Part I of a V Part Series

When the fisherwoman I guided earlier this summer reached out for another fishing trip-but also seemed to ask the question if I could also find the time for her to do so I of course implied, "I'm not that good! How about I put together a written guide in case you find time on short notice, to go it on your own?" As usual, if I take the time to make a tailored video or written "guide", I'm going to share it with anyone who follows or subscribes.

The series will relate to conventional fishing to catch Midwest panfish from the bank, and trout will be included as "panfish". A certain number of points can be applied to other species of fish, locations, and even to fly fishing. But the differences fishing for other species, other locations, and fly fishing exceed the parallels confined in this series.

Part II will nit-pick equipment and terminal tackle. As with any obsession or hobby, you're likely gong to spend far more money than you need to spend even if someone provides a map to precisely what works versus what's a waste of money. So Part II will be dedicated more to confirming you're just like most others when it comes to going hog wild over equipment. But if you have the discipline, I've done the "hog wild spending and research" for you, and will probably save you about 80% of what you'll otherwise spend.

Part III will be lure philosophy. Time to dive into Part I-the fish have changed. Yes, on major bodies of water you can attribute a lot of that to increased fishing pressure. But I'm not fishing-with one or two exceptions-bodies of water experiencing increased fishing pressure and in fact, one of my current hot spots is seeing less pressure than 5-8 years ago. But the fish have changed even there. Age of lakes and environmental factors affecting streams and lakes all affect fish in these waters. In a nutshell, bait size for consistently catching all panfish species has decreased to the size that just five years ago I'd declare as "trout size lures".

Part IV is about "self containment". Not the "Contain yourself!", that mom or a friend may have directed your way some point(s) in life. One of the observations or compliments I receive almost as often as how many fish I catch, is "self containment". An important read to save energy, money, and even your life or well being!

Part V will wrap things up with focus, execution, observation, and something that makes everything easier if you're born with it but something that can also be "learned" to a certain degree-"intuition".

I'm not a social media guy. So there won't be a timeline for Part II through V. Just watch for them. And go fishing' when you can-it's good for ya!"