Compensating for Spooky Panfish
By Jerry Carlson

I can’t explain why it happens, I just know from years of experience that winter panfish can be very spooky. There are days, and even certain lakes, where the sound of an auger can send fish scurrying to a new location. This can hold true even for fish that are in 30 feet of water or more.

To combat this dilemma, I have learned to do much of my hole drilling all at the same time. For instance, when I come into an area and locate suspended panfish by shooting through the ice with my electronics, I will try to determine the general area the fish are in before starting the auger.

Once I am powered up, I will auger a dozen or more holes in the vicinity I want to fish. Too many times I have discovered that when I auger just one hole on top of the fish, they will be gone before I have finished the first hole.

By drilling a series of holes in an area, I stand a better chance of relocating the spooked or roaming fish. Chances are that they have not gone far and I will be able to find them somewhere within the group of holes.

Some think I am crazy for cutting so many holes at one time. However, being able to let things quiet down and then hole hop to find moving fish is absolutely critical on many outings.