How much did your big crappie weigh? by Brad Wiegmann

You pull into the boat ramp and it’s the first question everyone asks you? How much did your big crappie weigh? An honest angler has probably weighed their fish with a digital scale that gives you pounds and ounces of the biggest one while a wise angler asks you what was your biggest one first then answers a few ounces more.


The easiest way of calculating a weight of a crappie is measuring it and using a standard length to weight formula you can find available on the internet. These length weight formulas are based on a growth formula for crappie from a population of them across the geographic range. Typically the length weight formula calculates the crappie to be heavier than it actually is in general. Best estimates of the weight of a crappie would be using both length and weight with a formula.


Of course the length and weight of any crappie is influenced by its health. To put it bluntly just how fat the crappie is that you are measuring. Being fat can be fatal meaning off to hot grease and frying pan or a trip in a livewell to a tournament weigh in.


In general crappie from reservoirs or ponds with good populations of forage will weigh more. Shortages of forage can result in how fast crappie grow and can influence the estimated length weight formula. Even what region a crappie is caught from can influence the weight.


Most of the weight to length formulas estimate white crappie:
9-inches 0.36 pounds
10-inches 0.52 pounds
11-inches 0.71 pounds
12-inches 0.95 pounds
13-inches 1.24 pounds
14-inches 1.59 pounds
15-inches 2.00 pounds
18-inches 3.67 pounds


Black crappie are typically heavier.
9-inches 0.41 pounds
10-inches 0.59 pounds
11-inches 0.81 pounds
12-inches 1.08 pounds
13-inches 1.41 pounds
14-inches 1.81 pounds
15-inches 2.28 pounds
18-inches 4.20 pounds


Another way to estimate your fish quickly without a digital scale is ABS plastic crappie checker. B’n’M Poles SlabMaster Crappie Saver designed by Ronnie Capps allows anglers to check crappie by simply sliding the fish into the checker and see where the tail ends on the ruler printed inside the housing. In addition to the estimated weight it also has an estimated age of the crappie. The B’n’M Poles SlabMaster Crappie Saver is larger than most checkers as it can measure up to 16-inch crappie.


One additional feature to the SlabMaster Crappie Saver is the air bladder deflation guide. Simply place the crappie into the SlabMaster Crappie Saver and measure the length keeping the crappie properly aligned inside the checker. Take the length measurement and correspond it to the air bladder deflation guide. This is where you need to insert a needle at a 45 degree angle and press releasing air from the air bladder until appropriately deflated.


If you want to be exact on the pounds and ounces a digital scale will have pounds and ounces. Typically a digital scale is designed to weigh one fish and display the weight or have a memory to store several weights. These are affordable and accurate for anglers.



Tournament crappie anglers are wanting to weigh multiple crappie while storing the weight; in addition to having a culling system that lets the angler keep the largest tournament limit while releasing the crappie to be culled. Compared to digital scale these tournament scale modes cost more, but angler’s get more.


I have the 15 Pound Touch Screen Scale Tournament Model by Rapala. It’s a culling system that’s easy to use and best of all touch screen making weighing and culling simple. The Rapala Tournament Scale comes with a 15-pound digital scale, eight piece culling system with numerical floating, heavy duty non-puncture quick release culling clamps and soft bag with operational instructions sewn in. The scale does come with a stainless steel lip clip if an angler chose to use it when weighing their fish. It’s powered by two AA batteries that are not included, but will typically last 400 hours.


Rapala Tournament Scale allows an angler to store up to 8 individual fish weights in numbered bins. Each bin has a matching numerical culling float so anglers can identify weight and fish. Once an angler reaches the tournament limit they can cull the smallest crappie out while keeping the largest tournament limit. The scale keeps a continuous total catch weight until cleared.


Next time you are wondering how much your big crappie weighs, measure the fish and use a weight to length formula as it will get you in the ballpark or get a digital scale. Not every angler is going to have a tournament scale like tournament anglers have, but it’s fun to know what your total weight of the crappie you caught if you have one.