panfish setup

[gpc]

Alot of people while going for panfish like to use an 11' rod. They also will spool there reel with 8 or 10lb test I like to use a 5' rod for jigging, and a 5' 6" for casting jigs both in ultra light action. I also never go above 4lb test while panfishing, and will drop down to 2lb. I also always bring a fly rod with me. I just put one of my ultra light reels on it and the fish put up a great fight on those. I use the fly rod when Im fishing from shore, its a long pole about 12' and sometimes you need the extra length to fish from shore, you can almost vertically jig while standing on shore. But what do you guys use?

[CK14]

4' 8" ultra light for fishing docks, and a 7' 6" for everything else. i use 4lb & 6lb.

[squidbo63]

Ten foot worm action pole with a really nice old (1959) Mitchell 300, wound with 6# line.
Also for sheer fun, a nice little 5 foot rod with a Shimano ultralight reel, strung with 4# line.
I don't use any Berkley products whatsoever, just bait and lures or jigs.
For Perch, I'll use their eyes which work killer.
And clear bobbers that you fill with water for weight, the fish don't see them.

[bpm2000]

I used a 5' UL for the first time this weekend fishing bluegill on silver lake. Man that was a blast - i think im going to start bringing the UL everywhere.

oh sedona 750 reel wtih 4lb line. We were using jigheads tipped with worms but the occasional plastic did work in experiement (not nearly as well as worms though)

[gpc]

I used a 5' UL for the first time this weekend fishing bluegill on silver lake. Man that was a blast - i think im going to start bringing the UL everywhere.

oh sedona 750 reel wtih 4lb line. We were using jigheads tipped with worms but the occasional plastic did work in experiement (not nearly as well as worms though)

Yeah I will never leave home w/o my ultra light. I will use it to catch bait fish in the salt, casting for trout and finesse fishing for bass. While trout fishing you can almost cast the smallest lurein your tackle box and whip it out there pretty far. With 4lb test the line diameter is pretty small and the smaller the line diameter the farther you can cast the lure. A lot of people are intimidated by the smaller line diameter, but you get a lot more hook ups and a better fight. Once you get used to it you wont loose a whole lot of fish as long as you arnt fishing heavy cover. Last year I caught 2 2lb trout and a 2lb walleye on 2lb test, in 2 days. So its possible, but it takes practice my first fish was a perch and my favorite fishing is pan fishing. Its not the strength of your line its the amount of line you have on your reel.

On another note there is a fishing guide on one of the great lakes who target strictly salmon and on his guided trips he uses 4lb test. And when hes out fishing by himself he uses 2 lb test, he said the 2 lb test would be a little much for his clients. I wouldn't have believed this, but I am a NAFC member and it was written in one of their books that they send to the members. I probably wouldn't drop down to 4lb test for salmon but this just goes to show that it is possible