Layering up for the warmer weather is key

[Ketchn]

yet another cold front ripped thru these parts yesterday, went from 105 to 101 just like that ....
layering up for that kind of temperature is critical , unless you want to cook your fish while you ketch them ......
we go with a water hose and well water in a way that resembles a recirculating live well .
we just let the water run out the top of the ice chest onto the dock .
works well for the first 15 or 20 fish , then at some point even in the shade , the fish start to need a new environment.
at that point we drain said ice chest and throw a layer of ice on them .....
then we proceed to load up another layer of fish until we need to add another layer of ice yet again .
we typically call it quits around 40 or 50 in the ice chest at that point because it just becomes to heavy to drag to the truck if you continue keeping fish ....
some would say it's a good problem to have , but in my case it just slows down my abilities to swing and sling them fisheez .....in the image below the fish on the left side of the collage ice chest photo are layer one and the right side is layer 2 before they got the cover layer of ice for the ride home .....
the fish were in the typical summer mode thing out there and my good bud was a guest on this visit for his first time , he got the ole come visit my "pet" crappie and see just how easy it is to ketch small private lake "pet" crappie .....
he for sure figured it out QUICKLY , they ain't pets and they AIN'T easy either ......
sure is fun to see folks set the hook to nada like crazy , it really is fun as heck and a ton of laughs , a local guide here in these parts was chatting it up a week ago .....
said the bite was super light and you need to stay focused on the line ....
said you only had 2 seconds to set the hook , I said bro I call BS !
half second tops where I go and you missed the show
thought we had around 25 or 30 when we rode off about 5 pm ...
he said there were 37 crappie and 2 big bream in the chest when he got home with them .
float fishing in it's finest hour for sure , the learning curve to ketch them this way is a tight one .
he offered to visit again with me and just clean them while I ketch them when we left .....
being tuned up to ketch is not as easy as some folks make it look ...this is fact .
have not been out with him in a good while , says our favorite lake is trash for some reason .
last visit there with him made me realize he is onto something , we struggled hard in a lake full of them .....
nonetheless ...layer them fish up on ice , its best if both sides of the fish are touching ice ...
just an fyi if you like a firm fresh fish in the summer heat ...
not for hire is me and for sure ...
KABOOM is the word yet again
p.s. jigs under floats set at around 3 to 6 foot deep in water depths of 7 to 12 feet deep , color isn't all that important and smaller baits get bit best , DO NOT look away from the float for more than a half a second . AND ....
not a peck outside of the shade as well , if it isn't in the shade out there you will NOT get a crappie bite .....just saying

[BobC]

Great story and thanks for the tip!
Bob

[SuperDave336]

KA......BOOM!!!! Good job and pics.

[happycaster58]

When you pull up after a trip, I bet your neighbors come out before your dogs do!

[Rojo]

Ketchn, I gotta give it to you, you get Crappie to commit to your presentation. You can't even see the head color past the lips on those fish. You can just swing those up on the dock, no hooks pulling there.

[Ketchn]

Ketchn, I gotta give it to you, you get Crappie to commit to your presentation. You can't even see the head color past the lips on those fish. You can just swing those up on the dock, no hooks pulling there.

bro , the bite is SO light , you never know you got one half the time ....it isn't me getting them to commit , its them being sneaky as heck puppies down there and taking the bait SO softly you never realize you got bit ....
it is a SUPER DUPER light as heck take , sometimes you think you got bit and then you think not , there is not a soul I know that can cure this type of action , your best bet is to just set the hook like crazy over everything you think you just saw and or suspect might be a something going on ....
it truly amazes me how hypnotic the bites are out there , the float might go down SO slowly you think your mind is playing a trick on ya ....
sometimes the float will be under the water before your mind registers it is going under the water ....
other times it will just sit a quarter inch or less lower in the water and or vice versa and a quarter inch higher in the water and NEVER move from that position for a good while either ...
them "pet" fish are some of the best of the best at training a person to use a float for sure ....

[BuckeyeCrappie]

Good job bro…

[BobC]

I know you like heavier line so be able to detect the “tell” is a real challenge. Good comments.
Bob

[Ketchn]

I know you like heavier line so be able to detect the “tell” is a real challenge. Good comments.
Bob

the wife and kid use 8 or 10 lb mono ....
I rarely stray from 6 lb mono myself ....
but tiny jigs tend to lay the line up often ....
they key to it is ,,,,,is that the light jig or a fish ....?
the deciphering part makes all the difference in the outcome my friend