When it comes time to hit the ice in the winter to do some hardcore fishing, my first target is always panfish.  First and foremost, they are readily available and fun to catch.  But this isn't the only story.  If we dig a little deeper you will find that fishing panfish can be fun and rewarding as well.  Catching panfish may be easy at times, but catching BIG panfish is another story entirely.  This article will be detail how to catch fish while ice fishing panfish, as well as how to ways to tip the scale in your favor when it comes time to chase those hawgs.  While you won't need heavy duty ice fishing gear like when you are out chasing walleyes or ice fishing pike, you will need some specialized equipment to make it go better.

Firstly you need to think about where we are likely to find panfish in the winter.  This will change depending on what type we are chasing.  When ice fishing crappie, it is well known that they love to suspend over the deep holes of a lake.  This is usually where you will find the community fishing hole, which will be littered with so many ice fishing houses it may make your head spin.  This is actually a great place to start and while often the community spot may not produce that great, it will show you what type of structure you should be looking for.  The fish were there are one point at least.  Drop your ice fishing flasher down the hole and see if there are fish down there.  If there are, start fishing.

What Gear To Use When Ice Fishing Panfish?

When it comes to what to fishing with, my go to ice fishing bait for panfish is wax worms.  People are stuck on crappie minnows for crappies, but trust me, I have caught more winter crappies with wax worms that with crappie minnows by an enormous margin.  There are times when crappie minnows are the deal, but often it is just a better presentation with waxies due to their smaller profile.  As mentioned often on this site, my favorite lure is the Lindy Frostee jigging spoon.  it has caught me a crazy amount of fish over the years.  I like the 1/16 oz size for pannies.  When it comes to the ice fishing rod, I want a rod with a light or ultralight feel and a small ice fishing reel like the Tica Cetus.  Perhaps the most important thing to get on your ice fishing rods is a spring bobber.  This little contraption can sense the smallest of bites and truly sets you apart from the competition.  If you are going to use a standard ice fishing bobber, then I would highly recommend an ice buster bobber.  They are in a league all their own on the ice.

Where to Find The Biggest Panfish While Ice Fishing

When it comes to slab crappies and bull sunfish through the ice it is important to remember to stay away from the crowd.  You need to be able to be in a quiet spot when the time comes.  Often the best time is when the sun hits the tips of the trees and begins to get dark.  You have about an hour period that is generally the best time, bar none.  Almost always this is when the big fish are leaving their deep haunts and heading up to shallower water to feast.  Look for sharp breaks that head into deeper water and green weeds adjacent to that deep water.  Both are known producers of big panfish.  Another less popular idea is to hit smaller bodies of water that are not known producers of pannies.  There can be some great sized fish in these small areas, but they get fished out pretty quickly.

When you finally find that great spot for panfish keep it pretty quiet.  You don't want your honey hole to turn into the community spot for ice fishing panfish this winter!