PANFISH ABUNDANT IN EAGLE RIVER AREA

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While making plans to head to the North Country I think most anglers have visions of doing battle with a fish that is similar to the one pictured on the front cover of this issue. When it's all over but the shouting many of the hopeful anglers leave their rods in the cabin and are content to drive the pontoon boat or play with the kids on the beach. Or, God Forbid......they hire a guide to take them fishing. Those of us in the guiding business will be more than happy to take the crew out to put some fish on the stringer. But hiring a guide isn't in everybody's budget or plan and we understand that. What I'll try to do in the con.nes of this article is to give those anglers that don't want to just give up an option on how to improve their angling success.

It all boils down to a simple fact......there are a lot more small fish in our lakes than there are large fish. With that fact stored away we basically change the type of our assault on the Northwood's waters from a quality type to a quantity type. We will be after a bucket-full of panfish rather than our legal limit of large fish. If you're looking to catch a meal of fish this makes all the sense in the world. The current limit of walleyes on most of the lakes in our area is between 1 and 3 fish and there are limits on the size of those fish. In most instances you'd be allowed to keep only one large walleye and the remainder of your limit would be small ones. The current limit on panfish is 25 fish, in aggregate (bluegills, sunfish, crappies and perch) per day. The chances of catching a meal for the family from 25 panfish are much greater than from 3 walleyes.

Here's how to go about catching those 25 panfish. I'll assume that you don't have a boat at your disposal so the article can be applied by anyone with access to a fishing rod and reel. Check out local DNR or Ufis. Forest Service or Vilas County Forestry of.ces to obtain information on lakes in the area. Much of this can be done on line prior to your trip to the Northwoods. You might also check local sport shops for maps. Eagle Sports Center in Eagle River has several excellent books with multiple maps and narratives in them. Check the information you receive to determine what lakes or streams you might be interested in trying. There are literally hundreds of lakes in the area that are quite small, have limited or no boat access and are loaded with bass and panfish. Many of these lakes can be reached by walking short trails from parking lots or roads. Some of these lakes have fishing piers located on them. Many of these lakes are less than 20 acres in size and it is likely that you won't see another person using the lake. On the lakes that have gently sloping shorelines you can put on a pair of tennis shoes or "water shoes" and wade the shorelines while fishing. On our bog type lakes the shoreline will be spongy and then become much deeper as the shoreline vegetation changes. Use caution on the bog lakes and always wear a Ufis.CoastGuard approved .otation device while wading shorelines.

While wading the shorelines look for likely places for panfish to congregate. Remember, they use the weeds and stumps as places to hide from the larger fish. In most cases you'll be in water that is from 1 foot to 3 feet deep. Use light tackle ( 4# to 6# test line, a small bobber or slip bobber, and a small hook and a split shot sinker) and cast to the edge of any cover you notice. Many times you'll have a bite before the bobber is settled on the water. The action is usually fast and furious for a while and then it's time to move on to the next bit of cover. As you fish various types of cover you will come to understand that certain types of cover are more likely to hold fish than other types are. You will also notice that certain covers hold certain types of fish. For example, you may find that small brush piles or downed trees hide crappies in their branches and bluegills are found in weedy areas. Sometimes the added bonus is the largemouth bass, northern pike or muskie that takes your offering.

When after panfish using the wading method I try to travel light. I use an ultralight spinning rod that is four to four and one half feet long. I carry my hooks, bobbers and split shot in a small plastic box in my pocket. If you are using live bait (I usually use leaf worms) you can carry them in a small plastic container that can hang from your belt. Most often I prefer to use arti.cial bait such as Berkley's GULP maggots, GULP worms or crappie nibbles when panfishing. They are easy to carry, they don't get mushy or rot and they really work well! I'll set the bobber about a foot up from my hook. Put the split shot 8 inches up from the hook and put the bait on the hook. A gentle cast to the cover and the next thing you know you'll be fighting a nice panfish. Rather than carry a stringer on these little trips I prefer to carry a small mesh laundry bag to put the fish in. I let the laundry bag dangle in the water as I wade.

In just a few trips using the wading method you will have discovered some secret hot spots that will make you a fishing hero back at the cabin. All that remains is to become skilled at cleaning the fish that you have caught.

REMEMBER....USE CAUTION AND WEAR A COAST GUARD APPROVE LIFE JACKET WHILE WADING SHORELINES! I'd be happy to see any pictures you take of fish caught as a result of using the wading method while in the Eagle River Area. If you have pictures to share contact me, Brian Uttech, toll free, at 1-877-479-6198. Thanks. Good Luck!

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