Sunfish, first fish meal of the new fishing year!
Written by Dale Y the Fishin' Guy, Saturday April 18 2009
It doesn't get much tastier than this!
Although still a bit early in the season, finding them right now is the key. And when found, they can also be a bit finicky since the water hasn’t really warmed up much yet. Well, here are a few ideas on where to look right now, and what you might be expected to catch.
Shallow lakes and ponds are going to produce first. They warm up faster, and the fish are moving in for the heat. I have a few spots that always produce at this time of year, and right now, the most common fish to catch are sunfish. Big, gold bellied, sunfish!
9 and 10 inch slabs, not world records, but they sure do fill up a frying pan fast. And although I am targeting all types of panfish, the sunfish apparently want to be the first ones on my plate. I have been catching hordes of them, mostly good sized, and my freezer has been given its first filling of sunnies.
I have only gotten a few into the boat with surface lures, as most of them are taking tiny jigs tipped with grubs, or just a hook and a slip bobber with a red worm. Nothing fancy here, finding them is the key though.
Like I first mentioned, shallow ponds and lakes are first to warm up. But, the north side of any lake will also be the first place to warm up, especially if there are dark patches like sunken leaves or that black dirt that sunken vegetation likes so much. These are the first places that I go too.
Now, I’ve caught big sunnies all day, but the later in the day it gets, what with the sun shining down all day, the warmer the water will get before it releases some heat back into the cooler air. My most productive hours have been from 3 pm until dusk, and generally by the first tinges of dusk, the panfish party is over. Of course by then, I have enough of them on the stringer to make a meal for a few people, and then some. So, I’m good to go!
Thanks for joinin’ me!
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