eastern wa/tri cities pan fish help.

[syoungs]

So all my fishing time has really been devoted to sterguon or steelhead, I've never targeted panfish before, I think its early yet in the year to go after em, so nows the time I arm myself with knowledge

Any tips or locations close to the tri cities where I could go muster a few up? I prefer bank spots, but do have a 20' jetboat to chase em down if needed, was thinking about taking a weekend after I get the basics down and heading up to the potholes area to.

We have med light rods, spooled with 4# test, and a 5wt fly rod I can use. Should I be looking at lighter gear?
What about tackle? I've got what I use for stocker trout, then it is all steelhead and sturgeon gear.

Anybody want to trade sone fishing knowledge? Be willing to take soneone out sterguon fishing if they could show me how to stock my freezer with panfish fillets.

[Mfowl]

The back bays and sloughs of the Columbia and Lower Snake River can be good fishing for panfish. Especially in the upcoming months as they prepare to spawn. When I was a kid we had a lot of fun fishing in the Potholes for them. There can be some good fishing right off the Mardon dock or up in the flooded willows/beaver huts of the sand dunes. However the dunes are vast and finding the fish can be daunting. Pretty much all of the Seep Lakes have panfish in them and can be fished from shore or by boat. Banks Lake is also another good one for spinyrays of all sorts. I caught bass, walleye, perch and crappie by just contour trolling small plugs along the shore. Makes for a nice campsite fish fry in the evening. My favorite panfish jig is a 1" paddle tail grub on an 1/8 oz jig head in black/chartreuse or green pumpkin. Many jig styles and colors will work. Also a chunk of night crawler on a small jighead works too! Good luck, have fun!

[lokidog]

 

As a "westsider" who used to do some fishing over there, these would be my suggestions as well.  Banks is my favorite lake, I like using worms under a bobber (float to you west coasters) for the panfish but you can get bass and walleyes as well.

[coyotecrazy]

Scootney,,,,