been fishing for some time now, about 42yrs and been i'd say 7yrs of that for pan fish but was when i was 7yrs of age,and the rest strictly bass fishing from then till now . had gotten 2 ultra lite combo's want to try out for pan fish,but been like i said a long time ago . need some tips on what to use tackle wise,etc.. and this reel has i think 6lb test line. but crappie,perch,bluegill,etc.. is what i'm after again and need some help . your help thanks! 

 

My panfish fishing is done entirely with this rig:

5' Ultra-lite rod

1500 spinning reel

4lb monofilament

Small bobber

Small long shank hook

Small piece of night crawler

And I have the batter ready and the oil hot.

I always carry an ultra-light spinning rig in the boat.  When I want to change the pace from bass fishing for a while, I get out the ultra-light and throw 1/16 oz. and 1/8 oz. Johnson Beetle Spin spinnerbaits in various colors.  I always manage to catch some yellow perch, white perch, crappies and bluegills/pumpkinseeds.  A decent bass will sometimes grab them, too.

 

The Beetle Spins cost a little over a buck each at Wal-Mart.  I buy them 1/2 dozen at a time because the small pike and pickerel seem to love them as much as the panfish, and I always lose a few.

 

Tight lines,

Bob

Bass  Assassin  makes a cool electric chicken colored 2 inch swim bait that I have done well with out in Kansas fished on a light jig head. 6 lb line near or over brush piles and around docks.

Zoom 2" white curly tails on 1/32-1/8oz jigheads. You will catch everything

I just use my dropshot rod for panfish and trout fishing. Road runners for panfish, panther martins for trout:D

I don't like the ultra light short rods, I like them to be a little longer.  I have better hook up ratios with those, and feel I can better handle the odd bigger fish you pick up.

 

Bait wise, hands down you cannot beat a tiny hook and a nibblet of nightcrawler under a bobber (unless maybe you are fly fishing).  But, I usually don't have worms on the boat so I use tiny 1" - 2" grubs of various colors.  I start with white and go from there until I see them just really going after a different color.  White, yellow and pink seem to be my best colors.  As for the jig, I like to stay as small as I can and still cast.  I think, though, I probably have the best luck on 1/16'th ounce heads, painted red and with an eye.

 

My second choice is a bettle spin like desmobob mentioned.  In fact, if I am fishing a farm pond and not using live bait (grasshoppers, crickets, worms are all awesome), then I will have a bettle spin on.  I prefer the yellow or black bodies and without any tail.  Just the grub body, I have much less luck with the ones that have the split tail design.  I cannot remember a time in a farm pond when they did not succeed.  And be ready, because those old fat bass will eat them too!

When the bass stop biting I bring out the ultra lite. A chart colored 1/16 oz. marabou jig under a floater is what I use.  I start shallow and every couple of minutes I'll run the floater up until I find the fish.

When the bass stop biting I bring out the ultra lite. A chart colored 1/16 oz. marabou jig under a floater is what I use.  I start shallow and every couple of minutes I'll run the floater up until I find the fish.

Rumor has it, that a presentation similar to that can pull some finicky cold water smallies out during the winter...

Its called a float and fly, look it up!

If you want guaranteed success all you need is a small hook, a small splitshot sinker, and a box of night crawlers. Pinch off about a 1/4 of a worm put it on the hook, catch fish, repeat.

If you want guaranteed success all you need is a small hook, a small splitshot sinker, and a box of night crawlers. Pinch off about a 1/4 of a worm put it on the hook, catch fish, repeat.

I used to fish for big bluegills with a small aberdeen hook and piece of nightcrawler with no weight or bobber. Cast it to a likely looking spot and watch for the line to twitch, how I learned to be a line watcher before I even knew what that meant

I used to fish for big bluegills with a small aberdeen hook and piece of nightcrawler with no weight or bobber. Cast it to a likely looking spot and watch for the line to twitch, how I learned to be a line watcher before I even knew what that meant

My Brother and I got very good at this technique when we were younger.   We use to fish a sandpit that had a lot of very large bluegill in it, but to get to them, you had to get past the smaller ones.   The split shot helped us get deep a little faster, if we made it to the bottom, we would let it rest a while and then just drag it a foot or two at a time, and it was almost  guaranteed to produce.

 

I still enjoy this type of fishing in areas with large sunfish and bluegill.

those little crappie magnet baits are great for panfish as i discovered this summer. otherwise i usually use a piece of nightcrawler on a small abeerdeen hook

smallest spinner you can find