Photo by Ron Sinfelt.

When the small spinner hit the water, it was only a matter of letting it sink a few seconds before beginning the retrieve. Then, a jolt on the rod, and another white bass was hooked and fighting.

As a fighting fish, the white bass is a puller, not a jumper, and this one was putting every muscle into the quest to get to deep water and far away from me.

It didn't succeed. The 2-pounder felt good on the end of my line.

I had waded out up to my knees in the warming water of the Missouri River. Here and there along the bank were other fishermen. You can tell it's early summer here when people start catching all kinds of fish. Some were after walleyes, of course, but a good many were picking up white bass, just as I was. June is really the best time of year to go after panfish, although the white bass perhaps just barely fits into that category.

White bass are very plentiful in the Missouri River at this time of year in the Dakotas. But June is also the prime panfishing month for many other species across the northern Great Plains. Anglers are having some of the best success of the season pursuing crappie, bluegills and even bullheads.

SOUTH DAKOTA
In South Dakota, panfish are scattered across the state, but most are in the eastern half, which, coincidentally, is where most of the people in the state live. The area has lots of natural and manmade lakes that are open to the public.

Lake Madison has been good for crappie fishing during the past two years, stated Dave Lucchesi, South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks fish biologist at Sioux Falls. Although test-netting results were not as outstanding this year, fishermen at Madison will still be catching crappie.

Lucchesi also expects good crappie fishing at Beaver Lake near Humboldt. "We have a pretty good population of crappie there," he said. "The majority of them will run 8- to 10-inches long. They aren't huge, but there are good numbers. That should provide a good bite."

Yellow perch numbers are generally down in eastern South Dakota. That is the big species in the winter, although the perch aren't caught as much during the summer months.

"We are having some good fishing on Whitewood for really big perch," said Lucchesi, "but that typically does not produce in the summertime. They basically don't catch them in the summer."

One of the best perch lakes in East River will be Sinai. "It still has a pretty good population of yellow perch," said Lucchesi. "It has been pretty good for two or three years. It is just west of Volga and Brookings. Typically, the bite on Sinai starts after the Fourth of July. They fish them like you fish perch in South Dakota -- slip-bobbers and small jigs.

"West Oakwood looks like it has a fairly good population of perch, too. In late summer there are good numbers of fish in the 8- to 10-inch class, and then some over 10 inches. South Dakota production of yellow perch has been pretty poor overall since 2001. So, in general, our perch numbers are down. We just haven't had good natural reproduction. Cold springs and low water levels haven't made for good perch or walleye production."

Bluegill fishermen will want to try Mitchell Lake, where the species is on the upswing. In West River, Newell Lake has good springtime bluegill fishing.

Another good South Dakota lake for panfish is Lake Lakota, south of Canton. "It consistently has good fishing for bluegill, crappie, largemouth bass and yellow perch," said Lucchesi. "It is really our premier small impoundment.