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Whether you call them crappies or croppies, or freckles, specks or papermouths, white and black crappies have enticed American anglers since the advent of the reed rod. Their appeal isn’t necessarily because of their incredible fight or the difficulty of catching them. It’s because these prolific fish are so damn tasty. Their mild, white, flaky flesh is seemingly made for the frying pan.
It makes you wonder: How many crappies would have made it into the record books if they had been measured instead of filleted?
All About Crappies
There are two subspecies of crappie native to North America. They are members of the black bass family and both are listed in the record books.
Photo by Ken Perrotte
The black crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus) is native to most of the eastern United States, but has been introduced to lakes and ponds so extensively that it is now nearly nationwide and found in a few Canadian provinces. Its cousin, the white crappie (Pomoxis ringworm), is generally lighter in color and has vertical black stripes. According to a distribution map Research by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service shows that white crappie are present (but noticeably rare) throughout much of the Midwest, from west Texas to the arid western states and across the Rocky Mountains into western Montana.
The two species can be difficult to distinguish, and the only proven way to tell them apart is by counting the spiny rays on their dorsal fins. Black crappies have seven or eight rays, while white crappies have five or six. Black crappies also have irregularly arranged speckles and blotches in their color pattern. Sometimes, especially during spawning season, these markings can become very dark (hence the name).
Crappie can be aggressive feeders, especially in the morning. They like to take jigs, small spinning baits, crankbaits and of course live minnows.
Some of the biggest crappies ever caught (and a record book controversy)
Any crappie that exceeds the 3- to 4-pound mark is considered trophy grade. Fish over 5 pounds are gigantic specimens, as anyone who has ever happily reeled in a 2-pound slab will attest.
Photo by Ken Perrotte
A check of state fishing records shows that five states recognize crappie weighing 5 pounds or more. The South Carolina records for white and black crappie exceed that standard, and both fish were caught more than 50 years ago. Meanwhile, more than 30 states list crappie records that are heavier than 4 pounds.
However, there is still some controversy when it comes to the largest crappie ever caught. International Game Fish AssociationThe de facto organization that keeps records of fish caught with a rod and reel lists the all-tackle world record as a 5-pound, 7-ounce black crappie caught in 2018 from a Tennessee pond.
Read more: It’s okay to keep Trophy Crappie
But some still believe the real world record belongs to a 12- or 13-year-old Louisiana girl named Lettie Robinson, who reportedly caught a 6-pound black crappie from the Westwego Canal in 1969. Although there is little documentation and no known photos of the catch, Louis Bignami wrote about it in his 1991 book, Stories behind record fish(According to Bignami, Robinson caught the 6-pound crappie with an old reed rod and some worms she had dug out herself.) To this day, Robinson’s 6-pound crappie is listed as No. 1 in the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame in Wisconsin, but because the crappie is not accepted by the IGFA, there is some doubt about it.
Photo by Ken Perrotte
A list of big crappies doesn’t end with the all-tackle world record, either. The IGFA also recognizes length records for crappie caught, documented and released. It used to keep a list of line and tippet class records for the two species, too, but IGFA angler recognition manager Zack Bellapigna says Outdoor living that the record book was thoroughly revised in 2017, when the organization introduced a minimum weight requirement for these records.
“This [change] “Requires the fish to weigh half of its line class to qualify,” Bellapigna explains. “Therefore, the only records currently available are the all-tackle and length records for both species.”
Here’s a closer look at the IGFA verified crappie records.
All-Tackle Black Crappie Record: 5 pounds, 7 ounces
Photo courtesy of IGFA
Angler Lionel “Jam” Ferguson caught the current all-tackle world record black crappie (and the reigning largest crappie in the IGFA record book) on May 15, 2018, at Tennessee’s privately owned Richeison Pond. The fish measured 19.25 inches long and weighed 5 pounds, 7 ounces. It was a stout fish, measuring 17.75 inches in circumference.
Ferguson was fishing that night with a Shakespeare rod and a Pflueger reel with 6-pound Zebco line. His black crappie, caught on a jig, broke a world record that had stood for twelve years.
Read more: The 20 Best Crappie Lures of 2024, Tested and Reviewed
They raise them big in the Volunteer State. The Tennessee state record for white crappie is just two ounces shy of the all-tackle world record. Angler Bill Allen caught that 5-pound, 1-ounce whopper from another private pond in 1969.
All-Tackle White Crappie Record: 5 pounds, 3 ounces
Fred Bright’s all-tackle white crappie record has stood for 67 years, longer than any other record on this list. Bright caught the 5-pound, 3-ounce fish in Mississippi’s Enid Dam on July 31, 1957. There are no known photos of the fish. The fish was reportedly 21 inches long with a girth of 19 inches.
