Normally this time of year the tackle starts going into storage, but a friend showed me that that would be a big mistake after catching pan fish under a float in 8 FOW. The water temperature has been going down for the last two weeks, from 53 down to 46 today.

I've always thought that when pan fish take down a float attached to a jig rigged with a minnow type lure, those fish would need warmer water to do so. The water 20 fish were caught on different days was only 51 degrees.

Today and yesterday the water temp was between 46 and 49, but the strikes were strong much of the time and if not hooked on the first cast to a spot, would get caught on the second or third cast. Jigging off bottom in water around 9' also produced some nice perch, crappie and sunfish. Water only 4-5' on a flat with stumps, produced the same as well as a 12" crappie caught just off a long rock ridge surrounded by deeper water.

You or I would be dead from hypothermia (and with the wind yesterday blowing a chilly 48 degrees at 15-20 mph , I thought I would succumb).
But I have to keep in mind the year a buddy and I ice fished and caught over 45 crappie in one area. The hits were also strong.

As always, right place, right time, right fish.