We have all dreamed of it: That weak-in-the-knees moment where you catch a glimpse of color boatside and realize that the fish you are fighting isn’t a bass, walleye or any of the other so-called “desired fish,” but a crappie or bluegill that make you panic at the sight of it.

Many claim that buck fever is something only deer hunters experience, yet those that have seen that flash of color in a shape that seems way too large know it all too well. I have seen firsthand the whooping and rejoice among anglers when one of them lands a giant. True trophy panfish are a league of their own, and there are those who chase them far and wide just to get that same rush.