Panfish are the mainstay of many ponds and lakes throughout this country. Panfish are generally easy to catch and abundant in the waters that they inhabit. Many people don’t focus their efforts on panfish because they think they are full of bones and very little meat. While it is true that most panfish have a lot of bones, if they are filleted properly they will provide you with a delicious white piece of fish. Filleting these fish can be a lot of work, but it is worth the effort.

Now that spring is right around the corner, fishing for panfish will heat up. Locate a lake, pond or river near you with populations of these delicious fish and make it a point to fish that body of water this spring. In the spring, the big male bluegills will be staking out nests close to shore. Once they find these nests they will protect them from anything that intrudes into the area of the nest. Small panfish jigs tipped with bait work well during this time of year. Cast your jig past the nests and jig your bait through the nests. This will trigger a strike by these big bluegill.

Spring is also a great time to fish for other types of panfish since they will also be going through their spawning seasons as well.

Try this fried panfish sandwich recipe on your next batch of fish.

Good Fishing!

Spicy Coleslaw

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 Tbsp Louisiana hot pepper sauce (such as Crystal)

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Shredded Cabbage

Fish

Bass, Perch, Bluegill, Crappies, Tilapia or Catfish fillets will work.

1 cup white cornmeal

1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper – more if you like it hot.

1/2 tsp thyme

3 large eggs

3 Tbsp milk

Oil for frying

1 1/4 lb skinless fish fillets

Your choice of bread

1 large ripe tomato, thinly sliced

Mayonnaise

Preparation:

Prepare the Coleslaw. In a bowl, combine the mayo, hot pepper sauce, 1/2 tsp black pepper, and 1/2 tsp garlic powder. Mix well and refrigerate.

In a bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and thyme. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs well with the milk.

Heat 1/2 inch of oil in a deep skillet or Dutch oven to 360 degrees Dredge the fillets in the flour mix, shaking off the excess. Dip them in egg; let excess drip off, then dredge again in flour.

Fry the fish in batches and let drain on a rack or on plain paper towels.

Prepare your bread and spread both sides with mayonnaise Add the fish fillets in a single layer, top with tomato slices and the coleslaw.