Here in the Midwest we tend to associate trolling with game fish like walleye and muskies; seldom do we ever consider panfish. Sure, every once in a while you may hook a White Bass or Crappie with eyes seemingly bigger than its stomach, but that's about the extent of your contact with panfish. Well, what if you downsized your tackle to specifically target those panfish? Would it work? Madison Angling Experience Guide Dustin Murphy with a spring Crappie Trolling for Crappies i

Lets face it, worms and dirt get everywhere, and minnows never stay on your hook for that long. Not to mention, your car and boat gets disgusting when they spill. So when you fish competitively, and live bait is illegal anyway, why would you ever want to use live bait? We all remember our first fishing pole, and who gave it to us. And I bet at the end of the line was a small hook rigged with live bait. Whether it was a night crawler, red worm, crappie minnow, or leech, liv

I’ll never forget growing up fishing on Grandpa’s dock, sitting anxiously holding a fishing pole rigged with a hook and worm, waiting for a hand sized blue gill to bend the tip of my rod. Grandpa always used to say that the bluegills would bite the best in the evening and early morning. This translates to around 5-9 am and pm depending on the region and time of year. Periods of light transition are well known feeding times for just about all fish species. Many fishermen r

So you have a trip coming up, and you might have time to squeeze in some fishing. What will you do? Hire a guide or execute your best solo effort? What gear will you bring? How are you traveling? These are all just a few, but important questions to ask when prepping for a potential trip. And with a little forethought, you can execute a short fishing trip successfully. Finding time is crucial, and I’m going to help you break down the possibilities so you can make the best c

The weed cutters have already started their routes along the weed beds of the Madison lakes. With water temps already in the 70’s, weeds will continue to grow. More important to note however is that with the unusually long period of clear water we have had, deep weed growth should be very good this year. Look for fish to start utilizing weed beds in greater than 10 to 15 feet of water. Right now Bluegills are providing a ton of fun action in the shallows as they are beddin

Well, the inevitable is upon us. Parts of the Madison Chain are already loaded with slimy, disgusting slop surface weeds. Before you pack all your gear and head elsewhere, there is a silver lining: the weeds under the water are also booming and loaded with fish. For those of you chasing panfish, crappies are still holding to shallow water structure in 3-5 feet. Channels and bays with wood, boat lifts, or docks will produce fish. Crappies can also be seen in 5-10 feet of wat

Currently: We went out Saturday morning to the HWY 113 bridge to try again for some spring time catfish. We showed up for a few hours and were only able to entice a decent sized white bass into eating a night crawler on a catfish rod and rig. The weather was gloomy, and definitely did not help the quality of the bite. Panfish continue to be seen in the channels and shallow bays, with Largemouth bass starting to really populate these warm water structure areas. The channels

The bite continues to be holding in warm, shallow water around Madison. Live bait, particularly crappie minnows have been producing larger fish, however wax worms and Gulp have also been working well on small jigs. Crappies have been holding tight to structure such as boat lifts, docks, stumps and rocks. The game fish have also been more active in the last week, so should you accidentally catch one, be sure to release it immediately. Good luck and tight lines! Below you will

The panfish bite is hot in shallow bays and the backs of creeks and channels. Some popular areas include the channel off of Squaw Bay, right across from Winnequaw park. There is a parking lot right next to the channel holding fish. It fills up quickly, but overflow parking is available on the street. Live bait (minnows and worms) are producing the most fish. If you prefer to use artificial baits, crappie tubes (black/white, blue/white) and gulp baits are producing fish as