I would like to do some panfishing in some local ponds. Anyone have any good recommendations for baits? I have heard of some people drop shotting

Go get you a jar of gulp alive maggots and a size 10 circle hook. Most fun you can have on an ul rod and reel. 

Anything that will float on the surface and remotely resemble some sort of insect.
 

A 2" curlytail grub on a 1/32 or 1/16oz ball head with a slow retrieve will catch any panfish out there along with most any other species of fish. 

Small white rooster tail.  I just reel it in fast enough to make the blade turn.

1/8 oz panther martin spinner black with yellow dots and gold blade... can find them at walmart or anywhere for that matter.  Will catch about any fish in any water from my experience...

Lindy little nipper and a few hundred wax worms are all you need to catch sunfish all day.  Tipping with gulp instead is cheaper, but if they aren't very active a wax worm is the ticket.

To start off, get yourself a bunch of 1/16 oz. ball head jigs and an assortment of plastics. Start with 2" curly tails, straight tails and solid bodied tubes. Get a selection of colors of each style and you're good to go.

1 hour ago, Crestliner2008 said:

To start off, get yourself a bunch of 1/16 oz. ball head jigs and an assortment of plastics. Start with 2" curly tails, straight tails and solid bodied tubes. Get a selection of colors of each style and you're good to go.

+1 on this (and some 1/32 jigs as well).  I'm also a big fan of the old Blakemore Roadrunners.  I buy the 1/32 oz and 1/16th oz. version in yellow marabou by the cards of one dozen on the big auction site.  

But I think the MOST fun way to catch panfish is with a light fly rod and some simple foam spiders.

Tight lines,

Bob

 

I agree that the most fun way to catch them is sight fishing bedding bluegill with a dry fly or small popper.

 

The most fun I ever have fishing is going crappie hunting during summer evenings with a fly rod and a foam wing mayfly. Great fight and you catch 'em as fast as you can cast if you are on 'em.