Spinning rod and reel combinations are the most popular outfits for catching panfish such as bluegill sunfish, pumpkinseed, rock bass and crappie. They are affordable, simple to use, and suitable for a wide variety of fishing conditions.

Several factors are important when choosing a reel. Line size and capacity, drags, spools, bearing construction, gear ratio, overall weight and other specifications are all factors when choosing a spinning reel.

The smallest of spinning reels are the ultralight models. These featherweight outfits are perfect for catching panfish with 2-4 lb line and small jigs from 1/32-1/16 oz. The next class of equipment is engineered for mostly freshwater fishing with 6-12 lb lines and are good for fishing where larger fish are present.

While most anglers still use traditional monofilament fishing line, the range of choices now is staggering. While the sheer numbers of lines are staggering, they basically fall into two classes; traditional monofilament line and space age braided lines. Each line type has its list of advantages and disadvantages that should be considered.

For panfishing, most anglers still use monofilament due to its near invisibility and ease of use. Still braided lines work well in some applications and some serious panfish anglers choose to carry a spare spool filled with these unique lines.

After line class, features, and price range are selected, a reel can be selected and eventually a rod to match. Panfishing rods and reels can be purchased separately or as combination packages. Outfits are usually spooled with line and are ready to fish, unlike separate components.

Rod types are also matched to line size. Rods usually have information about line class, action and length. Ultralight outfits may be as short as 4 feet while most light to medium rods are 5-6 feet in length.

For best results while panfishing, the rod, reel, line and tackle should be matched for best performance.

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