Hot Slabs in the Summertime - Fishing for Crappie on Florida's St. John's River at Night

Late afternoon thunderstorms in central Florida can sometimes pop up with such regularity that you can almost do the old cliché “Set your watch by them.” Heat and humidity go together like biscuits and gravy down around Deland in mid-July. Saltwater fishing in nearly places such as New Smyrna Beach – jumbo specked trout – can still be good, but many freshwater anglers, especially crappie fans, find the bite a tad on the sparse side. Then there is Jack Smith, a lifetime crappie angler who says the “nighttime is the right time” when it comes to catching slabbers.

The photos below are directly linked to the article I wrote for CrappieNow magazine

Click on any photo to be taken directly to the magazine and the story.

Florida crappie fishing at night