Reminds me of the crappie (calico bass as I called them back then) I used to catch right at the docks on Jamaica Pond in Boston, MA.
Mind you, this was some 35+ years ago. I didn't have fancy gear, just an old soda can with 10-15lb. mono tied to the top/neck of the can and wound around the can. I would stop along the way to the pond and pick up whatever bait I could find roadside, usually salamanders and worms that moved thru the soil like a snake (I called them "wigglers" because they would wiggle like crazy until they could get traction to move).
I would collect what I could in a can or plastic soda bottle and head to the dock.
No weights, just hook the bait, drop in the water next to the dock, and you could look down (on calm-water days) and see the fish come out from the anchor chains to inhale the bait.
Finding crappie that size is now a rare luxury, and not to be taken lightly.