KY State Record Crappie - update

[CrappiePappy]

After having caught the interview of Penny Hopper on Kentucky Afield (TV show) ... then reading an article, about the fish, in the Lexington Herald-Leader (local newspaper) -- here's the "story", as I understand it :

Mrs Penny Hopper, of Crofton KY, was given a Shakespeare rod & Zebco 33 reel for Mothers Day. Her husband, 6yo son, and she went to a local lake in Christian County. They were catching 8-10in Crappie from the stump filled waters of this watershed lake, when her husband decided to Bass fish. He caught a 3lb Bass from one side of a small laydown that was close to the bank (in a shaded area) ...(shortly afterwards) Penny's cast went on the other side of the laydown. When she hooked the fish, she got excited & was reeling the fish in really fast - practically skating it across the surface. Her husband, seeing the size of the fish and realizing it was a Crappie, leaned over their son (sitting on a cooler at mid-boat) and grabbed the fish. Their son became scared that the boat was going to tip over and began to cry. Once the fish was firmly in the hand of her husband - the bait fell out of its mouth. She was using a white Roadruner head with a Panfish Assassin "Crystal Shad" colored body (on 10lb monofilament line ... no brand given)
They put the fish on ice (in the cooler) and continued to fish for about 2 more hours....until her Brother-in-law came and saw the fish, relating that it may well be some kind of record. That's when they took it to a certified scale & had it weighed.
The Crappie was 21.5 inches long & had a girth of 18 inches ... certified weight was 4lb 14oz - and is the new KY State Record Crappie (eclipsing the old state record by half a pound).
DNA testing was done to determine if the fish was a Black Crappie or Hybrid, since the dorsal spine count of seven indicated it was a Black Crappie, but the markings on the sides looked to be of a mix (had the V shaped marks of a White Crappie, plus the black "specs/blotches" of a Black Crappie). This was done to verify whether or not the fish could be entered into the IGFA record book as the World Record Black Crappie. Tests confirmed that the fish was, indeed, a Hybrid - so no World Record title. So, the Virginia fish (4lb 8oz from Kerr Lake in 1981) is still the IGFA World Record Black Crappie (all tackle catagory).
That settles the questions about the fish's genetics, equipment used, bait it was caught on, and its current "record" status (as voiced in a previous thread). So, for now, that's the end of the story. There has been no mention of any "endorsements" - so maybe it's "not" the end of the story, after all ....... we'll just have to wait and see !! .............. cp

[CrappieLips]

Hey CP;;; Had'nt heard for you lately, You been asleep?

[ricky]

Tests confirmed that the fish was, indeed, a Hybrid - so no World Record title. :

What is a Hybrid?

[labill]

What is a Hybrid?

ricky; a hybrid is, in this case, a mix between the black and white crappie, which means it won't be recognized as a record fish since most authorities see them as two different catagories, and not mixed breeds.

[CrappieLips]

ricky; a hybrid is, in this case, a mix between the black and white crappie, which means it won't be recognized as a record fish since most authorities see them as two different catagories, and not mixed breeds.

A black male pee'd on some white egg's or a white male pee'd on some black egg's ha ha!

[DENNIS BOWERS]

Crappiepappy--kinda like PAUL Harvey,and now for the rest of the story!!Thanks for the info.-kinda wondered what ever happened?? Good Fishin To Ya!! Dennis

[CrappieOutlaw]

sure was a shame to kill a fish that big and that old...................

[Eager Beaver]

The Crappie was probably about ot the end of it's life cycle anyways.

[crappie66]

The Crappie was probably about ot the end of it's life cycle anyways.

I agree, people get all bent out of shape when someone kills a fish that big. The fish has done it's part and more than likely was beginning to die, once fish get so big they are like old people, they begin to get skinny and become smaller.

[Roberta]

"What is a Hybrid?"

A hybrid is a cross between two species within the same family, in this case, same genus, Pomoxis. When crosses are within the same genus, the offspring are usually fertile, such as crossing a coyote (Canis latrans) with a dog (Canis familiaris) A mule is a cross between two members of the same family (Equidae) - horse + ass- resulting in (usually) sterile offspring. Hybridizing cannot take place between more distantly related species.

Hybrids in both animals and plants are usually more robust, which is why they can get to larger than average sizes.

Roberta