After all, a 2014 survey by the Department of Natural Resources found that panfish – i.e., crappies, bluegills, pumpkinseeds and yellow perch – are the target of 27 percent of all Wisconsin fishing trips.

That’s almost twice as much attention we give our No. 2 most-targeted fish, walleyes; 14.5 percent; and more than double the attention we give our No. 3 fish, the bass – largemouths and smallmouths combined – at 13.4 percent.

Panfish also blew away Wisconsin’s other high-profile species, including northern pike, 5 percent; inland trout, 4 percent; and muskies, 3 percent.

But even those landslide numbers don’t give panfish enough credit. In studying the DNR’s most-targeted fish chart, another category stands between “Panfish” and “Walleye.”

The name of that fish? “Anything,” which was targeted on 26.5 percent of fishing trips. Given that most people who fish for “anything” probably use more worms and small minnows than Rapalas and spinner-baits, we can assume panfish are even more popular than what the DNR documented.

Therefore, the agency gives panfish credit in its new 10-Year Strategic Plan for Managing Wisconsin’s Panfish: “Panfish are arguably the most important group of fish for anglers fishing Wisconsin’s inland waters. … It’s clear that panfish are the backbone of Wisconsin’s inland fisheries.”

In the plan’s “executive summary,” its authors also wrote: “Panfish are an exceptionally popular group of fish to Wisconsin anglers, and are valued primarily for harvest. Despite their popularity and importance there is no existing panfish management plan for Wisconsin. This document fills that critical gap as the strategic plan for managing Wisconsin’s panfish for the next decade.”