Sunfish and crappies, the cars in this metaphor, pull in and out while foraging and evading predators. Isolated stands or islands of bulrushes and reeds are favorites on big water. Such clusters of emergent vegetation teem with underwater critters, which become highly active following ice-out. A mass of standing vegetation mixed with submerged greenery is seriously volatile. Productive areas are marked with dense or scattered browned and dead weed heads jutting through the surface.
Objects retain heat, and as duly noted, post ice-out panfish gravitate toward heat.
Immersed structures like docks, bridge pilings, retaining walls and other manmade structures absorb and preserve heat. Again, a shallow bay isn t always part of the equation. A train bride gapping narrowed waters, cluster of docks, fishing pier, flooded dwelling, and bastion of landscaping rocks, harbor rocks or railroad ties are all prime examples of unorthodox panfish haunts that deserve attention. At the onset, when I revisited spring panfish basics, I neglected to delve into specific presentations and recommended pieces of equipment. Tote along a spinning reel, sensitive rod, light line, jigs, and a sampling of live baits and your armed to do damage.