“Minnesota’s Mark Gomez Fishes Mister Twister and Mepps Products”

Part 5: Panfish: No Catch and Release

Editor’s Note: Mark Gomez of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, in the Minneapolis Metro area, is a tournament-bass fisherman and vice president of the Minnesota B.A.S.S. Federation Nation, the amateur arm of B.A.S.S.

Question: Mark, you mentioned that you like to start fishing for panfish as soon as the ice is off the lakes. What do you use to fish for these panfish, and how do you catch them?

Gomez: I’m a big fan of the 1-inch Mister Twister Micro Shad. This is my absolute favorite pan-fishing bait. The white-pearl Micro Shad looks like a real minnow. I’ll put that bait on a 1/64-inch pink jighead or the lightest jighead I can find to get a very-slow fall from the bait. I prefer to fish it under a pencil-style bobber that lies over on its side on the surface. When a crappie or a big bluegill hits that Micro Shad, the pencil bobber will stand-up, and you can set the hook and catch the fish. I fish the Micro Shad with a pencil cork on a 5-1/2-foot rod using 4-pound-test line. I really can catch a number of panfish in early spring using this tactic.

Generally I’ll dead stick the Micro Shad under the pencil bobber. But if the bluegills and the crappie are in the mood to chase the bait, I’ll move the pencil bobber 6 to 12 inches and then stop it, allowing the tail of the Micro Shad to make the bait look like it’s swimming. If the panfish won’t take the bait when I’m dead sticking it, they’ll take the Micro Shad when I move it.

As the weather warms up, I’ll return to using the white-pearl-colored 4-inch finesse worm for panfish. When I get into a school of panfish like bluegills or crappie and switch from the Mister Twister Micro Shad to the Mister Twister 4-inch Finesse Jig Worm, the big bluegills or crappie in the school will take the finesse worm. My favorite eating fish is bluegills. I’m a catch-and-release kind of guy, and I don’t eat many fish, but my family and I really like to eat panfish like bluegills and crappie. So, I’ll take my family out, tie on the Micro Shad with the pencil bobbers and catch plenty of crappie and bluegills for supper.

When I’m drop shotting the 4-inch Finesse Jig Worm for bass, I’ve found that it will produce big bluegills. One of the best ways to catch a big bluegill in my area is to look for coontail moss, because that’s where the bluegills like to concentrate. I’ll often find bluegills in spots where the coontail moss creates a point. The Micro Shad and the 4-inch Finesse Jig Worm are great baits to get kids started fishing because both baits look lifelike and are the perfect size for catching panfish.

You only have to cast these baits out with a pencil weight and let the kids hold their rods. When the bluegill or the crappie takes the bait, all the kids have to do is reel-in the fish. Even if the youngsters don’t exactly hold their rods completely still, the inevitable amount of jerking that occurs when kids are fishing will excite the bass and get them to start biting.

Question: What size hook do you use on the Finesse Jig Worm?

Gomez: I like a No. 1 Owner Hook, which is the smallest drop-shot hook made by Owner Hooks. I’ll use the smallest jighead I can find with the Micro Shad. I really like a 1/64-ounce jighead or a lighter jighead. The lighter the lead, the slower the Micro Shad falls.