Panfish float rig

Set the bobber stop for the depth you want (near cover for crappie, near bottom for perch), bait up, and cast near structure

Best for: Crappie Yellow Perch White Perch Chain Pickerel
Water: lakerivermarsh

Schematic, not to scale. Hover, tap, or tab through the parts; the drawing isolates each one.

Terms usedMain line Popping cork Leader Sinker Hook sizes

Components

As listed in the rig record, top to bottom.

Main line through a slip float, stopped at the desired depth by a bobber stopBobber stop
Small split shotSinker
Hook baited with a minnow or wormBait

Setup

Hook: Small hook (size 6–2) matched to minnow/worm size — freshwater panfish have small mouths.
Weight: Just a split shot or two to balance the float and get the bait down without fighting the float's buoyancy.

How to fish it

Set the bobber stop for the depth you want (near cover for crappie, near bottom for perch), bait up, and cast near structure — watch the float, not the rod tip.

When to use it

Standing timber, brush piles, and dock pilings in the reservoirs
The spring crappie spawn and the late-winter yellow perch run
Calm water where a float stays visible and a light bite shows

Common mistakes

Setting the float too shallow or too deep for where fish are actually holding — crappie and perch often sit at a specific depth around cover, not at a fixed distance off bottom
Forgetting the bead between the bobber stop and float, which lets the knot slide into the float itself and jam