TackleTour

Been a kayak fisherman for 4 years now... Finally going to participate in a kayak tourney trail this year in CO. It is a multi-species challenge (allowed to cull 5 fish in length... 2 biggest bass, 2 biggest walleyes, and the kicker... a panfish) for the first event in late April. It's a lake I know well and have fished it often in previous years.

Question is...

How would you go about targeting the fish? Go after the bass first? Eyes first? Panfish first? Or whatever bites???

Spring panfish are easy pickings. I'd cull some gills first. Maybe a half hour. Bass won't be far from there so they would be next. After you are content with your bag so far, get some walleye.

If it is in the early morning or it is overcast, go for walleye first.

ccass wrote:Spring panfish are easy pickings. I'd cull some gills first. Maybe a half hour. Bass won't be far from there so they would be next. After you are content with your bag so far, get some walleye.

If it is in the early morning or it is overcast, go for walleye first.

forgot to mention, it is a 6am start through to 2pm. I just wonder what everyone is targeting first too...

Since it starts at 6 a.m., I'd go for walleyes first; in the spring, of the species you mentioned, they show the strongest preference for low-light feeding. If you are casting for them with paddle-tail swimbaits on jigheads, you stand a good chance of catching bass, too. The panfish will probably add the least additional weight to your bag (unless your competition water boasts 2-lb. crappies and larger gamefish are uncooperative), so the one panfish would be the last target for me.

Bronzeye wrote:Since it starts at 6 a.m., I'd go for walleyes first; in the spring, of the species you mentioned, they show the strongest preference for low-light feeding. If you are casting for them with paddle-tail swimbaits on jigheads, you stand a good chance of catching bass, too. The panfish will probably add the least additional weight to your bag (unless your competition water boasts 2-lb. crappies and larger gamefish are uncooperative), so the one panfish would be the last target for me.

it's by length, not weight. that's why the kicker is the panfish. but a 2lb crappie would be huge in length too!