"You might wonder what the suvery definition of 'panfish' is. We asked, as we have asked in the past. The answer has not changed: a panfish is considered any fish that might fit in a pan. We also asked about bullheads and crappies, both fish often considered panfish - and what about white bass? The answer was that crappies have their own category and that bull heads and white bass each fall into categories lumped with other species, so presumably respondents wouldn't include them in the panfish category. But the survey folks don't know for sure.
Obviously, the' panfish' category is a vital one. Also obvious is the if the crappies were added to the panfish category, the 'panfish' goups would overtake the bass category as the most favored fish group by anglers."

Dec 2008 "in-Fisherman"

Rick