Fly Fishing Tip: How to Catch Panfish in Summer

By Tyler Hicks

Summer just can't seem to release its grip on north-central Washington’s Okanogan country.

We've had some tantalizing tastes of fall, but each time the heat comes back with a vengeance. With highs climbing into the upper 90's for the foreseeable future, options for trout fishing are limited. So, with a little free time, I decided to try something I had not done in a long time—fly fishing for panfish.

After getting off work I dropped my kayak into Washburn Island Pond, a weedy and warm backwater impoundment off the Columbia River. I brought along my 3-weight glass rod setup, and a small box of metallic, brightly colored nymphs, as well as an assortment of micro-poppers.

Those flies and more panfish food are online here. 

It was a balmy 96 degrees when I launched, but as the sun dipped behind a dense layer of smoke the temperature cooled nicely. I immediately caught several bluegill and several diminutive largemouth bass on a beadhead water boatman, which is a beetle imitation. By 6 p.m. there was a pretty strong surface feed kicking in, so I switched over to micro-poppers. From then on until sunset the action was nonstop on 6-to 9-inch bass, crappie, perch, and bluegill.

In late summer panfish tend to stage on the edge of weedlines or over deep weedbeds. During the mid-day heat target these fish with flashy nymphs containing metallic blues, reds and my favorite, chartreuse. However, in the early morning and evening hours these fish actively participate in surface feeding. Listen for the telltale smacking noises they make while feeding on the underside of aquatic vegetation, or look for surface feeding near weedlines. Micro-poppers in size 10 or 12 are my favorite in brown, black, or red. These colors provide a strong silhouette for these aggressive fish to target. You can strip these poppers in slowly, but I prefer the explosive strikes you get with a faster stutter strip.

The crappie and bluegill topwater bites were explosive, with fish fully leaving the water before slamming down on the popper. I couldn't help but laugh at the ferocity of the strikes, despite these fish being small.

Need another reason to fish for these ferocious fish?

Before I knew it the sun was dipping behind the Cascade Mountains and it was nearly time to go home. I guess time does fly when you are having fun and, you know what? I was having a blast! Pound-for-pound, few fish fight as hard as a bluegill and these were great fighters on that three-weight glass.

Panfish are ubiquitous in many lowlands lakes, which makes them a convenient target for the time-strapped angler. Quality panfish measuring 11inches long or more can be found at Leader, Spectacle, and Eloika Lakes in northeast Washington and in Gamble, Robinson, and the sloughs of Lake Pend Oreille in north Idaho. If you are looking to squeeze some fishing in before or after work, or want to spend a few fun, fish-filled hours with the kids, those lakes and these panfish will please. But don’t get complacent just because most of these fish are relatively small.

You can look at our selection of kayaks and paddlesports gear online as well.

I learned that lesson the other night, just as the sun dropped and treated me to a fiery orange sunset. That’s when a giant bass crushed my micro-popper, easily snapping the 4-pound-test leader. Next time I’ll probably bring the 8-weight.