Panfish

When a violent earthquake struck the Mississippi River valley during the bitter cold winter of 1811, aftershocks rumbled throughout a 2,000-square-mile area for months. Forty-five square miles of the Mississippi's floodplain sank over 30 feet, and the river poured into the newly-formed basin, creating a lake that stretches 18 miles long by 2.5 miles wide.

Fly fishing is the first love of many die hard anglers. Few things match the inspirational feeling of loading a rod up and shooting a line 40 feet across a cold, clear trout stream. Equally inspiring is the powerful strike of a hard fighting fish.

Summer's arrival will bring more than just warmer water temperatures. By now submerged weeds will be developed enough to serve as a significant draw to not only larger gamefish, but panfish as well.

The angler quietly slips his boat along the shoreline, casting and retrieving a small bait a few feet off the bank. Several successive casts go unrewarded, then suddenly his limp line twitches and darts sideways. Alert to this movement, the fisherman sets the hook, then plays and lands a bluegill that's black and as big as a salad plate.

Trekking a shoreline and casting for crappie and yellow perch is a springtime ritual for many. The simplicity of this style of fishing can't be beat. Having certain equipment and gear can make for a more enjoyable experience and lots of landed panfish. Here are a handful of my spring shore fishing must-haves.

Several gamefish species get most of the attention of avid anglers.

For many anglers, ice fishing for panfish has become not just a pastime for most but a passion. Anglers worldwide are becoming better educated and better equipped while fish stocks are dwindling due to excessive fishing pressure. Lakes that used to be panfish hotspots are becoming public knowledge and becoming over-fished.

Putting a few panfish in the livewell during mid to late summer is a different matter than the springtime, when spawning activities have fish in predictable locations. Warm weather success with species like yellow perch, crappies and even bluegills often requires a more aggressive approach — one where the business end of the line is rigged with some type of hard fishing bait.

Borrowing a page from walleye anglers' mobile approach can keep you on yellow perch throughout the summer an

For simply going out and having a fun day on the water without traveling a great distance or spending much money, it's hard to find a more obliging quarry than the humble bluegill.