Best Baits to Catch Baits and Panfish

[Scott LEmons]

I was thinking of going to Marsh Creek with my daughter on Saturday. She like to catch blue gills and perch, but there is also quite a few crappie and bass.

What would be your go to bait for this time of the year.

My thought is wax works or minnows, maybe even some small jigs.

Thanks for the advice

[PaCatfishHunter]

I would use small jigs and tip it with the wax worms or maggots. I not sure if spinners would work now but if you give it a try, I would use White, Yellow, or Green as the colors

[jolie]

I was thinking of going to Marsh Creek with my daughter on Saturday. She like to catch blue gills and perch, but there is also quite a few crappie and bass.

What would be your go to bait for this time of the year.

My thought is wax works or minnows, maybe even some small jigs.

Thanks for the advice

I'm thinking minnows is too lively and large for many coldwater bluegills and you would do better with something small.

one neat little bug that I learned about icefishing; is a strange kind of maggot/mealworm larvae they call 'spikes'... they're squishy and have a spiky something on one end. their a little 'meatier' than a maggot, and dangled in front of a bluegill I would think that would be as good as anything.

if you've got too pick something more common; mealworm/waxworm/ even a small peice of worm. I would pick all the above for bluegill before I would pick small minnows... However for crappies , perch and bass is a different story... but with a kid you should go for the absolute likeliest catch.

[jolie]

I would use small jigs and tip it with the wax worms or maggots. I not sure if spinners would work now but if you give it a try, I would use White, Yellow, or Green as the colors

they have icefishing jigs that go to almost negligable size. I've been thinking they'd be nearly perfect for bluegills (as long as you don't think you've got to cast them a ways) even in open water...

[Blacky]

Due to the cold water temps, the sunfish will not be aggressive so don't use spinners nor curly tails. I have success with ice out sunfish with a ice jig tipped with waxworms. They will be line shy so use light line, I use 4lb flourocarbon.

[lendog]

i was thinkin waxworms also, thats what i use for baitfish the rest of the year

[finster31]

I think a m-80 on a rock would work.:smile2:

[readingcatfisher]

I always used pieces of nightcrawlers at Blue Marsh bluegills will bite anything

[NorthportTroller]

I have never targeted Bluegills this early in the year, but you guys all have very useful information. Thanks to all.:roll_eyes:

[nut]

on our catfish lake(sayers) there is a panfish restriction( crappies 9" sunfish 7") so we target perch as bait. this time of year they "should" be in the shallows getting ready to spawn. I say"should" cause we never found the numbers of previous years. a size 6 or 8 baitholder and a manure redworm works great for these buggers. you'll know if you have a manure worm as opposed to a regular worm. look for the smell and red segments.

[readingcatfisher]

These teenaged boys were using bread balls and having a lot of success yesterday ,I dfinitely gonna hafta try it out:wink:

[Cattn-Jeep]

Something I learned from my grandpa- use a little piece of bacon, they love it. :wink:

[moose22dog]

Something I learned from my grandpa- use a little piece of bacon, they love it. :wink:
just raw?

[Bassmaster23]

For crappies i would go for a mister twister but for bass i would use a bottom crank or a white 5 inch rubber worm and 3/4 thick.. I use home made worms :wink: though. Ps garlic based products work GREAT better when you make the stuff yourself.