Summer Sunfish Fishing Tactics

Summer time fishing offers many opportunities for the whole family to get outside and catch loads of fish together. Sunfish are a popular target of anglers young and old, thanks to these fishes hungry appetites and tendency to school up near shorelines and shallow water. Crappie, bluegill, pumpkinseed, green, redear and several other species all are different types of sunfish. Some people love to catch and load of them and eat these tasty fish, others prefer the relaxation of catch and release. There are many ways to catch sunfish, but the drop shot rig is a personal preference of mine.

One of my favorite rigs for simple sunfish fishing is a bait drop shot rig. Popular amongst largemouth and smallmouth bass anglers, the drop shot fishing setup also works wonders on bluegill, redear, and other sunfish. This presentation allows the angler to suspend his bait at one level, twitching the rod tip and lifting to give it action, but allowing the bait to return to the original position after movement ceases.

The basic rig for the drop shot rig is demonstrated as follows. The hook is tied to the main line, but not at the bottom as in most conventional rigs. Instead, the hook is tied to the main line about 1-2 feet from the bottom of the line. At the bottom, a weight is attached. A split shot may be simply crimped on, or a heavier weight may be tied on. This keeps the bait 'anchored' to the bottom, but higher up above the weeds and debris found in most warmwater ponds.

Usually, bass anglers will rig different types of plastic fishing lures on drop shot rigs. However, for sunfish, I prefer adding a piece of nightcrawler, or a whole mealworm or waxworm. Red worms are also a popular choice of bait. Two or three smaller pieces of bait or one large piece of bait on a small hook is how I set it up. Some people like using the tiny plastic grubs and plastic baits that stores like Bass Pro Shops or Cabelas sell, both online and in their retail locations. The Berkely Power Bait plastic worms (tiny red ones for trout) also are effective with this method. Then, after casting near a possible location for these eager biters, I will keep the line tight, and lightly twitch the rod tip. Usually, occasional twitches with long pauses works the best for me. However, in murky water or low-light conditions, I will start with many rapid twitches, then switch to slow twitches once I start getting bites. Keep the line tight and bites should feel like little taps and tugs when the sunfish grab the bait. Set the hook when you feel a good sized tug and get ready to reel 'em in.

Panfish are a blast to catch and with the drop shot rig most people can catch them. It is a little more difficult to setup than a conventional worm and bobber rig, but I prefer the greater control I have with a drop shot rig. Go out to your local sunfish pond and try getting some fishing action on this rig! Have fun!