I am looking for some help in finding fish to keep my kids interested in fishing.

[cesmith]

While I love fishing Mille Lacs and spending hours on the lake for slot walleyes, my kids are losing interest. I am looking for some help in finding fish to keep my kids interested in fishing. I am not looking for any secret walleye spots but am looking for some areas to take the kids fishing where they can catch some panfish in the Waukon Bay area. The kids love fishing for panfish with bobbers, as long as they are catching fish they don't care if it is rock bass, sunnies or anything else.

Any help would be appreciated and thank you in advance.

Charles

[Juan Grande]

Charles,

Your best bet on Mille Lacs for panfish is probably perch. This time of year I think you'd typically find them in walleye spots.

If your kids like to bobber fish, find a nearby shallow rock pile and throw out a bobber with a leech. One tangle with a smallie on light action poles and they'll forget about panfish

[MWard4400]

Charles,

Waukon Bay would be a good place to start, but to be honest Mille Lacs would not be my first choice to keep kids busy. There are lots of lakes in the general area that have good numbers of pan fish, Borden, Johnson, Bay, Kettle. Lots of options in the area.

Mark

[Mo Gator]

No offense Juan Grande, but I think the last thing I would do to try to find panfish is fish walleye spots on Mille Lacs. Like said above, much better small lake options in the area.

[bobbymalone]

Get those kids out on some river and drown some crawlers on a circle hook.

If they are young enough they haven't contracted walleye fever yet, even a small carp will certainly get kids excited.

Don't have kids myself, yet, but I've seen smiles on kids almost as big as the ten lb carp they just reeled in.

[irishwalleye]

I will tell you the same thing I have told numerous parents over the years.

Weeds.

Beetle Spin.

Cast.

I will be doing the same thing myself on Waukon Bay this weekend.

[Red Miller]

Your best bet is smallies in the shallows. Mille Lacs really isn't a panfish lake although you may run into them by accident in the spring. After all, I heard that the smallies are being caught 147 to 2 vs walleyes.

[Stick in Mud]

As others have said, I'd probably avoid fishing pannies on Mille Lacs. They are in there, but you'd have much, much better luck--and the kids would probably have more fun--if you went to one of the 100 lakes in the area that's full of panfish.

If you are "stuck" on Mille Lacs, I would guess you'd have better luck chasing the bass than the panfish. As someone else mentioned, bobber and leech over a rock pile should put some in the boat.

Good luck, and let us know how you do!

[amateurfishing]

I don't know about spots but the method I set them up with is a slow death hook and crawler on a swivel and add a split shot or 2 if necessary for some distance, cast & retrieve, repeat. my 4 & 7 year old love fishing this way. it keeps em busy, the fish can be aggressive and "hook" themselves so the kids don't have to "set" the hook, & they don't have to stare at a bobber and try to learn to anticipate as much.

[Red Miller]

So did you catch any?

[Markula]

When my kids started losing interest, I just started leaving them home.

They didn't really like fishing, and don't to this day. Not every kid will become a lifelong angler.

[amateurfishing]

So did you catch any?

if you are referring to me the answer is YES. I can be using top water baits, spinners, cranks, etc after bass, northern, crappie etc. son will usually out catch me 4 -1 or so. usually smaller pannies but has landed 14 inch bass and such and to see a kid bring in a fish like that once he never gives up in the boat anymore. and they have learned we don't keep pannies under 8 inches so they have a pretty good idea once they see the fish if it will be kept or not. For me it is a great method to keep them constantly busy, trying, & alert instead of yawning at bobbers.