Kirby Ham, a guide in eastern Kansas, knows that big crappie can be caught in
the heat of summer if you can locate the thermocline. (Photo courtesy Kirby Ham)
Don’t Sweat It – Summer Slabs Will Still Bite
by Brent Frazee
Kirby Ham doesn’t dread the dog days of summer the way many crappie anglers do.
When the air temperature soars in July and August, the crappie and their prey often become even more predictable. They descend to a magic comfort zone that meets their needs—cooler, oxygen-rich water, plenty of food, and refuge from the heat.
Find that layer of water, which shows up as a fuzzy layer on fish finders, and Ham knows that he will often find fish in the hottest part of summer on the Kansas reservoirs where he guides.
“In my 18 years of guiding, I’ve found that the harsher the conditions, the better the fishing,” said Ham, from Olathe, Kan. He guides on eastern-Kansas reservoirs such as Hillsdale, Clinton, Perry and Melvern. “When it’s super hot or super cold, it forces crappie to a zone where they can survive.
“If you can find that zone, especially where it intersects with good cover, you’ll find the crappie.”
In Kansas, that zone is generally from 14 to 20 feet down. There is colder water below that zone, but it lacks the oxygen the crappie require. The water above that zone has oxygen but the water temperature is too warm. Find the thermocline, and you will often find the fish.

But that’s only part of the battle. Ham has developed a specialized technique called bumping that puts limits of crappie in the boat during the summer.
Ham fishes vertically with a rig that allows him to drop the minnows he uses as bait into the thickest cover. He ties a three-eighths-ounce bell sinker to the end of his line, then ties a No. 2 red Tru-Turn hook above that with a loop knot.
That way, his bait is suspended off the bottom where it is visible to the crappie. He hooks the minnow in the upper lip, so that it is still lively.
He prefers a B’n’M Six Shooter rod, which he lauds for its sensitivity and strength. He uses 6-pound Gama co-polymer line.
He says the crappie follow a predictable pattern when summer arrives. As they progress into their post-spawn phase, they generally are scattered. But as the heat arrives and the reservoirs stratify, the crappie become more predictable.
Ham and his guide parties generally get out early to avoid the worst of the heat.
“By the time it gets hot, we’ll generally have our limit and be eating breakfast in Waffle House,” Ham said. “We could catch them in the heat of the day, but it gets uncomfortable.”
Ham likens the fish’s behavior to a summer gathering.
“It’s like when we have a summer family reunion,” Ham said. “Everyone is gathered around that one area with comfort, either the shade or the air conditioning vent inside.”
The pattern usually lasts until early fall when the water temperatures cool and the lakes “turn over,” which means the thermocline disappears and water temperatures become more uniform top-to-bottom.
Ham is a year-around crappie fisherman. He is a pro staff member for major companies such as Bass Pro Shops, and B’n’M rods, and he is one of crappie fishing’s most active promoters.
Ham leads a double life. When he isn’t on the water, he is a popular DJ and radio personality of the Kansas City area.
He hosts a YouTube fishing show called “Fish, Eat, Live,” and has a weekly radio show called “Right Outdoors with Crappie Kirby” on KCMO Talk Radio, 710 AM in Kansas City.
Whether it is as Crappie Kirby or DJ Kirby, he stays on the go.
“I have a pretty busy life,” he said. “Fishing is my way to relax and decompress.”
Brent Frazee is an award-winning freelance writer from a suburb of Kansas City, Mo. He was the outdoors editor for The Kansas City Star for 36 years before retiring in 2016. He continues to freelance for websites, magazines, newspapers and tourism agencies.