don't rule out any place as they will congregate almost any place they can swim in and out of. I've hooked into large schools (30+ fish) that were clinging to a riprap bank that was no more than 8'' deep. I hope this can help you out. This is just what I've learned from my experiences of targeting panfish. I like them because they're so responsive to lures and are a lot bolder than most bass. Go out and experiment and find what works for you. Good luck, @pwahmy

Green pumpkin w/ spike it! on the tail is usually pretty good. Otherwise its watermelon w/ red flake, junebug, or anything I think looks good.

That's a toss up for me, between either a 5'' yum dinger or a 4 3/4'' finesse worm

Idk what they're called, but I have a pair of Eddie Bauer sandals with a very thick, agressive sole on them that drain easily and dry fast. In the fall/colder times, it's a pair of muck boots

YUM, Zoom, Cabela's, Mister Twister, and BPS

Ok, I've used jitterbugs in this particular location, except around sunset. I was able to get several blowups, but all behind the bait. I will continue to fish it. Thanks

Daiwa Lexa 100

I was able to get out today in a borrowed kayak. Using a lot of the wisdom in this thread, I was able to hook up with 2 fish, one was a dink, the other was a decent size for the particular pond I was at. That's more fish in one outing than in the last 4 trips combined. I found that fishing places that other overlook was the way to go (small docks that are nearly inaccessible from shore, fallen trees, hade lines, etc.) . Thanks all, I'll keep you posted as I have more success.

Example please?

Thanks for the response. I understand that there is no 'perfect lure' and I understand what you mean by not fishing it when the odds aren't I my favor. I will give your advice some serious thought. Ok thanks. I have some of each that I have been waiting until the fall season to really put into use, but I will definitely give your ideas a go

I fish a pressured pond from the shore, which is actually part of a local park. Its located on a wide point that extends about 50 yds. into the pond. On both sides, there are dense lilly pads and theres rip rap along the entire point. This about the only cover around. A bare flat runs from the front of the point out pretty far. The bottom is sandy/gravel and the water is dirty, but not "chocolate milk". There is a lot of algae around the bank, but there isn't a lot of vegetation otherwise (besides the lilly pads). Also, the water has been very warm lately, but a cool front has moved in during the past couple days, so it has probably chilled down. Also, its worth noting that the water level fluctuates a lot as the pond owner uses a lot of the water for their crops during the summer. I fish this pond several times a week, but haven't been a lot lately because of the heat. The last time I was there, Monday, I got a dink on a finesse worm with spike it on the tail. But back in the pre-spawn/spawn period, I was catching multiple fish in only 2-3 hr. trips. I was having the most luck on senkos, brush hogs, lizards, and other plastics. I have spoken with other people who fish this pond frequently and they claim that the best producing bait are spinnerbaits, buzzbaits frogs, senkos, brush hogs, and squarebills. I know this pond is heavily pressured from the bank as there are usually 4-8 other fishermen there when I am in the evenings/afternoons. Some of them are kids using bobbers/nightcrawlers, others are throwing heavy spinnerbaits, frogs, crankbaits, and other loud, flashy techniques. I'd like to get better at fishing this pond, but I think that using lures that the fish have not seen may be the way to go. What baits do you recommend for this situation and can you let me know of any tactics that may be 'new' to these fish?

I have an old shimano spinning combo that used to be used for casting light buck tails in the surf for bluefish. It's a MHF that's 6' long and has a size 3500 reel, which is a little big, but allows for easy use of the controls on it. I spoil it with 12 lb. mono and usually a t rig. It's simple to learn and pretty much bulletproof

Looks good, I've seen them on the shelf before and always avoided them due to the price. Maybe I'll pick one up

Rebel frog r or heddon torpedo are good starts. To imitate bugs, look at the rebel insect series

Top 5 - 1. 5'' Yum dinger in watermelon black flake or gp (chart. spike it on tail if need be) 2. Baby brush hog in watermelon red 3. Zoom lizard in chart. pepper 4. Culprit 7'' ribbontail 5. Finesse worm

I'd like to get an ultralite spinning combo to use for throwing light baits (1/16 oz. jigs, tubes, grubs, etc.) for crappies and bluegills. My preference is a 5' - 6' LF or a ULF. I would like to keep the combo under $50. Thanks

I'm no expert, but I would suggest a Pflueger Tri-30 on a 6' or 6' 6" medium light to medium power with a fast taper. There are a lot of good rods out there to get with the leftover money, like a St. Croix Avid X or even a E6x on sale. Otherwise you could get a lightning rod, ugly stik, shimano stimula or other similar rod and have a nice combo for less than $100. you could also use this setup for other finesse presentations as well, such as weightless trick worms, grubs, power worms, and so on. Just my $0.02. Good luck