Start your search for panfish along the shoreline. Almost any kind of vegetation will produce fish, but lily pads and hydrilla are my favorites. Vegetation that is close to deep water is usually best. Deepwater weed beds or drop offs are another good bet. Any of our local rivers will produce good stringers of fish. Try the river bends or the mouth of the creeks. If the current moves your
boat too fast, try dragging a few feet of heavy chain tied to a rope from the back of your boat.
This will give you more time to cast to every bit of shoreline cover.

speckled perch caught on 4 lb. test

18 Lb. amberjack caught by Gary with 8 lb. test

Some of my favorite lures are the 1/32 and 1/8oz. beetle spins, 1/8oz. Meps Spinner, #5 Rapala Minnow and a host of small Bucktail Jigs. Almost any color will work, but combinations of white, black brown and yellow are my favorites. Generally a slow retrieve with small twitches works best. Remember that Winter fish are sluggish and often the slower the retrieve, the better.

A quality graphite 5 1/2 foot rod, with ultra-light action, and a small spinning reel, such as, the Shimano 500 will work best. I fill my reel with Berkley Fireline (4lb. test), but a quality 4lb. mono will work. Any heavier line will not cast these small lures. Replacing the first eye (the largest one)
on your rod with a larger one will increase the length of your casts. Be sure to set the drag on your reel, as even a 1lb. fish will give a good fight on light tackle. Try not to put too much pressure on
a freshly hooked fish, as the small hooks will easily pull loose. Sharp hooks and light hook sets are best. Remember that Winter fish are often crowded into small areas and are vulnerable to over fishing. So, keep a few, but release the rest.

Good fishing, Capt. Randy Peart