I like to use spinning gear for panfish a lot, as well as fly fishing gear. But this is my advice for a starter panfish setup:
Start with a decent rod. UL or even L action, fast taper. Get a length that's comfortable for you, I like a 5' 6", but that's just me. For brand, I would argue that it doesn't have to be anything super special for panfish. Ugly stik is still tough to beat.
But dont cheap heap out on the reel. Every company sells 10 - 15 dollar reels that are aimed at panfishing but in my experience, they're crap. My daiwa was a headache to use and stopped working in a matter of weeks of moderate use (not knocking Daiwa, just those cheap little reels). I would highly suggest that you pay a little more and get something in the 35 to 50 dollar range. It will save a lot of time and nerve not having to deal with backlashes and overruns, especially on light line. My go to is the Abu G cardinal, but pflueger also makes an awesome spinning reel.
For line, I use 15 pound braid with a 8 pound leader. I could probably go lighter but 6 pound and higher mono does not tangle as much as 4 and under. The braid is also probably unnecessary, but it is good for working around nasty brushpiles and other snags.
For lures, keep it simple because anything works to some degree. You don't have to carry a lot, just a small box like a Plano 3500. Here's my top 3 lures for spring and summer crappie/bluegill:
1. Small jigs- light marabou jigs or jigheads tipped with plastic trailers are as good as or better than any other bait on some days. Keep you selections down to 2-3 colors or you'll go broke and crazy trying to get them all.
2. Small spinners- use beetle spins and 1/16 oz roostertails along cover/structure. Beetle spins are harder to snag and cheaper to replace though. I like black, gold, white individually for colors, but you can mix it up as much as you want. 1/16 to 1/8 oz is about as big as you'll usually wanna go.
3. Tiny plugs- the little poppers, squarebills, and jerkbaits that rebel and other companies make are cool and effective. Play around with these things and you'll learn that they catch fish pretty well. My favorite is the rebel teeny wee r in brown craw. They will also catch bass, so be sure to keep them in mind on tough days.
Fly fishing in god a whole post in itself, but I basically like small poppers and topwaters, especially spiders. Streamers in size 6 and 4 are good for bigger crappie too.
Live bait is another way to go. There are a ton of options, but I would suggest you start with minnows and go from there. Crickets and grasshoppers (fresh caught, of course) are a staple too. Just keep in mind that fish in pressured water will probably have see a lot of people fishing bait, so they may be more willing to take lures or flies. If you are taking bait, try a top and bottom rig to increase your chances, if legal and possible.
As far as spots, look for little pockets and out of the way holes, like current breaks and cutbanks. In my experience, panfish, especially sunfish, like to sit out of the current, rather than in it. Also remember to cast upstream, as that's the way fish will setup to ambush forage. If you can find a small rock pile in shallow water, that's a good place to start.
hope this helps you out and remember to experiment and have a good time. Good luck and God bless
