Mike Jackson on the outdoors: Heavy duty panfishing
Many fly fishermen already know there are certain times when trout go absolutely nuts with their feeding frenzies, which in turn give the fly rodder some heavy duty action.
These special times are when terrestrial insects (grasshoppers, crickets, beetles and the like) dance around the surface like a three-ring circus.
These acts of continuous gorging even happen on area ponds and lakes with panfish, especially bluegills and crappies.
And if a pond happens to have any of those huge, bull-nose bluegills lazing in the shallows, you can bet the farm those sharp-eyed, thick-bodied feeding machines will spot surface action from afar. If a pond is clear, one can often see a jumbo bluegill go into high gear, racing to the spot where a grasshopper is skittering on the surface.
Once, again the telephone rang just as I was about to twist my neck and fall asleep on the couch.
“I know this pond where we can kill the big 'gills because the grasshoppers are all over the water,” my caller reported.
I told him I'd meet him in the morning for what turned out to be another memorable expedition.
Two more members of our loose-knit group showed up as well. Jerry Babb and Green Acres Mike checked in as we started walking the bank of the pond. And the grand master himself, Spencer Petros, was on hand to orchestrate the event.
Jerry, Spencer, and I had lightweight fly rods while Green Acres stuck with his reliable spinning rod. I tied on an orange and black beetle fly that had brought me countless big trout to the net.
“Keep your fly close to the bank,” Petros suggested, “because that's where I found the bigger fish.”
Of course, the master was right once again.
My first cast went no farther than 10 feet. And before the beetle could settle on the surface, the water exploded. A 9-inch, brightly colored bluegill took off for the deeper water. Jerry got a similar hit at the same time, and his fish went in the opposite direction.
I purposely brought a light rod to this outing. It was a 4-weight Grandt, an 8-footer that had the sweetest action designed to send surges back to the user while fighting the fish.
Spence and Green Acres were about 75 feet away from us but were heavily involved in their own battles.
First, some side notes.
My father would sometimes take me to Deep Lake and Lake Zurich for a day of spectacular panfish action. Nine- and 10-inch bluegills as well as 12-inch crappies graced our stringers. Even though Irv was a fanatical walleye and smallmouth guy, he put in a lot of time chasing big panfish with me on area lakes. And he always told me the same declaration each year: “You will never land a bluegill if it ever gets to be the size of a smallmouth bass, even if the bass was a little yearling.”
That statement has stayed with me for decades and his words of wisdom proved to be correct season after season.
Returning to the present day, Green Acres Mike began hauling in jumbo crappies. Babb walked closed to where Mike was doing his thing, and immediately started catching jumbo 'gills.
I decided to switch flies and tied on a tiny, floating white spider. It no sooner landed near the bank when a monster bluegill grabbed it and jumped out of the water. I stood there with my mouth hanging open. In the blink of an eye the fish was gone, having thrown the barbless hook.
I believe anyone can go to one of the forest preserve lakes with a fly rod or ultralight spinning rod, a micro casting bubble, and some beetle or grasshopper imitation and score big time. Even chunky largemouth bass will succumb to the offering as well.
The only problem that occurs is you won't want to leave because there's a good chance the action could be the best you'll have all season.
In my case, departing was made easier by the knowledge of what awaited: A fantastic meal of succulent bluegill and crappie fillets, accompanied by a glass of the homemade grape, complements of Green Acres Mike.
Ÿ Contact Mike Jackson at angler88@comcast.net, and catch his radio show 6-7 a.m. Sundays on WSBC 1240-AM.