According to the IGFA, Bright used a Denison-Johnson reel with Ashaway line. There is no mention of what type of lure or bait he used.
Record length of all tackle, black crappie: 16.14 inches
Photo courtesy of IGFA
Angler Derek Merricks broke his own crappie record earlier this year, catching the 16.14-inch black crappie in Virginia’s Little Creek Reservoir on Feb. 10. His previous record, a 14.96-inch fish caught in December 2023, came from the same reservoir.
Merricks used a St. Croix Premier rod with a Shimano Stradic 1000 spinning reel and 6-pound Berkley Vanish fluorocarbon line. He caught both record fish on live minnows.
Record Length of All Tackles, White Crappie: 15.35 Inches
Photo courtesy of IGFA
Doug Borries caught his 15.35-inch white crappie on Oct. 22, 2022. He was fishing Grenada Lake, which has long been known as a destination for trophy crappie. Borries used a B’n’M rod and Okuma reel with a 10-pound Stren line. He cast a hand-tied jig.
Junior Length Record, Black Crappie: 13.39 inches
Photo courtesy of IGFA
Young Kate Kwak was ready for big game when she hooked her record black crappie, a 13.39-incher she caught on June 14, 2023, in Clear Lake, California. Her G Loomis PR 844S rod was rigged with a Shimano Stradic 3000 reel loaded with 50-pound PowerPro line. The fish ate a small fish.
Fly Fishing Record Length, Black Crappie: 14.57 Inches
Bob Gaines was fly fishing on Lake Perris in California on July 26, 2019, when a record-breaking black crappie inhaled his woolly creature. There are no known photos of the fish, which was reportedly 14.57 inches long. Gaines was using a Sage rod paired with an Orvis reel and fly line.
Fly Fishing Record Length, White Crappie: 15.35 Inches
Photo courtesy of IGFA
Michael T. Boleware holds the world record for fly fishing with a white crappie he caught earlier this year on Lake Grenada in Mississippi. The fish, caught on March 20, measured 15.35 inches. Boleware used a Pflueger rod with a Maxim Catch reel and 8-pound line. The fish bit on an imitation sculpin.
*This record is pending. If approved by the IGFA, Boleware will break his own existing record, a 14.96-inch crappie he caught in Ross Barnett Reservoir on April 19, 2023.
Junior Length Record, White Crappie: Tie
The current junior length record for white crappie is listed as a tie in the IGFA record book. According to the organization’s rules, a fish must be at least 2 inches longer than an existing record to break it.
Photos courtesy of IGFA
Jasmine Hammontree came close on February 16 of this year, when she landed a 12.99-inch white crappie from Vernon Lake, a 4,200-acre reservoir in Anacoco, Louisiana. She was using a colorful Sougayilang rod and a South Bend 110 reel, with a Strike King Rocket Shad lure on the business end.
But Hammontree’s fish wasn’t big enough to dislodge the 12.6-inch white crappie that James Callahan Barton caught in Mississippi on June 4, 2023. Barton was fishing Sardis Lake. He was using a B’n’M West Point rod with a size 30 Lew’s Xfinity spinning reel and a 15-pound Spiderwire. The fish was eating a chartreuse-and-green Bandit 300 crankbait.
Frequently Asked Questions
That answer depends on who you ask. Most would point to the 5-pound, 7-ounce black crappie caught in Tennessee in 2018, which is ranked No. 1 in the IGFA book of fishing records. Others would say that record belongs to a young Louisiana girl who reportedly caught a 6-pounder in 1969. Although there is no photographic evidence of the catch, it is still listed as No. 1 by the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame.
Big is a relative term, and crappies are one of the smallest members of the black bass family, averaging about 1-1.5 pounds. Any crappie over 2 pounds is something to brag about in most panfishing circles. Fish approaching the 4-5 pound mark are the real “slabs,” but these fish are quite rare in most parts of the country.
Like many other warmwater species, crappie tend to grow larger in southern states such as Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas. Lakes in the Midwest are also known for producing large crappie. Some of the most famous trophy crappie lakes in the country include: Grenada Lake in Mississippi, Lake Fork in Texas, and Alabama’s Weiss Lake.
Final Thoughts on the Biggest Crappies Ever Caught
Photo by Ken Perrotte
As fun as catching crappie is, many anglers would rather eat them. And with so many fish that have ended up on the cleaning table over the years, it’s hard to say with 100 percent certainty what the biggest crappie ever caught is. However, records are still being broken, and with anglers using new technology like Forward Facing Sonar to find bigger fish, this trend is likely to continue.
Ken Perrotte
