20 August 21,, 2020 VOL.39 • ISS. 18
Pedal Drive Panfish
By Noel Vick
“Panfish” is perhaps the biggest catchall category in fishing. Essentially,
if it’s round and measures somewhere between the size of an
adult hand and the fateful frying pan, it’s a panfish. We’re talking
about the zillion species of sunfish, a couple styles of crappies, as well
as – in the opinion of many including myself – white bass.
Drumroll please… And now you’re being urged to pursue the
commonest freshwater fish in North America with the uncommonest
of approaches: pedal kayak trolling. Take a breath and a moment to
get over the weirdness. It’s an extraordinarily effective technique.
For this discourse, it’s best talking lure selection first, as it’ll
dovetail into techniques. My panfish trolling portfolio consists of two
primary categories: hardbaits and
spinners.
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Hardbait Pedal
Trolling
Not too many
years ago, the marketplace was inundated
with downsized bodybaits, including
lipped crankbaits, jerkbaits and lipless rattle baits. Manufacturers miniaturized
existing models and developed entirely new micro hardbaits.
I’ve trolled and tested them all from my Hobie Mirage Pro
Angler 14.
Panfish of all stripes – especially larger specimens – either
make a living off bait and fish fry or will opportunistically eat
forage with fins and tails. Hardbaits also ferret-out the most
aggressive fish and can be trolled faster than spinners, letting
you cover more water in less time. Hardbaits are unquestionably
the best search tool.
Trolling by pedal kayak simply means casting the bait back,
letting out additional line – minimum of 100 feet – and you’re
fishing. Whatever species you pursue, the odds of success
are improved by getting the lure as far away from the boat as
possible, especially in depths of 10-feet and less where fish
more easily scatter. Experience has proven, however, that the
darker the water the closer you can run baits.
As with other forms of pedal trolling, longer rods are recommended.
Think about the common practice of spider-rigging for
crappies; it’s about spreading the field of coverage. In a kayak,
where legal, two long rods can be easily managed.
LIVETARGET’s 2 ¾-inch Rainbow Smelt Jerkbait does it all,
never discriminating against species, including bass. Although
designed to replicate a rainbow smelt, fish in waters dominated
by shad and other shiner species don’t seem to care. I theorize
that the Rainbow Smelt Jerkbait’s precision anatomy, pure
trolling path, and seductive action make it universally effective.
Rapala has a major stake in the panfish market, too, and their baits are always
onboard. Fish fawn over the petite, 2 ½-inch Rapala Husky Jerk, a downsized
rendition of the popular, slow-sinking series. To that, Rapala also tenders the Ultra
Light series, catering specifically to panfish anglers. The 1 ½-inch Ultra Light
Crank is not only cute as hell, but has the surprising capacity to run deep on the
troll, nearing the 10-foot mark.
Spinner Pedal Trolling
Let’s first clarify, I’m talking about hairpin spinners, not inline spinners. Years
of pedal trolling have proven that bags are basically doubled with hairpins. I
believe it’s the flash combined with a juicy, baitfish profiled target – the jig and
soft plastic.
DIY is the only way to go with hairpin spinners. Certainly, there are hordes of
pre-rigged variations available, but none matching my surefire assortment. To this,
entirely, my hairpins are founded on Betts Spinners. The series affords Colorado
blade sizes 0, 1, and 3, the heartier 3-size providing the best loft, especially with
smaller jigs. Both silver and gold options are available, too. I employ silver in
most scenarios, but swap to gold in dark water.
Next in line is the actual jig. Betts offers several workable styles, too, but I
prefer a couple others. Z-Man’s capsule-headed Finesse ShroomZ are the defacto
heads for Ned Rigs, and I find them equally amazing with hairpin spinners. Featherweight
sizes of 1/15- and 1/10-ounce are the magic bullets. Keep a pool of red,
black, green and white heads onboard to color match bodies.
Assuming you’re the results-oriented type of angler who has gotten over
the stigma of trolling in general (you likely wouldn’t have read this far if you
weren’t), expand the technique into your panfishing – preferably by pedal-driven
kayak – and see what happens. A cooler of crappies and sunfish does not lie.
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