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March is a key month for chasing panfish and that's just fine by me. I don't know if it's my advancing age or what, but getting out there on the ice on sub-zero days to chase three-to-a-pound bluegills and eight-inch crappies is losing some of its luster. Just about the time I hatch a good plan to get out there with my boys and fish, the local meteorologists forecast another stretch of insanely cold weather and stiff winds. No thanks. I think I'll wait for March to roll around.

Each season I look forward to the aggressive panfish bite during late-ice, and it's a welcome change indeed to sit outside with the warm March sun on my face and hands. I've said it before, but to me there's no better time to be had than when I'm able to catch a Twins spring training game on the portable radio while I'm out there under the bright sunshine jigging up a meal of panfish.

Around our neck of the woods, there are a number of places that are perennial March sunfish and crappie producers. These areas really begin to heat up in late February and only get more productive as the month of March progresses. Some of these "usual haunts" usual haunts for sunnies include Pancake Island on South Center, out in front of the Government Center on North Center and the south end of Chisago near the A-frame and eagle's nest.

If it's crappies you're after, the water out in front of the old Dew Drop Inn on South Center seems to always give up hard-biting fish in March. Look also at the "saddle" between Sunset and Park Points, as well as the spots I mentioned on Chisago Lake later in the afternoon into early evening.

Jigging any of these spots from mid-afternoon until dusk will most likely yield a mixed bag, so it'd be a good idea to bring along both waxies and minnows, wherever you decide to fish.

Also, take the time to auger a number of holes before you begin fishing. Or, if other anglers have recently worked an area you intend to set up, you can get by with a chisel alone -- a few whacks with a chisel will easily open two-day-old holes. The idea is to keep moving, if necessary, to locate fish, and once you've located a school of sunnies or crappies, it shouldn't be too tough to get them to bite, particularly at this time of the year.

It seems that every month of the year holds some key fishing patterns that we as anglers can call to mind and take advantage of each season. For years now, I've made a habit of taking notes regarding where I fish, the date, time of day, depth, live bait type, lure color, size, speed, barometer, and general weather conditions. If you begin to keep track of the general information I mentioned, it won't take more than a few seasons of note taking before you begin to see consistent patterns. Fish movements and feeding habits on any given body of water are indeed seasonal and cyclical. Recognizing and tuning into these patterns can make you a far more productive and efficient angler.

Dan Brown's weekly outdoor column is brought to you by Frankie's Bait and Marine, in Chisago City, and St. Croix Outdoors, in St. Croix Falls, Wis.

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